Thinking that was only 5 mile/hour over the limit they would not bother pulling me over so I didn't even apply my brakes. I looked in the rear view mirror and......sure enough - Washingtons finest in the unmarked vehicle had their lights a flashin!!

So I pulled over and I noticed their was another, marked police car right behind the unmarked one (maybe a slight waste of resources - I guess there is not much else to do on a Sunday morning at that time).

The officer asked to see my licence etc. He told me that I had been caught with a laser doing 72 MPH.

I was really suprised by this, and I told him so because, although I was maybe over the limit marginally I did not think I was anywhere near that figure.

He said he was going to go easy on me and gave me a $60 fine which is all well and good but I have already got one speeding ticket about 9 months ago.

That one was a different story.....I was doing 49 in a 35 zone so that was fair enough I guess. I think I was speeding up to get through the lights.

That was the first time I got pulled up for speeding in this country and I was given a fine of $130 which I payed because it would cost more to have the time off work.

I thought that the first fine was a bit out of order - I expected just a warning for a first offence!!

This first experience had clipped my wings somewhat and I have since slowed down a whole lot which was why I was so suprised at getting pulled a second time. Had it been rush hour when there was a great deal more chance of an accident - everyone is doing 65-70 MPH.

I come from the UK where the motorway speed limit is 70 but the police will seldom pull you over for speeding unless you are doing over 80. You get an instant ban for a year if you are caught doing over 100 which I think is fair enough.

I once got pulled over for doing 40 in a 30 (at 12 midnight). The officers only concern was that I might have been drinking so he breathalysed me - I was as sober as a judge so that was no problem. So he just told me to slow down take it easy and be on my way!! No fine - nothing...

So I am contesting the second ticket and am even considering getting a lawyer because I would rather pay him $200 than give the government more 'tax' and give my insurance company an excuse to charge me even more extortionate rates.

I had a clean driving record until I came to this country -it is ridiculous!! I do think that I am a decent driver and I pay my licence fees and insurance like a good citizen.

So to conclude.....my personal and humble opinion....is that I think it is wrong simply to pull people over as a means of making money. When I got pulled over the second time I was endagering nobody so it was not a safety issue! I also think that a warning is good enough to slow you down for a first offence.

Above all MITIGATE! - CONTEST! - GO KICKING AND SCREAMING!!! Don't simply pay the money!!! That's what they want. Even if you have to pay the fine you have got your moneys worth out of them for the administration fees. BE STUBBORN!!!!

If everone all went to court for a speeding ticket then this sillyness would stop overnight and it would allow the police force to make more use of their precious, tax funded, resources.

Buy a radar detector if you can use one in your state. Even if you are the most careful driver in the world and you do 12,000 miles a year - can you honestly say that you keep to the limit 100% of the time????