BajaNomad - Speeding Ticket on the Toll Road Today

Speeding Ticket on the Toll Road Today

lizard lips - 5-31-2011 at 07:22 PM

Coming back from San Diego about noon today and just south of La Mission I took a turn going about 85 and there was a Federal de Camino officer holding a radar gun and I knew I was had. I tried to slow down but he got me dead to rights. He motioned me over and I stopped. He walked up to my car and stuck his hand out to shake mine and asked for license and registration and I gave him both. He then went to his car and wrote me up. When he returned he told me to come back to his car and he explained the ticket and what he wrote me up for and and the ticket it said I was doing far less then 85 so I was a little relieved. We talked for awhile and I told him the names of some friends in the highway patrol and he asked why I didn't tell him prior to writing the ticket and I said he was right about the speed and he was doing the right thing. This officer could not have been more of a gentleman. He asked about my work and where I live and then we talked about family. It was a very pleasant experience. I have been pulled over by the Mexican Highway Patrol about 4 times for speed in the last 24 years and on each encounter with these officers they were professional and courteous. It sure is refreshing to have one of these guys pull you over then to go through the mordida dance with the locals.

Tomorrow I will visit my brother in law who is a Captain with the patrol and have him take care of it.

BajaBlanca - 5-31-2011 at 07:33 PM

that does indeed sound like a good experience !!

now, what is your address so we can mail our next ticket to you....

:biggrin:

David K - 5-31-2011 at 07:46 PM

"Tomorrow I will visit my brother in law who is a Captain with the patrol and have him take care of it."

:lol:

I love it! Thanks for the good laugh and report Dan!

woody with a view - 5-31-2011 at 07:58 PM

highway cops are your friends. city cops, not so much! that's what i tell everyone.

Lauriboats - 5-31-2011 at 08:35 PM

Nice to hear about a good experience getting a ticket.

baronvonbob - 5-31-2011 at 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lizard lips
Coming back from San Diego about noon today and just south of La Mission I took a turn going about 85 and there was a Federal de Camino officer holding a radar gun and I knew I was had. I tried to slow down but he got me dead to rights. He motioned me over and I stopped. He walked up to my car and stuck his hand out to shake mine and asked for license and registration and I gave him both. He then went to his car and wrote me up. When he returned he told me to come back to his car and he explained the ticket and what he wrote me up for and and the ticket it said I was doing far less then 85 so I was a little relieved. We talked for awhile and I told him the names of some friends in the highway patrol and he asked why I didn't tell him prior to writing the ticket and I said he was right about the speed and he was doing the right thing. This officer could not have been more of a gentleman. He asked about my work and where I live and then we talked about family. It was a very pleasant experience. I have been pulled over by the Mexican Highway Patrol about 4 times for speed in the last 24 years and on each encounter with these officers they were professional and courteous. It sure is refreshing to have one of these guys pull you over then to go through the mordida dance with the locals.

Tomorrow I will visit my brother in law who is a Captain with the patrol and have him take care of it.

So e-mail me and I will take you to dinner and you can teach me the Mexicna ways.

BajaNomad - 5-31-2011 at 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lizard lips
Tomorrow I will visit my brother in law who is a Captain with the patrol and have him take care of it.

Marc - 5-31-2011 at 10:28 PM

The last line! :lol:

Bajafun777 - 6-1-2011 at 12:15 AM

You messed up you should have invited him and his family over to your place for BBQ and drinks,LOL> Take Care & Travel Safe--- "No Hurry, No Worry, Just FUN" bajafun777

shari - 6-1-2011 at 07:06 AM

what a refreshing report lizard...until the last bit...but i sure hope you were kidding about your brother in law "fixing it". It was so nice to hear about no corruption and then you spoil it all by suggesting that your brother in law make a clearly justifiable ticket...go away...isnt that a form of corruption too?

DENNIS - 6-1-2011 at 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shari
what a refreshing report lizard...until the last bit...but i sure hope you were kidding about your brother in law "fixing it". It was so nice to hear about no corruption and then you spoil it all by suggesting that your brother in law make a clearly justifiable ticket...go away...isnt that a form of corruption too?

