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I just got my first speeding ticket doing 39 in a 25 zone. I rarely drive the car and I should have known better. Since this is my first, do insurance companies raise rates for the first ticket, or is it better to go to all day drivers school? Thanks!!

A car was dragged 800 feet by an 18-wheeler on Interstate 10 after the driver, who was talking on his cell phone and speeding, got stuck under the semi's trailer Monday morning, authorities said. Surprisingly, no one was injured, said Officer Jim Oien, a state Department of Public Safety spokesman. Justin Mitchell Oaks, 21, was not paying attention when his Toyota Corolla drifted underneath the semi-truck in the westbound lanes, Oien said. The car turned sideways and became lodged underneath the semi. The truck's rear tires were grinding on the car's passenger-side door, next to Oaks' wife, as the Toyota...

I received a speeding ticket in Franklin County. My fault, I own it, admit and payed it. When I contacted the clerk of courts, they told me the fine was $55 and the fees were $75 for a total of $130. I understand the fine but when I complained about the fees I finally received an itemized list. It included 2 references to electronic filing, county filing fees, and get this - Victim of Crimes fund, Building security, and public defender fees! I couldn't believe it. I payed online, with a credit card, never set foot in the building, or...

Mich. Message Board Says Speed Limit 100 Fri Apr 8, 4:13 PM ET Strange News - AP VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Drivers on southbound Interstate 75 got a surprise Thursday morning from a construction message board. The board, which for weeks had been alerting drivers in Genesee County near Clio that construction starts this month, instead greeted them with the message: "speed limit 100 mph go go go." "We got a call from the state police before 5 this morning (Thursday) and we took care of it," Bill Shreck, regional spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation, told The Flint...

My husband recently received a speeding violation in a small town (a township, I believe) in Ohio. This is his first ticket in years. Do they report this to our insurance company? When you get a ticket in Arizona (where we live), we are given the option of going to a one day drivers school and it will not be reported to the ins. company. Your comments are most welcome.

ROME (AP) -- The freed Italian hostage wounded by American troops at a checkpoint in Baghdad shortly after her release said in an article Sunday that her Iraqi captors had warned her U.S. forces "might intervene." Giuliana Sgrena, who writes for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto, described how she was wounded and Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari was killed as she was celebrating her freedom on the way to the airport. The shooting Friday has fueled anti-American sentiment in a country where people are deeply opposed to U.S. policy in Iraq. "I remember only fire," she said in her article....

Police will notify parents about teen traffic tickets MIDDLETOWN — Police Chief John Pollinger has begun to notify parents of drivers under the age of 18 when they’re found driving at a reckless speed. “What brought it to a head was on Jan. 1, I pulled over a kid on Navesink River Road doing 85 mph in 40 mph zone, 100 yards before McClees Creek,” said Pollinger. “The kid wouldn’t have survived going over the hump at 85. He would’ve been killed.” A year previous, two teens were killed at the same location. Police estimated that the driver was operating...

IN VIRGINIA: DOUBLE JEOPARDY FOR SPEEDINGJan 25, 2005 - FreeMarketNews.comby staff reportsFreeMarketNews.Com, Jan. 25, 2005 - A bill has been introduced into the Virginia House of Delegates that would place an additional penalty on motorists who have received speeding tickets. The bill, cosponsored by two Republicans, Thomas Rust and David Albo, would add so-called “abuser fees.” A driver convicted of exceeding the speed limit by 30 mph in Virginia, would normally pay a fine of $100 with $50 in court costs, and have their license suspended for 90 days. The new plan would levy an additional $750 in fines on...

An Illinois man and his girlfriend managed to rack up nearly $1,400 in speeding tickets on a trip through Wisconsin -- all within three hours. Piotr Pac, 21, of Prospect Heights was pulled over on Interstate 90 in Rock County New Year's Day. The State Patrol said he was going 100 mph. About an hour later, he was stopped in Columbia County for going 84 mph. Then, 30 minutes later he was clocked and ticketed for going 77 mph in Sauk County. And finally, while Pac was napping and his 18-year-old girlfriend was at the wheel, she was stopped for...

WASHINGTON -- On any given road, at any given time, the posted speed limit might be wildly dangerous -- or completely absurd. So how fast (or slowly) should we drive? An interstate highway with a posted maximum of 65 mph might be perfectly safe to travel at 75 or 80 mph on a clear summer -- but treacherous at 45 mph in January, after a heavy snow. Common sense tells us the posted limit of 65 mph is too low in the first instance -- and a recipe for a wreck in the second. Most of us therefore continually adjust...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted on Fri, Dec. 24, 2004 MINNESOTA: Motorcyclist clocked at 205 mph pleads guilty Associated Press WABASHA, Minn. - The Minnesota motorcyclist accused of buzzing down a rural highway at 205 mph must complete nearly an hour of community service for every mile per hour authorities say he was going. Sam Tilley, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday to speeding and driving without a motorcycle license. He was sentenced to a year of probation and 200 hours of community service. Wabasha County Attorney Jim Nordstrom said he dropped a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving. Tilley, who previously pleaded not guilty to...

