Found Guilty for Speeding After Background Check and Possible Suspension of Driver's License for A Month

[mamj]

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Hi, all. Good morning.

I recently was found guilty of speeding. I was driving 18 MPH over the speed limit; I was on cruise control but didn't deaccelerate on time. Ironically, I was driving to my interview at an OOS school where I now have an acceptance.

I do not know yet whether my license will be suspended, but I'm preparing for the worst. The speeding ticket was given to me out-of-state and it was not classified as a misdemeanor, but my state suspends licenses for a month for driving more than 15 miles over the speed limit when the posted speed limit is under 55 MPH.

What do I do? Contact the DMV? A lawyer? How do I contact the school about it?

I already passed the background check and I'm squeaky clean. I'd never been pulled over or given a ticket, nothing in 9 years of driving, and I'm very heartbroken that this happened to me.

 

[Cornfed101]

First, relax. Nobody has had an acceptance rescinded for a simple speeding ticket. If you were intoxicated that is a different story... Do you have instructions for paying the ticket? I would contact them (whoever issued the ticket) and ask if anything else is needed besides paying a fine and if there are any other ramifications with your specific ticket (like a license suspension). I would wait to contact the school until you have a little more information. You don't really want to email them and say, "Ah I was speeding and I don't know what is going on!" Figure out what is going on and then contact your school if it's a misdemeanor.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

In all seriousness, talking to a traffic attorney might at the very least calm your nerves.

Explain the situation, the stakes, and watch the him or her work their magic (if there even needs to be any). Most uncomplicated speeding tickets are just that, municipal traffic violations. Even if your state has some wonky regulations, there's often ways to plead down if your record is squeaky clean.

Dave D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[High Noon]

What? You INTENTIONALLY set cruise control at +18? I can’t believe everyone is giving you a pass on this. That is negligent, selfish, and extremely dangerous to everyone else on the road. The amount of accidents caused by speeding is way too high. You’re most likely not, but I would say you do deserve to have your acceptance rescinded.

You’re heartbroken this happened to “you”, as if you’re the victim, but doesn’t sound like you’re too worried on how your actions could affect others. Kind of worrying that you’re going to go to medical school and become a doctor.

Hi, all. Good morning.

I recently was found guilty of speeding. I was driving 18 MPH over the speed limit; I was on cruise control but didn't deaccelerate on time. Ironically, I was driving to my interview at an OOS school where I now have an acceptance.

I do not know yet whether my license will be suspended, but I'm preparing for the worst. The speeding ticket was given to me out-of-state and it was not classified as a misdemeanor, but my state suspends licenses for a month for driving more than 15 miles over the speed limit when the posted speed limit is under 55 MPH.

What do I do? Contact the DMV? A lawyer? How do I contact the school about it?

I already passed the background check and I'm squeaky clean. I'd never been pulled over or given a ticket, nothing in 9 years of driving, and I'm very heartbroken that this happened to me.

 

[Seihai]

What? You INTENTIONALLY set cruise control at +18? I can’t believe everyone is giving you a pass on this. That is negligent, selfish, and extremely dangerous to everyone else on the road. The amount of accidents caused by speeding is way too high. You’re most likely not, but I would say you do deserve to have your acceptance rescinded.

You’re heartbroken this happened to “you”, as if you’re the victim, but doesn’t sound like you’re too worried on how your actions could affect others. Kind of worrying that you’re going to go to medical school and become a doctor.

It sounds like he went from one speed zone to another, and the speed limit changed, but he didn't decelerate fast enough to the lower speed limit after having left the area of the higher one. Not justifying what OP did, but I don't think he necessarily set the cruise control higher than the speed limit.

Regardless, OP should go talk to a traffic attorney. There's nothing else to say here. There are some schools that are quite stringent about these things and some schools that won't care as long as you tell them instead of surprising them.

 

[High Noon]

It sounds like he went from one speed zone to another, and the speed limit changed, but he didn't decelerate fast enough to the lower speed limit after having left the area of the higher one. Not justifying what OP did, but I don't think he necessarily set the cruise control higher than the speed limit.

Regardless, OP should go talk to a traffic attorney. There's nothing else to say here. There are some schools that are quite stringent about these things and some schools that won't care as long as you tell them instead of surprising them.

