Ticket On Federal Land

[Gleno]

Holy Stank this sucks!!! :blink: :blink: :blink:

Out for a Sunday ride with a friend. Me on the Gixx 1K, he on his Trumpet 955i. We were deep off into Lake Mead Nat Rec area. Coming over a rise, the V1 went apeshit in my ears. Instant on. I looked down to seen an indicated 87 on the speedo. Mr Ranger did the uturn, hit the lites thing.

He wrote me for 85 inna 50 zone. He totally failed to see the humor in me asking for just a warning. I was serious. I 'spose I'm just glad he didn't see us in the sweepers 5 miles prior. No $$$ amount on the cite. He said due to 35mph over, it's a mandatory appearance in Fed Court.

Anyways....the questions:

Any idea (ballpark) what this will cost??

Any chance of some love for this being a 1st offense??

This is only my 3rd performance coupon in life. All 3 have been on 2 wheels.

Faaaaack....I hate having to admit I was wrong. :angry:

 

[madmike2]

IIRC, a couple of guys got "pinched" in Yosemite a couple of years ago, they might have an idea.

WARNING: Rangers in Federal Parks have and use radar.

 

[trimmantom]

I think that it is a minimum 500 smackers right now not sure,my wife got rung up about 3or4 years ago for 200.

Don't be a smart ass with a federal judge or they'll really stick it wear the sun don't shine.

 

[fjr]

Talk to a lawyer. Best thing you can do with a speeding ticket.

 

[markjenn]

Talk to a lawyer. Best thing you can do with a speeding ticket.

Last time I got one, these "federal park" tickets were simple fines and did not go on your driving record. I paid mine and moved on, but it was only $75 or so, which I put on a credit card on the spot.

- Mark

 

[etz]

But do federal performance awards translate into points back in your home state? If not and you get no points, does your insurance company ever find out and raise your rates?

What if you're traveling the country.... do you have to return to a specific federal court or can you schedule one closer to home?

edit: Dang, mark answered my question as I was still typing it.

 

[nusman68]

Hmm...had never heard that... (about the 35 miles over). FWIW, a few months back, my brother got nailed while he & I were going through a National Forest here in Texas; the cop himself was a Nat'l Forest Service police officer (however it was only 10 miles over.. 70 in a 60). The fine was around $150; my brother hired a lawyer, who charged $100. (flat rate) and then *ahem* made a deal with the local judge in the county the ticket was issued; he had to pay the original fine, and then got the 'ole 'deferred adjudication': if he got no further citations in the next 90 days, the ticket would be wiped off his record; and so it was.

 

[markjenn]

Hmm...had never heard that... (about the 35 miles over). FWIW, a few months back, my brother got nailed while he & I were going through a National Forest here in Texas; the cop himself was in a Nat'l Forest Service police officer (however it was only 10 miles over.. 70 in a 60). The fine was around $150; my brother hired a lawyer, who charged $100. (flat rate) and then *ahem* made a deal with the local judge in the county the ticket was issued; he had to pay the original fine, and then got the 'ole 'deferred adjudication': if he got no further citations in the next 90 days, the ticket would be wiped off his record; and so it was.

I don't think all tickets handed out on federal land are the same.

The ones commonly called "federal tickets" are the ones handed out by the national park security folks on the roads owned and operated by the parks. They'll be issued from "United States District Court" not a local court. As I understand it, these tickets are not reported to the states and I doubt the information has any way to get back to your insurance company. Any court appearance is before a federal magistrate judge.

On many national forest roads, the forest rangers are deputized in the county the roads are in and can write conventional traffic tickets. Or they'll pull you over and if they want to, they'll have you wait for a sheriff to show.

I think if the ticket is written on a local or state court, you have a conventional ticket with the usual tradeoffs with insurance co, points, driving records, etc. But if you have one of these funny "federal tickets" then you can just pay it and not have further consequences.

Keep in mind what you paid for this legal advice.

- Mark

 

[Bounce]

Federal Court can set their own fines. I got a parking ticket for parking in an alternate place in a federal parking garage when someone had taken mine. They told me I could park in the other slot yet when there was a shift change they didn't tell the next shift. I set in fed court and got the ticket dismissed because of the circumstances. I got to listen to a lot of cases and rulings. $10k for a poaching fine. $50 for a simple parking ticket. Most of the speeding tickets were multiple hundreds of dollars with the smaller ones being for just minimal overages of posted limits.

Feds don't play around with their fines and, if found guilty, it goes on your record as a federal violation (not a felony unless they bump it up to something like endangerment or so). For 35 over, it might pay to get a lawyer.

 

[galxy5]

this summer I got wacked with 92 in a 45 zone on the BRP (Federal Land) ,, $500 but no points on my OL ,, with a lawyer ,, another $500 ,, the Fed Pros wanted to give 30 days in jail!!!!

 

[Gleno]

this summer I got wacked with 92 in a 45 zone on the BRP (Federal Land) ,, $500 but no points on my OL ,, with a lawyer ,, another $500 ,, the Fed Pros wanted to give 30 days in jail!!!!

You've GOT to be shittin' me here??? 30 Days for speeding?? It took a lawyer to solve it??

