Life sucks...big time

[just4kickz]

karma. for all the good you get... you get just as much bad... be careful what you want yadida

[mkoesel]

Next time do ED and get it out of your system!

No seriously, that sucks man. I feel for ya. I had the M3 up to a buck ten today because the lady in the MKZ kept making her starbucks-induced hand and head motions and riding my ass like a five dollar whore. We all have our moments. That could easily have been me with the suspended license.

[Majikthese42]

1.) I know you're in Virginia, but do you have a radar detector? I actually feel naked driving without one now.

2.) The fatality rate on the unlimited parts of the Autobahn is lower than the fatality rate on the US interstate highway system. I'd also bet a cyber root-beer that a 335i can stop in a shorter distance from 82MPH than a tractor-trailer will from 55MPH. So I don't think that 82MPH on I66 is necessarily either reckless or immoral. Although 100MPH in a Ford Explorer with underinflated tires probably is, and is kinda scary all by itself.

Yes, hire a lawyer, and buy a radar detector if you don't have one. There are ways to make the gizmos invisible for Virginia -- plenty of ideas on the BMW and Audi boards.

[Saintor]

Originally Posted by liverpool

BK is right - it is a police state here. I was going 82mph on I66 which has a speed limit of 55mph. There was hardly anyone on the road so I thought I'd hit it a bit.

There must be more to this story for a reckless fine than excessive speed. I have no sympathy for you.

[Ghunger]

Originally Posted by BK

Slightly OT, but I need to find a track where I can legally open it up, just to get it out of my and my E90's system. I don't want to race anyone, and don't want to wear out my brakes and tires with a bunch of twisties, I just want my car to enjoy very high speed without worry that I'll be pulled over and thrown in the slammer.

Check with your local BMWCCA chapter. I bet most all of em have track days. The HPDE (high performance driving events) are great ways to get some instruction on driving and have a ton of fun flogging your car on the track.

A quick search and I found the Tarheel chapter in Virginia has days at VIR. :rocks: http://www.tarheelbmwcca.org/

There's also a DC chapter. http://www.nccbmwcca.org/

[HappyG]

I would place a large sum of money that 90% of the members who give comments on speeding/endangering the public/racing/etc, do the same damn thing here and there. I hit xxx mph a few times a week on any given freeway that I feel is safe. Responsible? No. But I won't cry if I get caught because we all know what we risk when we do something irresponsible. It's also relevant to so many variables such as driver/weather/congestion/freeway/blah blah blah.

Just don't get caught, and as another member said, you should've been following break-in procedure. (Which you could've been doing going 82mph of course)

Hope you don't get it suspended, but do use more caution next time...

[TheAcAvenger]

To the OP, from one virginian to the other, my condolences. I dont think the nonvirginians on this board completely understand how easy it is to get reckless in VA. I was unaware, until a few months ago, but apprently, you can get reckless for exceeding 80mph, regardless of what the speed limit is (the max in the entire state is 65). Generally its 15 over. But i've had friends get reckless for chirping tires at a light, accelerating too fast merging on the freeway, and for excessive lane changes. Yes, there's a law called excessive lane changes, but if you excessively lane change excessively then it's reckless. Ohh the commonwealth state.

As a Virginian, it is your DUTY not to get the PROcede as your first mod, but the following items. You need the Escort SR7 radar detector. Nothing sits on your window.. just find a really reputable installer and let him rig it somewhere on your dash or in the cabin where it can't be seen from the outside. You also need a blinder m40 xtreme laser jammer. The Blinder is the only 5-star quality jammer that cuts itself off after a few seconds, so that it'll give a real read to the cops (so they dont know you're jamming the sig). Your detector would've given you warning to get on those brakes by now. I'm planning to get mine done in the spring, and you need it even more than I do. Nova is way worse than down here. You had no chance, bro.

[HRC]

Originally Posted by HappyG

I would place a large sum of money that 90% of the members who give comments on speeding/endangering the public/racing/etc, do the same damn thing here and there. I hit xxx mph a few times a week on any given freeway that I feel is safe. Responsible? No. But I won't cry if I get caught because we all know what we risk when we do something irresponsible. It's also relevant to so many variables such as driver/weather/congestion/freeway/blah blah blah.