I'm sure Dan means his bro in law will pay the ticket for him. After all....it's family. :biggrin:

ncampion - 6-1-2011 at 08:41 AM

Recently, I also had a pleasant experience with the Polica Federal. Driving Sount of G. Negro at about 70 - 75, I came upon a Polica standing in the road waving for me to stop. His buddy was there with a radar gun. As I came up to him he greeted me politly and pointed at my speedometer and said, "55 maximo, please slow down". I said I was sorry and that I would slow down and he sent me on my way. No hint of mordita. I actually did slow down - at least for a while.
On another instance, in the two months that I was up North, it seems Loreto has a new policy - you have to stop at Stop Signs! My first day back in town, I got waved over and told that I have to stop at the sign now. Also very polite and just a warning. Bummer, now I have to get in the habit of stopping at the signs again. Next thing you know, you won't be able to set your beer can on the dash any more.

DENNIS - 6-1-2011 at 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion
Next thing you know, you won't be able to set your beer can on the dash any more.

Bite your tongue. This could never happen in a civilized world. Next thing you'll be saying is you can't throw beer cans out the window when everyone knows you can't litter aluminum. Second bounce and it's in someone's bag.
Life is good. :biggrin:

marv sherrill - 6-1-2011 at 05:35 PM

How much was the ticket and how were you supposed to pay it??? Just the facts man, just the facts.

bajaguy - 6-1-2011 at 05:42 PM

Lips.......you need the Gold Card!!!!!........and that stretch of highway is posted with RADAR warnings!!!!

Marc - 6-1-2011 at 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion
Next thing you know, you won't be able to set your beer can on the dash any more.

lizard lips - 6-2-2011 at 10:16 AM

I've got the jack Webb LAPD #714 gold card but it stays in my desk drawer.

Leaving for work in Monterrey right now so when I get back I will see my bro and check on status of ticket.

Bajahowodd - 6-2-2011 at 03:40 PM

Maybe it's just me, but considering that LL already confessed to the fact tht he was speeding, the entire concept of having a relative "fix the ticket" just really annoys me.

Seems that this forum is chock full of posts complaining about crooked cops seeking a mordita. But, in this case, LL was admittedly speeding, it would seem to me that this incident ought to be filed among the Baja hall of shame.

I cannot come close to the number of posts on this board that have complained about being shaken down for infractions they did not commit.

So, I just guess I need to conclude that Lizardlips has posted a satire.

DENNIS - 6-2-2011 at 03:49 PM

When in Rome........

Let me ask you something, Howard. Had you been pulled over for speeding which you readily admit to doing, and the man writes you a trophy, then after ten minutes of fat chewing with the cop he says, "Let me have that ticket back. You don't have to pay it."

Would you give it to him or would you insist on paying it because you were, in fact, speeding and you deserve the ticket?

Lee - 6-2-2011 at 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Maybe it's just me, but considering that LL already confessed to the fact tht he was speeding, the entire concept of having a relative "fix the ticket" just really annoys me.

I'm going to agree with you this one time. It IS you.

If I had a bro-in-law who was a Captain ''with the patrol,'' I'd be name dropping as I was pulling my license out.

But, that's just me.

Way to go, LL!

Bajahowodd - 6-2-2011 at 03:58 PM

Geez, DENNIS. With all due respect, what you have hypothecised is not the same scenario as post by LizzardLips.

Just seems to me that if one has broken the law, and admitted to that, the idea of having someone in the gummint take care of that does not inspired admiration.

Just sayin'

DENNIS - 6-2-2011 at 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Geez, DENNIS. With all due respect, what you have hypothecised is not the same scenario as post by LizzardLips.

Just seems to me that if one has broken the law, and admitted to that, the idea of having someone in the gummint take care of that does not inspired admiration.

Just sayin'

Beg to differ. What's the difference if the person in government is far seperated or standing right in front of you?

And where was all this moral righteousness when you were tearing hell out of the speed limit, endangering everybody around you including yourself? HUH??? HUH??? :light:

wessongroup - 6-2-2011 at 04:28 PM

It all depends...

DENNIS - 6-2-2011 at 04:54 PM

Of course.

Bajahowodd - 6-2-2011 at 05:01 PM

:lol:

My ol' coche can't speed.

lizard lips - 6-17-2011 at 04:02 PM

Just to let you all know I went to the Highway Patrol office a few minutes ago with ticket in hand. As I was walking in the commandante saw me and since I have known him for many years we chatted for awhile. He grabbed the ticket and told me to forget about it. I took it back and told him I was speeding and I wanted to pay it and it was the right thing to do.

He looked at me like I was crazy. I went to the girl and handed it to her. She looked it up and told me I had to pay it at Bancomer before the 21st or the price would double. I saw on the Bancomer paper that the infraction was 233.00 pesos. I really thought it would be a lot more!

