Speeding Tickets - 80mph is the Magic Number

I recently had to drive from Atlanta to Roanoke, Virginia. We weren't due to arrive until around 11PM and by 10, we were all pretty tired. I traded seats with my wife, volunteering to drive for the last hour. Determined to get there quickly, I went a little faster than normal, keeping it around 80-85 mph in a 65mph zone. Within about 15 minutes I saw the blue lights.



The officer was really nice. Nicer than any that have stopped me in the past. He told me he clocked me at 82 in a 65. So 17 mph over. He told me to hang tight while he ran my license and registration. I was sure he'd just give me a warning or at least reduce it. In Georgia, if you're ticketed for 14mph over the limit or less, you don't get any points. Just a fine. After that you start getting points. So he comes back and gives me the full ticket. I had to basically beg him to lower it 3 mph so that I wouldn't get the points in GA. I don't know how they transfer the information, but I didn't want to take a chance.

He finally agreed to lower the ticket to 79 in a 65, down the 3 mph that I asked for. He told me it wouldn't make a big difference because they charge $5 for every mph that you go over the speed limit. So 3 mph saved me $15. I called the next day to find out how much the ticket would be and learned how lucky I got. In Virginia, anything 80 or over is an automatic Reckless Driving. My 79 in a 65 ended up costing me $131 ($61 processing fee + $70 for my 14 mph over). I was told by friends that the Reckless Driving can come close to $1000. It obviously big business as I've already gotten 2 letters from local VA attorneys offering to represent me for the charges. I instead paid the $131 and was done with it.

But Virginia isn't the only one with these new rules. Georgia now has what they call the "super speeder law" where anything over 80mph gets an extra $300 fine.

80 mph seems to be the magic number, although I don't have a list of what each state charges. The cop that stopped me must have been new, or just feeling nice, cause he saved me a lot of time, hassle, and money. But keep in mind that the more you do to negotiate on the front end, the less you'll have to do later.