Does Governor Ed Rendeel need to worry about winning a second term? You would think he doesn't, given the fact that he trounced Mike Fisher with a majority of 332,951 votes just a scant two years ago. ... So if you were Governor Rendell woudl you worry? Yes! The Governor looks at figures a little closer than most Pols do. And the figures that are striking is just how close President George W. Bush came to taking the Commonwealth from Sen. John Kerry. The governor early on election eve congratulated Congressman and Democratic Party Chairman Bob Brady on a record...

Patrol Stands by 205 Speeding Ticket Fri Sep 24, 7:54 PM ET Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo! WABASHA, Minn. - There's little doubt that a Stillwater motorcyclist could wind up his Honda sport motorcycle past 180 mph, but members of the motorcycle racing world question whether the State Patrol was correct to cite him for 205 mph last weekend. The State Patrol is standing by its stopwatch, and the speeding ticket a veteran trooper wrote for Samuel Tilley for driving his 2003 Honda RC51 on U.S. Highway 61 near Wabasha on the state's eastern border. Tilley faces...

A Minnesota motorcyclist may have hit a record for a speeding ticket: 205 mph. Minnesota State Patrol pilot Al Loney was flying over U.S. Route 61 near Washaba, part of a task force cracking down on this fall's "Flood Run," an informal motorbike ride that takes place twice a year along the Mississippi River.

(6/21/04 - McMINNVILLE, TN) — A motorist's decision to stop a deputy for speeding escalated into a series of incidents than ended with his entire family joining him in jail. Last week, Lance E. Champion, 23, reportedly pulled in behind Deputy Lt. Stan Hillis across from the local jail and told Hillis he had violated the speed limit. By the end of their conversation, Champion was in custody charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and evading arrest. Champion called his mother, Janice K. Champion, 48, who arrived with her 17-year-old son. The teen allegedly slapped the hand of a deputy...

PITTSBURGH - State police are taking to the woods, dressed in camouflage and armed. Nothing +strange+ there, considering the state's strong hunting tradition, right? But the weapons are radar guns, the quarry is speeders and the season never closes. Police at the Rockview Barracks near State College began using so-called "camo cops" patrols after a 44-vechicle crash on Interstate 80 that killed six people in January. "As a result, there were many, many letters and questions and fingerpointing — What are you doing? What are you not doing enough of?" said Lt. Jeffrey Watson, station commander. Watson and Sgt. David...

Gov. Ed Rendell acknowledged that his state police-chauffeured car was driven at dangerously high speed, calling the speed level "unconscionable" and promising that it won't happen again.Rendell said he believes a Philadelphia Daily News report that said turnpike troopers had clocked his Cadillac at speeds of more than 100 mph nine times since November."I'll make sure we put a stop to it," Rendell told today's editions of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.Rendell said he didn't know at the time that his car was going that fast but that he knew his driver, a state police bodyguard, was exceeding the speed limit. He...

HELSINKI - One of Finland’s richest men has been fined a record 170,000 euros ($217,000) for speeding through the centre of the capital, police said on Tuesday. Jussi Salonoja, 27, heir to his family’s sausage business, was caught driving 80 km per hour (50 miles per hour) in a 40 kph (25 mph) zone last Thursday, the police said. Finnish traffic fines vary according to the offender’s income and, according to tax office data, Salonoja’s 2002 earnings were close to seven million euros.

HELSINKI, Finland - Police gave a record $216,900 speeding ticket to a millionaire under a system in which traffic fines are linked to an offender's income. The Iltalehti tabloid reported that millionaire Jussi Salonoja zoomed through the city center last weekend in a 25 mph zone and police handed him a ticket of $216,900. It didn't say what his speed was. The fine was based on information they got directly for the inland revenue office, the Tuesday report said. Salonoja, 27, could not be reached for comment, and police declined to discuss the alleged speeding incident until it reaches...

Speed Kills? Sure, if you're a nation of incompetent drivers. Ask the Germans. Lack of skill -- not "speeding" -- is the fountainhead of America's traffic problems. If you disagree, then you've got to explain how it is that the Germans routinely drive much faster than we do -- yet miraculously have lower overall accident and fatality rates. If "speed kills," how come it's less deadly if you're German? Is it the water? Or is the skill level of the average German driver higher? And if it is higher, how come? Are Germans truly the Master Race -- on the...