Because it's Friday I am not going to wait in that long line at the bank today....... Don't you love it. I was going at least 85mph and I have to pay that much and no higher insurance rates or points on my record and no school to go to take it off my record.

Just one of the perks of living here....

You'r right bajahowodd. I needed to do the right thing.

DENNIS - 6-17-2011 at 04:12 PM

Listen to this one......my worker/friend has an SUV of some sort. Has to be fifteen years old, maybe more, and he got it for a little bit of nothing a year ago.
It's imported, but the reg has been expired for five or six years. So has the car.
Last week he put another engine in the vehicle and the next step was current registration, which I told him I'd give him a hand paying for. He said it would be around 3000 Ps.
He returned from the DMV with a printout that said 7000 Ps to bring the reg up to date. Had the car not already been imported, that would have cost less.
They have no mercy for these folks here.

OK....that's the end of that story.

BajaBlanca - 6-17-2011 at 05:00 PM

way to go !!! you are going to pay up .... you deserve a reward , very few would pay when they were told by the comandante not to.

lizard lips - 6-19-2011 at 08:43 AM

You know Dennis that a LOT of cars in Baja driven by Mexican nationals have California plates and I love to see the registration sticker. Usually the car registration has expired years ago or the sticker itself was scratched off. Most of the cars are beaters but thats no excuse.

The importation fee is right around $600 and most of these people can not pay that amount but they continue to drive the vehicle. If they get pulled over the cops know they can expect a little mordita.

In every state of Mexico I have visited Baja has the most of these unregistered vehicles. If you were to drive a car on the mainland without current registration your vehicle would be impounded immediately and you would not get it back until you paid for current registration and importation. The other states in Mexico are vigilant about current and proper registration.

So my question is, why does Baja continue to allow unregistered vehicles on the road. Is it just a cash cow for police to collect the mordita or what?

krafty - 6-19-2011 at 08:49 AM

Last summer they stopped many cars off Popotla Blvd. south of town for this. I understand they were given a warning 1st stop, a fine the 2nd, and their car impounded if it was not made legal after that. Always around lunch hour. Think that would be great revenue, and know many that brought their vehicles up to speed, so to speak. Wonder if they will try it again this summer?

DENNIS - 6-19-2011 at 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lizard lips
So my question is, why does Baja continue to allow unregistered vehicles on the road. Is it just a cash cow for police to collect the mordita or what?

I believe this is the end of the Anapromex program that allowed car owners with foreign plates a period of time to get the vehicle imported and registered. Here, the car had an 8x12 Anapromex sticker in the window to indicate it was in compliance.
Unfortunatly, the program seems to have been written with little attention to detail and opportunists were buying the sticker for their fine vehicles rather than import them. The cost was 500 pesos....one time payment only.
Last I heard, the administrator of the program was in prison down in La Paz and the offices here are closed by the police who stay parked right outside the entrance.

I mentioned my friend above who had an old van with the Anapromex sticker in the window and that's why he had to jump through his butt to get another car on the road.

I don't know how this will turn out except to say, a lot of people are now stuck between that rock and a hard place. Who could ever imagine all these near-death vehicles being imported. That is not an option for the less fortunate.

Your assumption is probably correct, Dan. The police will use the issue to enrich themselves, but they'll moderate the level of intensity. They'll only want to milk the cow....not kill it.

I dunno. Not much here has ever made sense to me. I wish Jesse would stop in and give us the real story.

Lizard Lips

Dave - 6-19-2011 at 09:26 AM

Please tell us you're joking about paying!

No good can come from this. This could cause a rupture in the fabric of time. Radically changing everything we hold sacred about Mexico.

Don't do this.

lizard lips - 6-19-2011 at 03:35 PM

Just got back from driving to PB to wish my dad a happy fathers day and on the way back to EnsenadaI noticed no less than 30 cars some without plates and some with expired tags and all without Anapromex stickers.

Dave, I haven't paid yet!

DENNIS - 6-19-2011 at 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lizard lips
noticed no less than 30 cars some without plates and some with expired tags and all without Anapromex stickers.

Yeah....there's a lot of them around here in PB, probably because we rarely see a cop car out here. I doubt there are so many in Ensenada. Seems as though they cut some slack for workers out of Maneadero.

EdZeranski - 6-20-2011 at 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion
...... it seems Loreto has a new policy - you have to stop at Stop Signs! .

Only for visitors!!!! This past week I've almost been 'T' boned twice in Loreto. Both times I stopped at a sign then proceeded and a 'local' coming from the side street blew through his stop sign then got a tad upset at the close call.

EdZ
..home from Baja yesterday