[Closed] Speeding fines in USA - Arizona

For my own peace of mind I'd just hand over the money rather than feel like I was about to be banged up every time I got to immigration at the US border in the future.

As an aside (and clearly not related to the area of 'wriggling out of it' that we seem to be in)did you actually commit the offence?

wwaswas

I have no doubt i didnt commit the offence. The officer alleged i was travelling at 78 in a 65. I know the speedo was recording 70 when he spotted me.

So his accusation that i was doing 78, i totally refute.

I was in a yellow sports car - an easy target.

Do you live in the US? If so then I'd someone who know's the law in Arizona.

If you don't, up to you.

BUT, beware that this guys is in charge..., be double-aware if you ain't white.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio

[i]He is well known for attracting media attention, and styles himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff[/i]

Was this a hire car? If so they'll just contact the company, who will take it from your credit card and bill you, plus an admin fee.

If not, I would just pay up, as these things have a habit of re-emerging just when you want to re-enter a country like the US.

Your letter, if I'm honest, doesn't read to me like a productive approach to law enforcement agencies in a foreign country.

revised letter;

"I was speeding but not by as much as the officer has stated, do I still have to pay?"

"I was speeding but not by as much as the officer has stated, do I still have to pay?"

More like i wasn't doing what the officer alleges i was.

If they don't have your correct details I am not sure they would bother coming after you - hard to stop somebody at a border if you have their names wrong. I would ignore it - they would have taken the money from the rental car company if they could, which seems unlikely as they probably wrote the number plate down wrong too. Was the Police Officer drunk ?

After reading this: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/magazine/the-bail-trap.html

I would just plead guilty and pay the fine.

Someone on the USA FJR1300 forum is doing a survey comparing their speedo readings to GPS readings. Its seems that unlike here in the UK all the US bikes have speedoes that read the same as or slightly slower than the GPS indicates. So your indicated 70 could actually have been a few MPH faster than that (very unlikely to be slower from what I have seen - the survey results include other bikes and cars as well).

US Speedos are amazingly accurate against the GPS readings.

You must have been going some for the Cop to even car when you presented your UK license. I got pulled over when driving over there and as soon as he saw the UK license he just warned me and let me go.

the US bikes have speedoes that read the same as or slightly faster than the GPS indicates

Do you actually mean "faster" here or was that a typo?

Having spent a year over there and getting pulled a number of times when the speedo was showing just 5mph over the limit I'd suggest suck it up and pay the fine.

As others have said this will otherwise come back to bite you next time you try and enter the country.

Edited - i confused myself as well!

Shoulda burned it for the county line.

If the address is incorrect and name is wrong how did it get to you?

If the address is incorrect and name is wrong how did it get to you?

Postcode is MZ0, which is Close, but still incorrect

With Homeland security being what it is, I would pay.

Those people don't have a sense of humour.

If it is a hire car you are done for as they will just pay and forward the bill on.

Did he take your passport details?

Did he take your passport details?

No

Up to you if you pay or not then. Wrong name, no passport number, might not end up an immigration issue. Could end up in nick if you get stopped in Arizona again though.

However, if it's a hire car you'll probably end up paying regardless.

Personally, would just pay it to avoid looking suspiciously sweaty going through immigration next time I visited the states.

Do they arrest you for sweating ? Even if you are white ? Seems harsh.

Might give them sufficient cause for some cavity-related fun.

Dear Williams Justice Court

I receive today (August 17th 2015) a letter from the Court claiming a citation issued to myself on 3rd July 2015 is still outstanding.[s] This is the first communication I have received in the post regarding this matter, the Police have not contacted me directly. I make two observations:

• My name is spelt incorrectly on the envelope
• My address is incorrect

The latter point probably goes some way in explaining why the Police have not contacted me directly.

The allegation regarding this citation was a speeding offence.