Just don't get caught, and as another member said, you should've been following break-in procedure. (Which you could've been doing going 82mph of course)

Hope you don't get it suspended, but do use more caution next time...

Certainly, I am no angel. People can learn from the past and gain some perspective though. My main point was don't feel too bad, it could be alot worse.

Danny

[HappyG]

That's for sure HRC. I've sped like a mad man before, but also drive with a cool hand most of the time. It's just our animalistic need for danger and risks I suppose. Humans that is..I'd rather speed then fall off a bridge dangling from a rope, but whatever gets the blood pumping!

[BK]

Originally Posted by Ghunger

Check with your local BMWCCA chapter. I bet most all of em have track days. The HPDE (high performance driving events) are great ways to get some instruction on driving and have a ton of fun flogging your car on the track.

A quick search and I found the Tarheel chapter in Virginia has days at VIR. :rocks: http://www.tarheelbmwcca.org/

There's also a DC chapter. http://www.nccbmwcca.org/

Thanks, Ghunger. I just joined BMACCA a couple of weeks ago. I'll look into it.

[dhmilosr]

I used to use a radar detector, but found that all the false alarms caused constant interruptions.

My philosophy concerning speeding:
-I never go more than 10 over when I'm driving somewhere I haven't been before. Cops hide in the almost the same places all the time and the locals know where they are.
-I try to take queues from the people ahead of me. Even a tap of brake lights ahead of me will cause me to slow down. People 1/2 mile ahead of me are the best cop detectors there are. As a courtesy to others, while passing the speed trap, I'll brake slightly to notify others behind me.
-I never speed past known speed trap areas. No matter if I'm in the middle of something with another driver, I'll let him go ahead. This saved me yesterday and the other guy got the ticket.
-Let someone else run blocker for you. A similiar idea to the Smokey and the Bandit movie, if you can find someone willing to go faster than you, let them. If there's a cop up ahead, he'll catch them first. The corollary to that is if your the first guy in the pack, or the fastest on the road, be extra careful.
-Use your handbrake. If you're in the middle of traffic and notice a cop behind you coming up fast, give it a hard yank, but keep the button depressed. This will cause you to slow down without brake lights. I've had the cop pull over the guy I was dueling with because he braked and showed brake lights, and I didn't.
-If I'm not feeling sharp enough to look out for cops, ahead and behind, stupid distracted drivers, etc. then I'm not sharp enough to speed. During these times I just lay low, find a fast cloud of traffic, and go with the flow.
-There are only a few places where one can do triple digits without worry of cops hiding in a speed trap. I use these places to get it out of my system, regularly.
-I never do the bob and weave thing. I see a$$holes driving on others rear ends, cutting people off, risking their and other's life and limb. That's just plan stupid and I leave it up to the ricers.
-Keep in mind most people only look in their rear view mirror once before they change lanes, and in that time they're looking for people doing normal highway speeds. If you're setting a land speed record, chances are good they might just change lanes right into you without ever seeing you. Don't take it personally, if it happens. Be extra careful coming up behind slower drivers. Putting on your highbeams for extra visibility at triple digits is a good idea.

The above are based on 24,000 miles on a sport bike with no tickets and a bunch of miles on a Mustang GT with no tickets. I know this is off topic, but the thread seemed to be heading this way anyway...

[SP330]

Originally Posted by Hawkshaw

Life sucks? My best friend's mother will be dead from cancer before the weekend is out...getting a ticket for wreckless driving while driving wrecklessly?

Sorry, I don't usually flame, I'm just hit with a dose of perspective today

Indeed. You have my prayers for your friend and his family.

The main problem with American drivers is everybody thinks they're good at driving.

I bet many people on this very board drive their vehicles in a way that sustains the stereotype of a typical BMW driver.

To the OP, may you learn a valuable lesson from this, hope you can still get to your job and such in other ways.

[Hawkshaw]

Originally Posted by SP330

Indeed. You have my prayers for your friend and his family.

The main problem with American drivers is everybody thinks they're good at driving.

I bet many people on this very board drive their vehicles in a way that sustains the stereotype of a typical BMW driver.

