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[Jenenser]

If these pedestrians crossed where I was driving, they would have been breaking the law as well. There's no where safe to cross this street. I wasn't going to hit anyone. Maybe after work, I'll snap a pic of this road.

that doesn't matter. it could be a free driveway without any traffic.
the state sets these speedlimitations for a reason, if they think 40 should be the limit, it is said limit.
just be glad if you don't loose your license. pay the fine and bring proof of what happened.
marginalizing the law because you see no need of it won't help. (even if the situation was your mothers condition.)

you didn't just put yourself in danger, you put everyone else on the road in danger.

 

[Mohonky]

Hmmm....dont know what the road or the traffic situation is. On the one hand I would say semi-justifiable but without knowing the actual conditions you were driving hard to say whether thats wreckless or not.

My fathers sister tried to commit suicide, so he had to drive Brisbane to Goldcoast, roughly bit over an hour. Policeman clocked him at 175km/h in a 100hm/h zone (180km/h is the cars fuel cut off limit due to Japanese restrictions). The Police officer let him off, after Dad explained what was happening, particularly as there was no way he would ordinarily drive like that considering his Mother and another sister where in the car. But it was also like 2am on a 3 lane highway during a weekday so there was no one else around. Police officer just said tone it back as any other police officers might not be so lenient.

So thats a bit different, no one around on a wide open largely straight highway with minor radius bends the car would have cruised over 200km/h pretty easily without the limiter.

No way would he have been doing anything like that in a built up area with traffic around and I wouldnt recommend it either.

 

[Droopaloop]

Not myself, but I had a friend tell me a story of similar nature

I actually live in a small rural town. Small enough to where our fire department is comprised of mostly volunteers, and there was a fire one day. A guy I know who is a volunteer was speeding on a highway so he could get to the station to change and hop on the truck. He got pulled over by a state patrol who actually lived in town. He explained himself and the trooper was indifferent and wrote him a ticket.

The volunteer firefighter told me he proceeded to say,"Well I hope the next house that catches fire is not yours and that I'm close to the department. I don't plan on breaking the speed limit any time soon."

Shitty deal OP. Hope everything turned out okay for your mother.

 

[checkeredknight]

I'm really sorry about your mother man, but you were doing 70 in a 45 zone. That's incredibly reckless and puts so many others in danger.

 

[Nephtis]

I can empathize with you. My dad had a heart attack while I was at work. I was fairly close but I sped like crazy. I wasn't thinking straight, I think I went faster than you on a major street. I think I hit close to 100?

My dad didn't make it. He was brought back, but was in a coma, and we had to pull life support off him a week and a half later to let him go in peace.

It still doesn't justify my actions - I was rushing to see my dad, but I really could've put others lives at risk. I could've ran someone over, or gotten in a car wreck and killed the other person, then my mom would've had to either bury me along with my dad, or buried him and go see me in jail.

It's not worth it. It doesn't matter who it is, you don't do stupid shit like that. I hope you learn from this and don't do it again in the future. Like I said, I empathize... but it still doesn't make it right.

 

[Oreoleo]

Tough crowd in here. 75 in a 40 is pretty egregious, but, I get it. I'd have sped as well, but I'm not historically the safest driver either.

Glad to hear your mom is okay though.

 

[lewisgone]

OP, you were stressed and upset for a very good reason so it's not a surprise or something to be ashamed of that you made an irrational decision and drove over the speed limit. Don't wear that mistake as a badge of honour of your love for your mother, but accept it as a mistake and move on. Quit the justifications though, they aren't helping. Nothing you post will make driving at that speed, in your situation, acceptable...because it isn't. It was dangerous, and you weren't saving anyone by getting to the hospital faster.

To the people wondering how people can have no sympathy and be so heartless and unforgiving to the OPs situation, it's not a lack of sympathy. Society shares the road. If someone drove dangerously on their private property I wouldn't give a shit. But doing stuff like what the OP did puts other people in danger...it's not hard to grasp. And no one wants to drive on unsafe, unpredictable roads. If he hit someone, and they die instantly, all of their family members wouldn't get to see them alive again. If you were in the car with your family, and somehow got advance notice that someone was driving 25mph over the speed limit somewhere around you, would you be fine with that? Would you think, "I get it, he can do that, he wants to get to his mom". Or would you think "I'm worried about me and my family's safety"?

http://youtu.be/3qNjt04bpQM

If I were in the court OP I would have been fine with you just getting fined if you accepted you made a mistake under high stress. But you seem so determined that you made the right call I honestly don't think you're a safe driver if you think you can justify those speeds.

