My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: Cowlitz County, Washington
Good Day! I was in Portland last week for a weekend trip with a friend from Canada (we were using her car) and I was the one driving at 2 in the morning, speed was just below the limit as I was not trying to go above the limit since im just a tourist in this country and don't want to get into any trouble. A lot of cars have passed me and was left alone driving on a hazy/dark area, there were no lights and road reflectors on the area I was driving at, no cars to tailgate, and just about a mile away I saw a construction zone so I had to slow down a bit, then suddenly, just a few feet away, a police car was driving right behind me. First, I thought it was nothing and just needed to slow down so he can overtake me but realized he was tailgaiting me so I had to stop and was really surprised and super clueless at what was happening. The police went down and said that I was driving at 80 for a 60 limit. I had to argue a bit and explain that I wasn't driving that fast as most cars have already passed me and did not even try to beat them or whatsoever, I was also telling him that I was using this navigator on my phone which alerts me if I go pass the limit (we're using KM in my country so it still confuses me). To cut short, this police wouldn't even let me explain, he proceeded in giving me a ticket for $317 and that was it. Totally felt discriminated, maybe because of my ethnicity and how hard I was trying to explain in perfect english (I was mumbling some words a bit because I was in shock of what had happened).
I tried to appeal online, but the judge rejected the appeal. I tried to ask the county clerk if I could still make another appeal and he said that I should speak with an attorney for any legal advise. So here I am asking some good readers and professionals out here how I can remedy this situation I am in. I don't want to pay for something I believe I didn't do, and felt really discriminated after this incident, as I have heard some stories of other people getting away with speeding ticket especially for a first violation and most especially for a tourist like me. $317 is still a big deal for me since I am just alloting a really tight budget for this tripHope you guys can help. Thank you so much and appreciate the time and effort to read my story
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