To the OP, may you learn a valuable lesson from this, hope you can still get to your job and such in other ways.

I heard a poll result that said 78% of drivers surveyed considered themselves above average drivers. By definition, of course, 50% of drivers are above average.

[Fraggy]

Originally Posted by HRC

To you now, this situation sucks hard, but look at it as a possible blessing. You could die or kill others driving reckless, heck death can even happen when your paying attention. So try to learn from this and drive more responsible when you get to driving again..for real!

Danny

Sorry, I can only partially agree. Where I live if you double the speed limit or drive over 85 its reclessdriving, even if you are driving calmly.

I drive over 85 everyday I drive and so do at least 25% of the other people on the road. I hit 100 at least twice a week on my way to work. Its on the freeway.

I can agree with you though if he was truely driving reclessly like excessive lane changes, studid moves, etc. But if its just speed, then its just speeding and the classification becomes receless driving even if he is the only car on the road and stays in one lane.

[Fraggy]

Originally Posted by dhmilosr

I used to use a radar detector, but found that all the false alarms caused constant interruptions.

My philosophy concerning speeding:
-I never go more than 10 over when I'm driving somewhere I haven't been before. Cops hide in the almost the same places all the time and the locals know where they are.
-I try to take queues from the people ahead of me. Even a tap of brake lights ahead of me will cause me to slow down. People 1/2 mile ahead of me are the best cop detectors there are. As a courtesy to others, while passing the speed trap, I'll brake slightly to notify others behind me.
-I never speed past known speed trap areas. No matter if I'm in the middle of something with another driver, I'll let him go ahead. This saved me yesterday and the other guy got the ticket.
-Let someone else run blocker for you. A similiar idea to the Smokey and the Bandit movie, if you can find someone willing to go faster than you, let them. If there's a cop up ahead, he'll catch them first. The corollary to that is if your the first guy in the pack, or the fastest on the road, be extra careful.
-Use your handbrake. If you're in the middle of traffic and notice a cop behind you coming up fast, give it a hard yank, but keep the button depressed. This will cause you to slow down without brake lights. I've had the cop pull over the guy I was dueling with because he braked and showed brake lights, and I didn't.
-If I'm not feeling sharp enough to look out for cops, ahead and behind, stupid distracted drivers, etc. then I'm not sharp enough to speed. During these times I just lay low, find a fast cloud of traffic, and go with the flow.
-There are only a few places where one can do triple digits without worry of cops hiding in a speed trap. I use these places to get it out of my system, regularly.
-I never do the bob and weave thing. I see a$$holes driving on others rear ends, cutting people off, risking their and other's life and limb. That's just plan stupid and I leave it up to the ricers.
-Keep in mind most people only look in their rear view mirror once before they change lanes, and in that time they're looking for people doing normal highway speeds. If you're setting a land speed record, chances are good they might just change lanes right into you without ever seeing you. Don't take it personally, if it happens. Be extra careful coming up behind slower drivers. Putting on your highbeams for extra visibility at triple digits is a good idea.

The above are based on 24,000 miles on a sport bike with no tickets and a bunch of miles on a Mustang GT with no tickets. I know this is off topic, but the thread seemed to be heading this way anyway...

Excellent post.

[S4to335]

I got a reckless driving ticket when I was 17...a BUNCH of years ago....and to be honest...I deserved it. That being said..I learned my lesson...now I preach taking the car to the track instead of haulin ass on city streets/freeways. I teach high performance driving now for various clubs..and actually raced for a few years. Anyway, yeah it sucks..but hopefully you learned a lesson. Time to stock up on mods...but remember..to add fix that loose nut behind the wheel first.

[adrian8806]

I don't speed anymore after being arrested for doing 111mph on 65mph. This was on Rt8 in CT.
...Dropped to a speeding charge and license suspension for 10 days...trust me, I learned my lesson quick...

[HRC]

Originally Posted by Fraggy

Sorry, I can only partially agree. Where I live if you double the speed limit or drive over 85 its reclessdriving, even if you are driving calmly.

I drive over 85 everyday I drive and so do at least 25% of the other people on the road. I hit 100 at least twice a week on my way to work. Its on the freeway.