 

[greepoman]

Tough crowd in here. 75 in a 40 is pretty egregious, but, I get it. I'd have sped as well, but I'm not historically the safest driver either.

Glad to hear your mom is okay though.

If you think about it what exactly does speeding accomplish in this scenario?

If it were serious he wouldn't be able to see her anyway as she would be in an area with no visitors. The only way would be to beat her to the hospital which was impossible due to him being so far away when she was already on the way. He was speeding to get to sit in a waiting room faster at best.

But i acknowledge it's hard to think it through at the time.

 

[Oreoleo]

If you think about it what exactly does speeding accomplish in this scenario?

If it were serious he wouldn't be able to see her anyway as she would be in an area with no visitors. The only way would be to beat her to the hospital which was impossible due to him being so far away when she was already on the way. He was speeding to get to sit in a waiting room faster at best.

But i acknowledge it's hard to think it through at the time.

I totally agree with you, but personally I'm not that familiar with hospital procedure so I'm not sure it's something I would consider in the heat of the moment. Besides which, when it comes to the welfare of your family, especially your parents, *especially* your mom, it's easy for logic to go right out the window.

There was one time last year, my mom rolled over on her phone in her sleep and called me in the middle of the night. Naturally when I answered she was not on the other end. I called her back once or twice and she didn't answer. I started to panic thinking something was very, very wrong with her so I called the house phone knowing my dad would be downstairs and unaware of anything going on with her and in between gigantic sobs forced him to go upstairs to check on her to make sure she was okay. I had to call a few times before he answered and the whole time I was wondering if I was just wasting time and should have already been in the car driving to the house. It was 3am and 30 minutes away and realistically there isn't much physically being there would have changed if it were a medical emergency, but that wasn't what I was thinking about. I was just hoping my mom was okay. So, while that situation couldn't really be more different from OP's, I understand why he did what he did.

 

[overcast]

Shit. Sucks, but I feel like there isn't much you can do OP.

I was going the same speed as everyone else, but I was in a school zone, cop pulled me over. Ticket costs fucking 369 dollars, + traffic school it will be over 400. Insanity. I was going 49 in a school zone (25).

 

[OraleeWey]

That would be reckless driving. The cop let you go off easy.

 

[Petrie]

Shit. Sucks, but I feel like there isn't much you can do OP.

I was going the same speed as everyone else, but I was in a school zone, cop pulled me over. Ticket costs fucking 369 dollars, + traffic school it will be over 400. Insanity. I was going 49 in a school zone (25).

You deserved far worse. It's a fucking school zone.

 

[nateeasy]

BUMP

 

[enanogrande]

Man, I though OP was bumping to tell us he had gone to court and found the Judge to be one of the GAFer's who defended him in the thread. After getting the ticket thrown out for "Justified Emotional Distress", Judge & OP heded over to a bar to bond and shit-talk all the uncompassionate moral absolutists "over at GAF". Lifelong friendship was formed, OP vindicated.

Talk about a let-down bump.

 

[SteveWinwood]

That would be reckless driving. The cop let you go off easy.

why

 

[biggersmaller]

I would contact local TV news stations. They love this kind of story.

 

[CrankyJay]

I would contact local TV news stations. They love this kind of story.

What are they going to do about it? The law is the law...and this same shit happened here in Buffalo last month, and ended up on the news, and the cops basically said "fuck you, don't speed."

 

[Petrie]

why

Because you were speeding in a school zone.

 

[Ray Wonder]

Closure comment for anyone who was wondering. Got reduced to 60 in a 40. Still will get a fine, and points on my license. Officer was really awesome. Judge was stern, but fair. I deserve at least this.

Court lasted like 3-5 minutes. Not as bad as i thought it was going to be.

 

[Redd]

Closure comment for anyone who was wondering. Got reduced to 60 in a 40. Still will get a fine, and points on my license. Officer was really awesome. Judge was stern, but fair. I deserve at least this.

Court lasted like 3-5 minutes. Not as bad as i thought it was going to be.

From my experience in a reckless driving speeding situation as long as you admit some guilt and seem genuinely sorry the judge always seems to knock it down to just speeding.

If you don't want your insurance to go up then take some driving classes to get those points taken off your record.

 

[neorej]

nvrmind old topic.

 

[Extra Sauce]

I only sped when I felt it was safe. There really wasn't anyone around, and It was a 4 lane road with only 3-4 cars on it.

Tell that to the mother of the cyclist you ran over in an alternate reality.

You'll need a dimension hopping machine first though. I can hook you up if you want.

 

[MarkMclovin]

You weren't thinking straight and sped nearly twice the speed limit. It's a perfect way of running someone over.

 

[kehs]

Should have taken your maritime lawyer.