Anyways, speeding tickets can really hurt. You have to pay astronomical amounts for the actual ticket. Then you get points on your driver's license. These points cause your insurance rates to go up.
Luckily, I've only ever had one speeding ticket. It was the Friday before Mother's Day and I was on my way home to see my mom. An officer was sitting on the side of the road (why must they do that?), and I was rolling downhill....a little faster than usual. It was the first time I'd ever been pulled over, and I was terrified. I was shocked to find out that the ticket cost over $100 (it was a while ago, but I believe it was $117 or something like that). What a stinky way to begin the weekend. You can see a picture of my lovely mother below.
This was before I was married, so I called Dad, my insurance agent, to see what I should do. Apparently, there are a couple of things you can/should do when you get a ticket. First, you can try to get the ticket dropped. This is ideal, but not super likely to happen. Secondly, you can try to get it reduced. Even if it's reduced by just a few mph, it could mean the difference between 1 or 2 insurance points, and this makes a difference in how much your insurance rates will increase.
Thirdly, you can get a prayer for judgment. Click here for a detailed explanation, but basically this makes the ticket go away as long as you don't get another one for 3 years. If you get another ticket within 3 years, it's bad--both tickets will count on your insurance which will result in a huge premium hike...ouch.
Good news: speeding tickets usually only affect your insurance premium for 3 years, so they'll fall off your record after a while.
Thinking about how expensive all this stuff is makes me want to slow down...
5-9 mph?? Ha-ha-ha!! Let us be honest with ourselves! :-)
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