Does it matter that the ranger didn't make us sign the tickets??

 

[Gleno]

I don't think all tickets handed out on federal land are the same.
The ones commonly called "federal tickets" are the ones handed out by the national park security folks on the roads owned and operated by the parks. They'll be issued from "United States District Court" not a local court. As I understand it, these tickets are not reported to the states and I doubt the information has any way to get back to your insurance company. Any court appearance is before a federal magistrate judge.

Ding ding ding.....winner.

Here's what he handed me. However, mine clearly says 85 in a 50 as opposed to "Sample"

 

[Rogue]

I don't think all tickets handed out on federal land are the same.

The ones commonly called "federal tickets" are the ones handed out by the national park security folks on the roads owned and operated by the parks.  They'll be issued from "United States District Court" not a local court.  As I understand it, these tickets are not reported to the states and I doubt the information has any way to get back to your insurance company.  Any court appearance is before a federal magistrate judge.

Ding ding ding.....winner.

Here's what he handed me. However, mine clearly says 85 in a 50 as opposed to "Sample"

If so I say pay the fine and be glad it doesn't go on your record. :huh:

 

[vectervp1]

Does it matter that the ranger didn't make us sign the tickets??

Hmm... you didnt sign it? I'd talk to a lawyer and point that out. I've heard there is some sort of legal loopole there you might be able to use. Either way, for going that fast over the limit, you might want to talk to a lawyer anyway.

 

[markjenn]

I don't think all tickets handed out on federal land are the same.

The ones commonly called "federal tickets" are the ones handed out by the national park security folks on the roads owned and operated by the parks.  They'll be issued from "United States District Court" not a local court.  As I understand it, these tickets are not reported to the states and I doubt the information has any way to get back to your insurance company.  Any court appearance is before a federal magistrate judge.

Ding ding ding.....winner.

Here's what he handed me. However, mine clearly says 85 in a 50 as opposed to "Sample"

FWIIW, I paid $58 for 64 in a 45 zone in Glacier National Park in 2002. Hopefully, the 35 over doesn't put it in a totally different realm.

- Mark

 

[radman]

You don't sign a parking ticket, yet it is no less valid. Forget the signing technicality, it won't fly.

 

[ionbeam]

While the following isn't exactly your situation it does show how the Federal Parks can issue fines:

Blue Ridge Parkway speeders are in for steeper fines — now $500 up from $150 — if park rangers deem the drivers were causing a serious risk to themselves or others.

Tim Francis, district ranger for the southern portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, said the new fine is a much-needed deterrent. “Sport bikes are too frequently clocked going “triple digit speeds” on curvy stretches,” Francis said. The top speed Francis recalls is 120 mph.

Last year, rangers were battling a group of professional riders who had a standing challenge to fellow bikers: take the Parkway from Asheville to Swain County, ride the notorious Dragon’s Tail in Graham County, and return via the Parkway as quickly as possible.

Francis continued “Some of these guys are good riders and could do it, but it was ruining other people’s experience. Visitors come from all over the country for nice leisurely rides, not to watch the races.”

When the $150 fine seemed too lenient given the speed, rangers required the speeder to appear in court, where a steeper fine could be levied where federal judges were consistently handing down $500 tickets for aggravated speeding. However this month, US Chief District Court Judge Graham Mullen changed the law, allowing rangers to write speeders up a $500 ticket per offense on the spot.

The amount of the ticket will be based on the ranger’s discretion of the circumstances. Extremely risky driving could earn a $1,000 fine, as rangers can levy $500 for speeding and another $500 for the separate offense of reckless driving. In cases where $1,000 still doesn’t seem like enough, rangers can continue to require the speeder to come to court, were a judge recently handed down a $1,500 fine. Offenses on the Parkway are heard in federal court, as the Parkway is federal property.

=================

Here are some state by state traffic laws. Radman, note that since mid '05 speeds over 100 mph will result in license revocation. I'm sure this doesn't apply to you but you need to be sure your riding buds (if any) are aware of this.

 

[donaldb]

I doubt this will make a difference because I am comparing apples to oranges, but I got a speeding ticket about 2 years ago, it was issued by state hwy patrol not federal. The Hwy patrol man did not fully complete the ticket, I mention this because you indicate you did not sign the citation. Anyway, on my state ticket there was no place for me to sign, anyway, because the ticket was not completed, I got a lawyer to go w/me to justice court and he got the ticket thrown out after talking w/the judge. He told me later however that he managed to accomplish this task not because the ticket was not properly completed by the officer but because he knew the judge (some good ole boy politics), the lawyer advised me that if the judge wanted to, he could have called the trooper into court and had him finish completing the ticket right then and there and then fined me accordingly. The moral of the story--find a lawyer who is really good bud's w/the judge!

 

[Geezer]

FWIIW, I paid $58 for 64 in a 45 zone in Glacier National Park in 2002. Hopefully, the 35 over doesn't put it in a totally different realm.

- Mark

The last time I was in Montana the posted speed limit on the interstate was 'Reasonable and Prudent'.

I imagine with an attitude like that the judge would be pretty lenient with speeding tickets even in the roads that had numeric speed limits. I understand they do have a numeric speed limit on the interstates in Montana these days.