Yesterday, I got my first speeding ticket. I was going up I-24 from Murfreesboro to Nashville, and somewhere around 840, I was pulled over. The officer, a Tennessee State Trooper, said I was going 88mph in a 70 and gave me a ticket of $264.85. I don't think I can dispute the speed as I can't remember what my speedometer said at the time. I was in the left-hand lane, which was pretty open at the time. Needless to say though, it put a damper on an otherwise good day.

So now I'm looking for tips on what to do. I called the general sessions court in Murfreesboro to reaffirm what the trooper said. I can take a driving course to have the ticket wiped off my record, but I would still have to pay the ticket and this is only if a judge decides to allow this (both things the trooper neglected to mention when offering the alternative).

I have a court date of August 28. Why it's over two months away, I don't know. Busy ticketing season? I really don't know what to do in court aside from dressing nice and acting polite, as it would be my first time as an actual defendant, so I don't know anything that may cause the judge to have leniency. I'm open to any tips about that.

Since I'm moving out of Murfreesboro by the end of July, going back home to Madison, I'm thinking of seeing if my court date could be pushed up. This apparently flies in the face of the speeding ticket googling I've been doing that says to delay, delay, delay the court date. If anyone wants to weigh in on that, feel free to comment.

On another note, being the responsible son that I am, I called my dad to tell him I got a speeding ticket later that afternoon (actually called about an hour after but he didn't pick up then). There was the expected disappointed but somewhat understanding tone, aside from some BS he said about him never going that fast. My stepmom, however, got the phone and in a very condescending tone said that she's taking the car away by mid July. Her main point was that I'm going to be off her insurance now that I've graduated and that I need to get my own. This is something I've known. I just didn't need to hear it in such a disdainful, unhelpful-sounding mood. I can understand it though, with the car being in her name and me getting a ticket from a camera catching the car running a red light just two months prior. Still, it sounded like such a bad attitude that I had my initial reaction to whenever I hear her in that tone: to become frustrated, talk as little to her as possible in order to mitigate further frustration and anger and then spend time complaining about it (like I am here I guess.

That last part was just venting. If anyone has any suggestions on how to proceed with my ticket and my day in court, or if anyone has any good suggestions for a cheap car insurance carrier, feel free to post those in the comments.