KENNEBUNK — Some of the workers with neon orange vests on the side of the Maine Turnpike aren't plotting property lines. They're undercover state police officers, clocking the speeds of cars in an aggressive effort to get drivers to slow down. Crying foul won't get violators out of the resulting speeding ticket."It's not entrapment, it's just unconventional enforcement," said Lt. Randall Nichols of Troop G, the branch of the Maine State Police in charge of patrolling the turnpike.The Maine Turnpike Authority, state police, and contractors working on a project to widen the highway have tried a variety of methods...

The familiar black and white speed limit signs in some rural parts of Burlington County aren't getting drivers to slow down. They're also not getting any laughs, but officials believe new signs going up on a few roads should do both. The brightly colored signs are scheduled to go up next week along county roads in Shamong and Medford Lakes. The signs include messages like "Free Speeding Tickets Ahead" and "Meet Our Judge -- Exceed 25 mph." Vincent Farias, a Burlington County freeholder, saw similar signs in Long Beach Township and thought they might work in Burlington County too. "Most...

<p>CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Police searching for a sniper suspect in West Virginia were called to investigate another report of gunfire outside a convenience store, but said there was no evidence to confirm a shooting took place.</p> <p>Charleston Police Chief Jerry Pauley said Thursday that police were investigating the report late Wednesday from Dunbar, about 5 miles from Charleston. But he said police had found no physical evidence of a shooting.</p>

Rep. Bill Janklow was driving an estimated 70 to 75 mph when he ran a stop sign and his Cadillac collided with a motorcycle, according to an accident report released Wednesday by the South Dakota Highway Patrol. The speed limit on the road is 55 mph.Prosecutors are weighing whether to bring criminal charges against the former four-term governor, who has exerted enormous political power over South Dakota politics for nearly 30 years.Highway Patrol officials said they would forward the results of the report to Moody County prosecutor William Ellingson, who will decide whether to bring charges.Janklow's son, Russ Janklow, said...

Drivers face automatic speeding fines without being caught by the police or roadside cameras under a proposal being studied by the Government to fit all cars with satellite tracking devices for road tolls. Under the anti-congestion tolling plan being examined by the Department for Transport, all vehicles would be fitted with a 'black box' to charge drivers according to the type of road they are using and when they are driving. But transport experts believe the equipment will pave the way for 24-hour monitoring of drivers to see if they break the speed limit. It could also be used to...

The best advice is simply not to speed, at least not brazenly. But if you get nailed, fight it -- because a $50 ticket can cost you thousands once your insurer gets wind of it.  By Chris Solomon Now is a very bad time to have a lead foot. States facing yawning budget gaps are finding new money by pinching speeders more frequently -- and pinching them harder, too. Texas lawmakers recently added $30 to fines for speeding tickets. California has added a surcharge of between $7 and $20, depending on the severity of the violation. And the Illinois Legislature...

Hate the idea of impersonal cameras ticketing you for running a red light or driving 36 mph in a 25 mph zone? The antidote might be in a red aerosol can. A Harrisburg, Pa., company sells a spray to stop camera-generated tickets by making your license plates so reflective it blinds the spying cameras when their flash goes off. Tests show that "Photo Blocker," a product sold over the Internet by Phantom Plate, can help drivers beat traffic-enforcement camera tickets by coating their license plates with a spray. Phantom Plate started selling the product three years ago. The company...

June 25, 2003, 9:05 a.m. Speed Doesn’t Kill Truth about the roads. You may not have noticed last week, because the news media gave the good news scant attention, but the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that last year the traffic-injury rate on the highways fell to its lowest level — ever. This is not just reassuring news for those of us who actually travel around in that dreaded machine that liberals loathe, called the automobile, but it also helps discredit a pervasive nanny-state myth that raising speed limits on highways leads to higher death rates. Let's put this wonderful...

Nicked for saving a life No regrets ... Mike yesterday By JOHN ASKILLand MARTYN SHARPEAN ambulance driver has been charged with speeding as he delivered a liver for a life-saving transplant. The decision to prosecute was branded a disgrace last night by his union and an MP. They said Mike Ferguson was clearly on an emergency mission. Mike, 56, was snapped doing 104mph by a camera on the A1. He had blue lights flashing on his ambulance service Vauxhall Vectra, which is converted for transporting organs and blood. And it happened at 3.30am, when traffic was light and road...

Money Would Help Run Courts CONCORD, N.H. -- If a committee of New Hampshire judges gets it way, traffic tickets in the state soon will cost much more. The judges are trying to raise more than $3 million in the next two years to help run the courts. They said traffic fines in New Hampshire are below what other states impose. The draft recommendations include hiking fines for speeding at under 55 mph from the current high of $250 to $350. Fines for speeding over 65 mph would increase from a maximum of $216 to $300. Fines for not having...