I can agree with you though if he was truely driving reclessly like excessive lane changes, studid moves, etc. But if its just speed, then its just speeding and the classification becomes receless driving even if he is the only car on the road and stays in one lane.

Fragg, I posted before the OP indicated the speed he got caught for. I assumed it was 100+.

Danny

[FirstClass]

It really surprises me that some people only take their car to 80 occasionally I try to get mine to tripe digits at least once a day for a minute or two, but sometimes traffic prohibits it For example on the way to school today it was snowy so I had to drive slow, but on the way home the opportunity presented itself (read: empty left lane) to take her up to ~110 for a minute or so before traffic took it back down to 80ish.

[Mr.F1 Fan]

Originally Posted by dhmilosr

I used to use a radar detector, but found that all the false alarms caused constant interruptions.

My philosophy concerning speeding:
-I never go more than 10 over when I'm driving somewhere I haven't been before. Cops hide in the almost the same places all the time and the locals know where they are.
-I try to take queues from the people ahead of me. Even a tap of brake lights ahead of me will cause me to slow down. People 1/2 mile ahead of me are the best cop detectors there are. As a courtesy to others, while passing the speed trap, I'll brake slightly to notify others behind me.
-I never speed past known speed trap areas. No matter if I'm in the middle of something with another driver, I'll let him go ahead. This saved me yesterday and the other guy got the ticket.
-Let someone else run blocker for you. A similiar idea to the Smokey and the Bandit movie, if you can find someone willing to go faster than you, let them. If there's a cop up ahead, he'll catch them first. The corollary to that is if your the first guy in the pack, or the fastest on the road, be extra careful.
-Use your handbrake. If you're in the middle of traffic and notice a cop behind you coming up fast, give it a hard yank, but keep the button depressed. This will cause you to slow down without brake lights. I've had the cop pull over the guy I was dueling with because he braked and showed brake lights, and I didn't.
-If I'm not feeling sharp enough to look out for cops, ahead and behind, stupid distracted drivers, etc. then I'm not sharp enough to speed. During these times I just lay low, find a fast cloud of traffic, and go with the flow.
-There are only a few places where one can do triple digits without worry of cops hiding in a speed trap. I use these places to get it out of my system, regularly.
-I never do the bob and weave thing. I see a$$holes driving on others rear ends, cutting people off, risking their and other's life and limb. That's just plan stupid and I leave it up to the ricers.
-Keep in mind most people only look in their rear view mirror once before they change lanes, and in that time they're looking for people doing normal highway speeds. If you're setting a land speed record, chances are good they might just change lanes right into you without ever seeing you. Don't take it personally, if it happens. Be extra careful coming up behind slower drivers. Putting on your highbeams for extra visibility at triple digits is a good idea.

The above are based on 24,000 miles on a sport bike with no tickets and a bunch of miles on a Mustang GT with no tickets. I know this is off topic, but the thread seemed to be heading this way anyway...

We can rename the post, "A Gentleman's Guide to Speeding".
Nice post DHMILOSR ! It's not easy avoiding tickets, but the above philosophy has kept me clean for quite some time. Truth is, anyone who goes more than 10 over is just rolling the dice, but the above guidelines put the odds in your favor. Good recommendations!

[Mr.F1 Fan]

Originally Posted by Saintor

There must be more to this story for a reckless fine than excessive speed. I have no sympathy for you.

In Virginia, I have never heard of anyone getting a 20+ over the limit that didn't get the AUTOMATIC reckless driving infraction as well. Most that I have heard of take it to court and get it reduced by some means. There may have been other factors at play, but make no mistake, in the good old Commonwealth of Virginia, we don't evidently stand for such things. At 40 over they will take you license, impound the car if there is no one to drive it and lock you up! Excessive speed without a cause is the charge I think they use. Think about it........at 95mph, they can take your shiny new BMW and send it off to the impound lot! Freaks me out just talking about it!

[Mr.F1 Fan]

Originally Posted by Hawkshaw

I heard a poll result that said 78% of drivers surveyed considered themselves above average drivers. By definition, of course, 50% of drivers are above average.

.....ahh, count me in the top 50%. I know I am better than the other 9 drivers in my family so I figure I must a least be in the top 50%.....Right?