• 17Sep 08

  The letter that beat the ticket

  I fought the law, and the... law lost.

  So, on May 20, 2008 I was pulled over for speeding in my boss's cube van and given a speeding ticket, 72 MPH in a 55MPH zone. I didn't think I deserved it, and sent it in pleading not guilty. A few weeks later I got notification that my plea of not guilty had been received, and that if I had anything to say in my defense I could mail it to the Central Infractions Bureau in the next two weeks to be reviewed by a prosecutor. They would consider it, and either forward it to the court for my trial date, or if they saw fit, nolle it right then and there (throw it out). So I sent them the following letter, and they did! I was so happy I almost sent them a box of donuts.

  June 16, 2008

  Dear Sir or Madam:
  This letter is regarding ticket number N119499-6-08MI. I have received the enclosed notice that my plea of not guilty has been received. Until then, I didn't realize that I would have an opportunity to defend my position outside of court. Thank you very much for taking the time to review my case; I will try to be as short and concise as possible.
  In order for you to fully understand my position, I would like to make sure you are familiar with the vehicle I was driving when I was ticketed: my boss's 1995 GMC (Isuzu) NPR. This model of these trucks are called "City Vans", because it's really where they were designed to be used. They work well around town, but driving them on the highway is an exercise in patience that is frustrating to the driver, and much more so to everyone "sharing" the road with them.
  This truck has a broad, flat front and weighs over 11,000 pounds. It has over 265,000 miles on the original drive train. It has a 4BD2 engine: a measly 235 cubic inch four cylinder which produced 135 horsepower when it was brand new, with a maximum safe operating speed of 2800 rpm. Because it is so very under-powered, it has extremely low 4.10:1 rear gearing. This final drive ratio combined with the 2800 rpm limit allows it a very low top speed up to 68 mph, which it can only attain on a very long, very steep decline. Even then, it still takes at least a mile to get up to it. In the unlikely event that I was on a long enough, steep enough hill to overcome the gravity and poor aerodynamics and actually get this truck up to the speed I was allegedly caught driving when the officer pulled me over, the engine would have been damaged from over-revving.
  For specific information on this truck I talked to Nutmeg Truck Sales in Hartford, CT, where it was purchased many years ago. When I told them I got a ticket for driving 72 mph I was promptly told "That truck won't go that fast. Not even the new ones [which have 205 horsepower] will go that fast." Several contractors I work with have the very same truck, and they have all said "Most of the time mine can't even go 65 mph". I've had to drive this truck for my job for almost eight years now, and these statements are consistent with my experience. It doesn't have the power to even maintain the speed limit of 65 mph unless it's on a long steep hill; and if it isn't going at least 60 mph at the bottom of any incline on the highway, it will have slowed to 40 mph or less by the top. This usually means that while on the highway I have a long line of angry drivers behind me who want me out of their way, and they can't pass me because we're going too much slower than the other traffic for them to get out. The day of this ticket was no exception.
  I came from Rt. 12 west in Groton, CT to get on I- 95 south. The entrance ramp merges with I- 95 at the bottom of the Gold Star Bridge in the left-most lane. Traffic was heavy in the right lanes, and this truck doesn't have the power to catch up to the right lane traffic on the hill and merge- I was "boxed out" of the right lanes. By the time I'd worked my way to the top of the bridge, I was up to 45 mph and had a long line of angry drivers behind me as usual. When I drove past the patrol car on the other side of the bridge, I was finally going almost as fast as the other cars so I could begin trying to safely merge out of the left lane, which I did.
  I'm not going to say that I was going 55 mph. Honestly, I was paying more attention to the cars around me and how to safely get out of their way making as few of them angry as possible. That being said, I don't believe I was going 72 mph; it's just not possible. The officer who ticketed me was very friendly and polite, however, he told me straight out that he pulled me over because I was in a truck. He explained the ticket to me, and said that I could choose to plea not guilty, it made no difference to him. I asked why I would bother trying to fight it, and he said "look at the amount". He then reiterated that I could plea guilty or not guilty, it made no difference to him. He was very apathetic about the whole thing, as if he'd given me a ticket and now his job was done. Since there was a line of cars behind me going just as fast as I was (and I was only in the left lane at all because everyone to my right was going faster than me since I'd gotten on the highway) it seems as if my actual crime was driving a truck. Apparently trucks were being targeted that day for some reason; I've never seen so many pulled over in a whole month as I saw in that one day.
  I got a handful of tickets when I was younger, and I never fought a single one. I always knew I deserved them, and I paid them without hesitation. Because of my record, many years ago I had to attend the CT driver re-training course. That experience was a real wake up call for me, and I made the decision then to change my driving habits and clean my record. I worked very hard to maintain it, and I feel that I've succeeded. My personal vehicle is a very fast car, and obeying the speed limits in it has been difficult, but I've been fastidious and it has paid off. For several years now I have been a safe, responsible driver who obeys the laws while driving my "police beacon" of a car; I haven't gotten a single ticket. So, getting this speeding ticket- in a truck that can barely go the speed limit- when all I was doing was moving with traffic, while being passed on the right by everything from cars to mini vans, just seems wrong. I am putting myself at your mercy. I know that life isn't fair, but I really don't feel that I deserved to be singled out like this. For many years now my record has shown that I'm a responsible driver who respects the laws, and I hope that this will encourage your clemency regarding this infraction. Thank you very much for your time.
  Sincerely,
  
  Jesse Carlson
  

  • Posted Sep 17, 2008 12:05 pm GMT
  • Category: General
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