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Speeding Ticket After a Toll in New Hampshire

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  • 01-29-2015, 04:55 AM
    sky511
    Speeding Ticket After a Toll in New Hampshire
    My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: NH

    Hello all, I just wanted more clarification on this.

    So I was driving on Everett Turnpike and there's a toll right before it hits Manchester, NH. Before the toll, I was driving behind a state trooper so I was already wary of my driving speed and whatnot. As it hits the toll, I dropped my speed considerably low obviously but by this point I was ahead of him. I didn't speed in front of him, he just decided to drop his speed a lot earlier before the toll.

    I drive past the toll a bit for about 2 min and then I got stopped by the same trooper saying I went 62 on a 35. I'm assuming the 35 is the stretch of highway right after the toll. I don't think I went this fast considering I knew he was behind me. But I probably did end up going up towards 60 maybe within my last 30 seconds of driving, which by that point I think the speed limit is 65. There were some exchange of words and he was being very aggressive without my not really saying anything. He asked for an explanation and he cut me off in the middle of it. I'm gonna say I maybe said 5 words in the entire ordeal. But I digress.

    He takes my license and my registration, which I found out I have 2 different registrations in my car. And I gave him the wrong one in my state of fluster. But I did have the correct one. He comes back with a court order saying I have to appear and if not to reschedule. And he also said I had the wrong registration (I ended up finding the correct one in the same place as the wrong one). But he didn't ask for the correct one, and just went on his merry way.

    On the court order, it said I was going 62 on a 35 and contrary to RSA 265.60. I don't know what that means but I'm trying to give all the info on it.

    I'm just wondering why he didn't give me a ticket right away instead of a court order. And what are the chances that I could get this dismissed.

    The last time I got a ticket was 3 years ago on an expired plate, which I didn't even know I had considering I was borrowing my dads car. And before that was back in 2010 not even for a traffic violation. Other than that, I feel my record is pretty clean, which could be why I got a court order instead of a ticket? I don't have any warrant for an arrest or anything. I just want more clarification on this. I don't mind paying the ticket I just don't want my points to go up.
  • 01-29-2015, 07:12 AM
    PADriver13
    Re: Speeding Ticket After Toll in New Hampshire
    How did the officer claim he calculated your speed?
  • 01-29-2015, 07:19 AM
    sky511
    Re: Speeding Ticket After Toll in New Hampshire
    Clocked and radar are both checked. He didn't show me the reading.

    I drive this road all the time and I honestly can't recall ever seeing a 35 speed limit sign anywhere. I'm going to check it again tomorrow. However, say if it wasn't posted, will that help my case?
  • 01-29-2015, 07:43 AM
    PADriver13
    Re: Speeding Ticket After Toll in New Hampshire
    Quote:

    Quoting sky511
    View Post
    Clocked and radar are both checked. He didn't show me the reading.

    I drive this road all the time and I honestly can't recall ever seeing a 35 speed limit sign anywhere. I'm going to check it again tomorrow. However, say if it wasn't posted, will that help my case?

    Sure, if there is no speed limit sign that conforms to local ordinances, that would definitely help your case. Find out if it is clearly posted and posted within guidelines.
  • 01-29-2015, 07:45 AM
    free9man
    Re: Speeding Ticket After Toll in New Hampshire
    Are you talking about the Hooksett Toll Plaza? If so, Google Maps shows 35MPH signs before the Toll Plaza going both directions. The images are a little old though so it is possible something may have happened to the sign.
  • 01-29-2015, 08:51 AM
    sky511
    Re: Speeding Ticket After Toll in New Hampshire
    That must be it. If so, I guess that argument is shot. I will check again however.

    I just don't believe that I could be going that fast upon exiting the toll. However, I do believe I was going that fast around the time he stopped me.

    Any idea as to why he had given me a court date rather than a ticket? Does that mean he'll definitely show up? He did say I can reschedule it, would it be best to do that in the off chance by that point he wouldn't wanna show up any more?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Also all my correct information and my car info was on the slip so I'm assuming that he was able to get my registration and insurance info from just my license alone? It kind of seems odd to me that he didn't want to see my correct registration. Unless he's going to chalk that up to not having one and getting another ticket under my name.
  • 01-29-2015, 01:34 PM
    joef
    Re: Speeding Ticket After Toll in New Hampshire
    Every toll plaza I have been through has a reduced speed limit some distance before the plaza area and before where the road widens and this continues through until all the booth lanes have merged back to the normal driving lanes. Since you passed him approaching the toll booths, this is where he may have caught you, before the booths, not exiting. He may have slowed to the posted 35 and you blew past him not realizing the limit had dropped. Remember you have to be down to the posted speed limit by the time you reach the sign. In the process of slowing is not sufficient, but it is what a lot of us do.
  • 01-30-2015, 04:21 AM
    sky511
    Re: Speeding Ticket After a Toll in New Hampshire
    I wouldn't say I blew past him. He just decided to slow down a considerable distance before the toll. However, that's beside the point because I was already ahead of him before the toll and the ticket was for the stretch of highway AFTER the toll, or that was my understanding. Which during the toll, I would've slowed down to below 25 and then picked it up to 62 in that short stretch of highway afterwards.

    - - - Updated - - -

    OK so driving this morning, there ISNT any 35 limit sign after the toll. Which leads me to believe that the above person was correct in that he had clocked me going 62 BEFORE the toll. The reason why I thought it was after the toll was because he specifically said I was going 62 passing a parked trooper. And there's only a parked trooper after the toll. I don't know it all doesn't make sense to me.

    I'm still just more unnerved that he would give me a court date instead of a ticket. It makes me almost believe there's like some bench warrant out there against me. I'm definitely gonna try to reschedule it.
  • 01-30-2015, 11:08 AM
    joef
    Re: Speeding Ticket After a Toll in New Hampshire
    Quote:

    Quoting sky511
    View Post

    OK so driving this morning, there ISNT any 35 limit sign after the toll.

    The lower speed limit is in effect from the speed limit sign in front of the toll plaza until you reach a speed limit sign with a higher speed limit after the toll plaza. Which means the 35 MPH is in effect during the area from the toll booth until you reach the speed limit sign with the normal speed limit. There is no need for an additional sign after the toll booths since the toll booth area is governed by the previous, 35 MPH, speed limit sign, the toll booth does not cause a reset to the normal speed limit.
  • 01-30-2015, 11:18 AM
    sky511
    Re: Speeding Ticket After a Toll in New Hampshire
    OK it makes sense.

    Now that just gets me thinking that there should be a sign just because at the toll booth, there's a sign for 25mph and some people (like me) would need a clarification. However, I digress.

    I was talking to some people in NH today and they said I could potentially get a suspension of a license and/or probation? I feel that is highly unnecessary for a first offense. Can someone correct me on this? Now I'm worried and would just gladly pay the fine and deal with the higher insurance. :(
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