So, I moved out to USA from the UK a couple of years ago. To this day, almost 10 years of driving, I've yet to receive a speeding ticket.

Cue last night, I was on the way home from Porsche after having a very painful operation done on my wallet, in the form of a new clutch and flywheel in the 911. They'd done a bunch of tweaking as well so I was expecting some rattles or squeaks here and there, and I wasn't disappointed.

Fast forward about an hour, it's dark and I'm pulling into my neighborhood which is gated and has contracted police patrols within. As I accelerate after the security gate/guardhouse I hear a rattle at around 3k rpm, so I shift into second and accelerate again, not noticing the parked police car with his lights off and a nice laser gun pointed at me! The limit is 25, naturally I was doing significantly more, around 45mph and he proceeds to pull me over. Keep in mind, after the security gate, there's about half a mile of beautiful landscaping before you actually reach any houses.

I'm as polite as can be to the policeman, after all, it's late, I don't want to get a ticket and I do, unlike a lot of people, respect the work they do. He takes my documents and goes back to his car for about five minutes before returning to my window. It's then that I can't quite believe what I'm hearing, he says "David, it's your lucky night, I was about to write you a ticket for $500 but, I'm all out of speeding tickets. Have a good night". Pretty lucky I'm sure you'll agree.

It is ironic though that my first ever speeding ticket would have been for doing 45 in a 25, given that I spend most of my weekends with friends in their Lambos, Ferrari's and other exotica, doing slightly higher speeds. Still, cruise control goes on now the second I enter my neighborhood, compared to the UK, tickets out here are expensive!

 

Lol

 

Good story and congrats on not getting a ticket - you should buy a lottery ticket and see if you're on a lucky streak...

 

WOW thats some luck!!! I hate those LIDARs.... and now my city they all have one... sigh... i put my V1 to work even when i am driving on city streets now...

 

Sorry to hear about the ticket.

Did you install a OEM flywheel? Or was it a LWFW.

 

Yeah, cruise control helps. Even when I drive my VW New Beetle, there are roads around me that should be 45mph or even 50mph based on the design, where the limit is 35mph, and its just impossible to go that slow.. my foot hurts from having to lift up on my left foot to keep the car slow... engage cruise is the way to go.

But compared to the UK? In the UK, you could actually loose your ability to drive.. thats nigh impossible in the US. If you want to talk expensive, consider Germany or Switzerland, where they give speeding tickets with fines based on the wealth of the offending driver. Folks have gotten speeding tickets for tens of thousands of dollars or more.

I didn't get a ticket recently for doing around 73 (what I saw, 75 what the officer indicated) in a 60 zone out on the US 101 up in Washington. I chalk getting off with a warning to me just being calm, not being a resistive jerk thinking the 'man' was on me, and having a clean driving record otherwise. IE, I didn't tell the officer that the VW microbus that was 200 yds ahead of me and had passed him a few seconds earlier was going just as fast.. I'm sure he had more fun pulling over the yellow Targa to be sure.

 

"You lucky bastard' to quote Vinnie Jones in a well known film!!

 

hey...a good guy deserves a break once and a while...glad you got one

 

Very lucky indeed... 15-over in NC will get you an automatic 30-day suspension of your license - no questions asked.

 

i think this is the first time i've ever heard of any car-related stuff being more expensive than in europe.

good for you on the lucky escape!

 

I hate to disappoint you and I'm sure you'll be mad at me but due to just buying a house the same week, I went with OEM

Maybe next time!

 

Oh I know that we have it better here than in the UK really, I was just stating the price of tickets here is astronomically higher than there! You're 100% correct that it is much easier to lose your license there than in the US.

 

Thanks , love the new 911 by the way, congrats on that. You going to be down for the Orlando C&C next weekend? Haven't seen you in ages!

 

Remember passing the trooper on the way to Orlando C and C a couple of months ago. You guys had already passed him with a line of exotics and I came over the hill doing about 160 and passed him so hard on the breaks I thought Jen was going through the wind shield and he never pulled out.

 

Hi Dave, yes hope to be out at Orlando C&C next weekend with the others. Loving the C4S cab, just got to get it finished off with some springs and wheels!! My wife thinks there is nothing wrong with whats on there, as they are round and have rubber round the edges!!!
See you soon.