I challenged the officer to provide me with evidence of his allegation at the scene, however he admitted he was unable to do so as he had no reproducible recording of the alleged offence.

I have a verbal recording of this conversation to prove this.

Seeing as the offices was unable to record basic information accurately and his evidence is his word, how reliable can this evidence be?

There is no reliable evidence that the alleged offence occurred and therefore I am not liable for any debt incurred due to the officers incompetence.

May I encourage you to approach the officer to inspect his evidence prior to taking this matter further.[/s]
Well #### you buddy, I'm Donald Trump's personal hair stylist

Sincerley

Edward2000

Do they arrest you for sweating ?

I will keep that in mind.

I'd pay. I really wouldn't fancy getting pulled up on this at some point in my life when trying to get into the US. If it was $1k I'd maybe consider challenging it in writing but in this instance you probably were speeding and the fine is relatively low. Risk/Benefit ratio...

In what way was your name wrong and how was the address incorrect? was it just the post code that was out?

Your answers are important as your defence to a speeding charge based on I agree I was speeding seems a little self defeating.

This reads like:

a) Fella is pulled over for speeding (he was speeding)
b) Fella trys to be a clever/cocky b@stard with foreign policeman
c) Fella trys to be a clever/cocky b@stard with foreign court
d) Situation potentialy escalates

if b) had been 'fella apologises, does his best humble Hugh-Grant-bumbling-brit act', it might all have gone away...

Headline

Cocky Brit gets rubber glove treatment at immigration

Rather you than me...

Fundamentally...
were you speeding
If yes - then pay up,
I'm assumingArizona is like Texas where arguing with the law is not really an option unless you're squeaky clean

If you're going to argue "prove it," you should probably first ascertain what proof is required in AZ. Ie, is a traffic officer's word that you were speeding sufficient to secure a conviction?

Also, what on earth is a "verbal recording"?

What's the forum's thoughts on sticking it back in the post with "not known at this address, return to sender" on it?

IIRC some countries have agreements with the DVLA to pursue you (possibly an EU thing?) but that doesn't appear to have happened here. They've contacted you based on information provided at the roadside. There must be a point at which it's not worth pursuing, and they've nothing to tie it to your passport I don't think?

Hm.

I know nothing about getting off your speeding fine but I would be very careful of stating you have audio recording of the conversation as some states have very heavy laws regarding wiretapping. DEFINATELY check first otherwise the speeding fine will be the least of your worries

if b) had been 'fella apologises, does his best humble Hugh-Grant-bumbling-brit act', it might all have gone away...

doesn't always work though

[img] [/img]

joking aside, you can afford to go to the states and you can afford to hire a sports car, but you're bitching about $220 when non-payment could result in all sorts of immigration grief should you ever want to go back there? just pay up and the problem goes away

Depends on if you have a rare name or are just another John Smith...

My experience with US law is it doesn't matter if you think you are right. You are not. If you want to argue, you might "win" in the end but the time, energy and future prejudice is not worth the effort.

If you do nothing then there could be continual fines and actions in your absence. After a while it will go to a debt collection agency and they will try to find you.. There are people who end up in prison for not being able to pay speeding fines and then end up paying tens of thousands of dollars for a $500 ticket...

You cannot apply logic or sense to the system so do not try. If you were speeding just pay the fine and put it behind you.

Pay it up if you want to go to the USA again.

You know that Moral Turpitude question on the immigration forms. This is what it means, and you sir will be guilty. (Probably - never actually figured out what it was despite ticking [s]Yes[/s]No everytime)

Should have directed him to that bit in the front of your passport that says:

[i]Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance[/i]

And reminded him that as a former colonial, he had no legal jurisdiction to challenge you, a subject of Her Majesty the Queen, and commanded him to let you on your way with due haste, preferably with use of the phrase 'my good man' and by repeating the words 'without let or hindrance' whilst pointing at them on the page.

That would have shown him!

