Speeding ticket on I-25, showing $20 as V.A.L.E. (Denver: insurance, attorney)

[smihaila]

Hi,

I've just got my first ticket in my whole life, for going over the posted 55 mph speed limit on I-25.
The $170 ticket was broken as follows: $135 the actual offense, $15 surcharge and a mysterious $20 listed as V.A.L.E. Does anyone know if that additional $20 is normal and if yes, what is it for? Victims of Abuse of Law Enforcement?

Also, should I expect the insurance premium to rise in response to this? Imposing a 55 mph max limit on an Interstate, is absolutely ridiculous - I guess the police posts such absurdly low limits on purpose, to meet some quotas? I recall seeing more reasonable, down-to-earth speed limits back in Europe.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, would you guys gave some advice of the wise - is there some "leeway" in terms of what the police will turn a blind eye upon, in terms of "acceptable overs speed limit" i.e. 5 mph max over, or 10 mph over? I tried obeying this absurd 55 mph limit (on a quite long daily commute between Centennial/Denver South and Westmister, taking 45 minutes at best and 1h10 at worst) but I've seen other drivers honking me, harrasments on the road, even when using the middle or the rightmost lane, etc. Which feels strange. It's like I was a better driver, adapting to traffic conditions and have quick instincts / quick reaction responses when I was driving 5-10 mph over the limit. Now, it's like it requires a different form of art of driving. I know, it sound hilarious in a way, not to mention that you feel kind of castrated, fist-in-your-mouth type of thing.

Thanks.

[Mike from back east]

Victim Assistance and Law Enforcement Fund (V.A.L.E.)

[bluescreen73]

If this is your first ticket you'll probably benefit from going to court to see if you can get deferred adjudication. You'll have to pay the fine + court costs, but if you keep your nose clean during the probationary period the ticket won't go on your driving record.

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

If this is your first ticket you'll probably benefit from going to court to see if you can get deferred adjudication. You'll have to pay the fine + court costs, but if you keep your nose clean during the probationary period the ticket won't go on your driving record.

Thank you. Could you please explain what's a "deferred adjudication"?

[BarryK123]

Hard to believe you could speed on I-25. Must have been 3 AM :-)

I got one speeding ticket in my life, about 35 years ago. Since then, I've always driven with a radar detector. Have never gotten a speeding ticket since. A great investment.

Re insurance. Depends on your company. Some will use any excuse to raise your rates. others will let you get by with one infraction.

[Vision67]

OP: Where on I-25 did you get the ticket?

When I drive there, if possible, people in the left most lane frequently do 80 mph.

If I were dumb enough to hang out in that lane and try to stay at 55, I'd expect to be pushed off the road by some aggressive dude in an F-250 Powerstroke

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by smihaila

Thank you. Could you please explain what's a "deferred adjudication"?

You go to court, and you ask either the judge or the prosecution for a deferral. It's essentially a plea bargain that allows you to have the ticket expunged from your record if you satisfy the terms of a court-ordered probation. A typical deal for a first speeding offense is no traffic tickets of any kind in either the county where you received the speeding ticket or the entire state of Colorado for a set term (could be 90 days or it could be an entire year). The ticket is kept off your record during the probationary period, but if you get another ticket then your probation is essentially revoked and the original ticket goes on your record.

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Hard to believe you could speed on I-25. Must have been 3 AM :-)

It was around 8AM close to the I70 exchange, while going to work (in Westminster) from Centennial, on an otherwise long commute (1hr). I was having a kind of bad day, hurrying up to not be late for work, right after a lot of stop & go / traffic jamming (which occurs in most of the cases from Centennial/Arapahoe up to the Sports Authority place, quite frustrating).

Originally Posted by BarryK123

I got one speeding ticket in my life, about 35 years ago. Since then, I've always driven with a radar detector. Have never gotten a speeding ticket since. A great investment.

That's a good advice. Any particular brands/technologies that come to mind?

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Re insurance. Depends on your company. Some will use any excuse to raise your rates. others will let you get by with one infraction.

I could characterize myself as an extreme saver (saving almost 40-50% of my paycheck) and being the sole breadwinner in a family of 4. Lowering prices and optimized cost of living are always my top priority. So, insurance-wise, I am very cost-adverse and more usually than not, I prefer to always shop around when the insurance policy expires and have no issues switching between providers almost all the time. But now, this is a point of great concern - as each insurer may pool driving records with each application (or pulling at 2-year interval).

Thank you.

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by Vision67

OP: Where on I-25 did you get the ticket?

When I drive there, if possible, people in the left most lane frequently do 80 mph.

If I were dumb enough to hang out in that lane and try to stay at 55, I'd expect to be pushed off the road by some aggressive dude in an F-250 Powerstroke

It was close to the I70 exchange, right after that Sports Authority thing (as you go north towards US-36).
When I mentioned that I then strived to never go over the posted speed limit, obviously I began to stay away from the leftmost lane, so I went with middle or even rightmost ones :-)

Very frustrating "highway". Absurdly low speed limits and people frequently going 70-80mph as you mentioned. And lots of accidents.

[smihaila]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

You go to court, and you ask either the judge or the prosecution for a deferral. It's essentially a plea bargain that allows you to have the ticket expunged from your record if you satisfy the terms of a court-ordered probation. A typical deal for a first speeding offense is no traffic tickets of any kind in either the county where you received the speeding ticket or the entire state of Colorado for a set term (could be 90 days or it could be an entire year). The ticket is kept off your record during the probationary period, but if you get another ticket then your probation is essentially revoked and the original ticket goes on your record.

I have a date, time and place listed on the ticket. I guess that's for a "arraignment", not for an actual court trial, right? So, would you recommend going there, on that date (Denver city and county building, room 135 at 1437 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80202), pleading guilty (I guess there is no "no contest" option in Colorado as middle ground?) and respectfully asking for a deferral, or if not possible, for some other plea bargain (i.e. commuting to a less aggravating penalty, one which doesn't involve demerit points)? Is this option available at this arraigment stage, or one would have to go to the actual showing in court?

This was really a lesson learned from me - I shall always obey the speed limits, so I would really like to preserve my driving record intact.

The offense was for going 71 mph in a 55 mph zone (and it occurred only momentary, while overtaking another car, in a dense area and trying to "free myself up" from the compact "pack"). 4 demerit points assessed, with option to lower them to 2 points if pleading guilty and paying upfront before that posted arraignment date of July 19 2017.

Also, would you think it makes sense to contract a traffic attorney? Would that save me time and money? Being the sole breadwinner and having been hired relatively recent on this last job position, obviously it's important for me to not miss time at work. I could take some time off arguing it's for some personal appointment. Do you think my case is simple enough and I could do it myself by just showing up there on the date and time?

The most frustrating thing here is that the police officer didn't seem to observe my driving record situation (he never alluded to that during the brief discussion, nor making any attempt at commuting the offense to something more minor or even a warning). And I also wasn't in a state of mind and lucid enough to bring that aspect in, myself. He was definitely focusing on making money on that day (on that date, it was as if the whole I-25 was full of police patrols anywhere).

Thank you.