<p>Some of the world's fastest and most exotic cars tore out of San Francisco on Thursday night for the start of a mad cross-country caper that's as much about hard driving as hedonistic partying.</p> <p>But the West Coast debut of the Gumball Rally, a notorious European road race marked by eye-popping speeding tickets, five-digit bar bills and the champagne-soaked antics of the effortlessly wealthy, resulted almost immediately in a police crackdown.</p>

Crash stuns families 12/22/2002 By SELWYN CRAWFORD and STAISHY BOSTICK SIEM / The Dallas Morning News The words of Cleburne High School principal Justin Marchel seemed haunting Saturday, just one day after he had uttered them to students. "The last thing I told them as they got out for Christmas break was to be careful because we wanted them all to come back next year," said Mr. Marchel, in his first year as principal of the 1,600-student school. Hours later, junior Steven Bivins, 17, was dead and six other teens were injured after a head-on collision at the top...

Unconstitutional at Any Speed: Municipalities Collect Millions in Illegal Fines, Abuse Constitution And Threaten National Security by William Grim It's happened to every one of us or someone we know. It's a clear night, there's no one on the highway and you get pulled over for doing five miles over the posted speed limit. You get a $75 or $100 ticket and figure it's easier just to pay it and be done with it. Besides, it's your word against the cop's, so what chance do you stand in court? Unfortunately, at the same time you were pulled over for "speeding",...

<p>A 310-horsepower, 2002 Chevrolet Camaro - V8, aluminum block engine - with the markings of a Des Moines Police Department squad car.</p> <p>"Where did we get that thing?" Chief William Moulder asked an officer.</p> <p>The $21,210 car was purchased for the uniform division, whose officers wanted a car that will blend with traffic while they root out angry drivers.</p>

Speed cameras have caught a driver speeding twice on the same road within a minute.Chris Dutton was clocked doing 35mph in a 30mph zone on Blackpool's Preston New Road.He then turned around at a garage and was caught doing the same speed again in his Vauxhall Nova.The 20-year-old has received two separate letters and was given three penalty points and a £60 fine.He claims he was victimised because of the car he drives. Police say he's broken the law so he won't get any sympathy.Mr Dutton of South Strand, Rossall told the Blackpool Gazette: "I think the police must have...

Driver caught speeding twice in one minute Speed cameras have caught a driver speeding twice on the same road within a minute. Chris Dutton was clocked doing 35mph in a 30mph zone on Blackpool's Preston New Road. He then turned around at a garage and was caught doing the same speed again in his Vauxhall Nova. The 20-year-old has received two separate letters and was given three penalty points and a £60 fine. He claims he was victimised because of the car he drives. Police say he's broken the law so he won't get any sympathy. Mr Dutton of South...

The Case For Higher Speed Limits on Hwy. 401 (Trans-Canada Hwy) Local News - Gord Thompson may be the only man in Ontario ever charged under the Highway Traffic Act for obeying the letter of the law. The teacher from Campbellford and another motorist caused a four-kilometre traffic jam on Highway 401 seven years ago by driving side by side at the posted 100 km/h speed limit. They were charged with obstructing traffic and had their licences temporarily suspended. Weeks earlier, Thompson had been ticketed for going 117 km/h on the same road and staged his slow-motion protest after a...

A few months ago, a SouthPark woman decided she could slow down speed-crazy Charlotte if she started small — with herself. Today, she goes big time, coast to coast. Sherry Williams' efforts to persuade drivers to obey the speed limit kicks off its national campaign with a "Take the Pledge" rally at Alexander Graham Middle School. Police Chief Darrel Stephens, Mayor Pat McCrory and Williams will speak. Williams was working in her front yard on Colony Road last year when one speeder after another blew by. Annoyed, she grabbed scrap wood and a marker pen. "Slow down," she wrote in...

HELSINKI, Finland (AP) -- Looking at Anssi Vanjoki's speeding ticket, many Finns are wondering whether their egalitarian spirit has taken them over the edge. True, Vanjoki was doing 46.5 mph in a 30-mph zone. But $103,000? The reason the penalty was so harsh is that traffic fines in Finland are based not just on the severity of the offense, but on the offender's income. Vanjoki is a senior executive of Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, and his fine was assessed on a 1999 income of $5.2 million. A court later slashed it to $5,245, but not before Finns...

Air pressure from passing cars 'causes toads to explode' Passing cars can make toads crossing roads explode without even touching them.A German researcher says they cause a sudden rise in air pressure which can be fatal for the amphibians.Professor Dietrich Hummel, of Braunschweig, measured the suction caused by cars in a wind tunnel.He says any speed over 20mph can can cause toads to explode and is calling for speed limits on toad-crossing blackspots.He told The Mirror: "The bigger the clearance, the better it is for the toad. A Formula 1 car would be a disaster."