My experience with US law is it doesn't matter if you think you are right. You are not. If you want to argue, you might "win" in the end but the time, energy and future prejudice is not worth the effort.

maybe the amount on the letter is a invitation to haggle?

It's not complicated. You got a ticket. If you don't want to pay it. Don't.
Repercussions will only occur if you plan on returning to the US.
Most states share information now and if you go elsewhere (avoiding AZ) the chances are that should you get pulled over again, they will find an outstanding fine and likely a warrant by that time. You will be arrested. You would face extradition to the state you committed the offence.
If this sounds inconvenient. Pay the fine!

Arizona has some interesting penalties. Look up the tent prison. One of our employees went there for a driving under the influence charge. Not pleasant in a AZ summer!

How do you look in an orange jump suit?

[i]Arizona has some interesting penalties. Look up the tent prison. One of our employees went there for a driving under the influence charge. Not pleasant in a AZ summer! [/i]

Which is why I posted up the wiki about the 'local' Sheriff. Amazing what someone in power can get away with, even against the Executive.

Tell you what to do

Write a smug reply to the fine request

Then post smug reply on an even more smug cycling forum

Then sit back a read all the smug replies

😉

That's exactly what I doing!

How do you look in an orange jump suit?

Have you got a purty mouth?

I went to Canada a few years ago and we got done 40km up a logging road by some mounties on quads. I was done for drinking alcohol in a moving vehicle and being in a moving vehicle without a seatbelt (I was riding the in the back of a pickup truck). Both offences resulted in a total fine of $800.

The mountie at the time pulled me over and said "do you ever intend on coming back to Canada?", to which my response was "yes". He replied "then I suggest you pay the fine". He then went on to say that if I wasn't going to enter the country again then go home and forget about it.

I paid the fine. I suggest you do the same.

A friend of mine flew from London to LA a few years ago, only to be denied entry, due to a speeding ticket he'd received some 20 years ago. He didn't even get the option of paying it, he just had to come straight back home. We'll never know whether he got more than just a speeding ticket, and wasn't letting on.

As above, if you're ever planning on returning to the country, probably worth just paying up.

This may be useful if you don't pay up 😆

[img] [/img]

"I have a verbal recording of this conversation to prove this."

sits on edge of seat....are we going to get to hear this?

I had a similar experience but in Canada. Was traveling around BC as a student. We had rented a Toyota Corrola but got upgraded to a Pontiac Grand Am (2 door sports coupe in red)

After spending a while in Jasperwe headed down towards Banff and I got pulled by a Mounty. He stated he clocked me at 130km/h in a 90 zone. Saw I was foreign and then said tell you what I will reduce the fine to 110 in a 90 zone.

His parting words were 'if you are leaving soon I might just ignore it'

Being skint I did exactly that. Skipped the country about a week later and never paid.

Several years later I wanted to go back to Canada. Being slightly anxious regarding getting turned away or arrested on arrival I went into the Canadian High Commision on a trip into London. Being careful to avoid giving my name I explained the situation to the desk clerk who then rang for advice. I can still hear the laughter from the other end of the phone and was told not to worry about it.

Been back to Canada several times now and am just very careful not to speed.

However in your situation if I had the money I would cough up as the US of A is pretty different in its law enforcement

[i]I challenged the officer to provide me with evidence of his allegation at the scene[/i]

[i]I have a verbal recording of this conversation to prove this.[/i]

I suspect you got fined as you failed the attitude test!

When you said recording I was thinking "I hope Texas is state with 1 party consent and no law against recording police" like some states!

I went to Canada a few years ago and we got done 40km up a logging road by some mounties

[img] [/img]

That's some holiday video 😯

Don't judge everyone by your own standards squirrel

I got a lot of parking tickets in Perth W.A. in the late 80's was worried about flying into Sydney after that but no problems. I guess computer systems weren't as linked up back then.

Ewwww. I hate odd numbers.