No, it sounds more like they saw the cop and couldn’t decelerate fast enough to avoid the speed trap.

 

[jamaica jan sun princess]

No, it sounds more like they saw the cop and couldn’t decelerate fast enough to avoid the speed trap.

Oh give me a break. If we're going to speculate, I say the OP accelerated when he saw the cop out of pure smugness and arrogance.

Drive out West and the speed limits are a full 10 mph higher than the in Southeast on very similar stretches of interstate. Speed limits are largely arbitrary and political anyway.

 

[High Noon]

Oh give me a break. If we're going to speculate, I say the OP accelerated when he saw the cop out of pure smugness and arrogance.

Drive out West and the speed limits are a full 10 mph higher than the in Southeast on very similar stretches of interstate. Speed limits are largely arbitrary and political anyway.

That’s not the point. Traffic is the safest when everyone is going roughly the same speed. It doesn’t matter whether the speed limit is 60 mph or 70 as long as everyone is adhering to it +/- 10 mph. It’s when one lunatic starts speeding excessively relative to everyone else that it begins to be dangerous.

But please future doctors, continue to disobey the law and put other people in danger. As long as you can make it to your destination 5 minutes earlier right?

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

That’s not the point. Traffic is the safest when everyone is going roughly the same speed. It doesn’t matter whether the speed limit is 60 mph or 70 as long as everyone is adhering to it +/- 10 mph. It’s when one lunatic starts speeding excessively relative to everyone else that it begins to be dangerous.

But please future doctors, continue to disobey the law and put other people in danger. As long as you can make it to your destination 5 minutes earlier right?

Lol dude relax.. everyone speeds. OP just got unlucky. The speed limit on the NJ turnpike is 55 mph yet everybody, even cops, drive at 80 or above.

 

[High Noon]

Lol dude relax.. everyone speeds. OP just got unlucky. The speed limit on the NJ turnpike is 55 mph yet everybody, even cops, drive at 80 or above.

Oh right, of course. If everyone breaks the law then it must be okay!

And you all wonder why you constantly get put on waitlists after interviewing.

 

[narla_hotep]

What? You INTENTIONALLY set cruise control at +18? I can’t believe everyone is giving you a pass on this. That is negligent, selfish, and extremely dangerous to everyone else on the road. The amount of accidents caused by speeding is way too high. You’re most likely not, but I would say you do deserve to have your acceptance rescinded.

You’re heartbroken this happened to “you”, as if you’re the victim, but doesn’t sound like you’re too worried on how your actions could affect others. Kind of worrying that you’re going to go to medical school and become a doctor.

Dude, chilll. It really does sound like the speed zone changed. Something very similar happened to me, thankfully after I already started med school. I was on a rural highway with 70 mph speed limit, then the highway went through a small town and the speed limit dropped to 45. I was slightly zoned out and slow to decelerate, and OF COURSE there was a cop sitting literally a block after the sign waiting to catch people doing that very thing. I got pinged for doing 25 over and nearly had to go to court in a state I didn't even live in, but thankfully my mother is friends with a traffic attorney and he was somehow able to let me dodge that bullet. So it happens to people, especially in these small towns that seem to intentionally do this kind of thing to trap people driving through, and OP wasn't necessarily being totally negligent. Of course then High Noon could go off on me for doing the same thing, but whatever 😛

 

[FutureSurgical]

This thread epitomizes the reason why I tell people to shy away from SDN

 

[High Noon]

Dude, chilll. It really does sound like the speed zone changed. Something very similar happened to me, thankfully after I already started med school. I was on a rural highway with 70 mph speed limit, then the highway went through a small town and the speed limit dropped to 45. I was slightly zoned out and slow to decelerate, and OF COURSE there was a cop sitting literally a block after the sign waiting to catch people doing that very thing. I got pinged for doing 25 over and nearly had to go to court in Missouri, but thankfully my mother is friends with a traffic attorney and he was somehow able to let me dodge that bullet. So it happens to people, especially in these small towns that seem to intentionally do this kind of thing to trap people driving through, and OP wasn't necessarily being totally negligent. Of course then High Noon could go off on me for doing the same thing, but whatever 😛

You were zoned out while driving and didn’t notice the whole scene change from highway to a town? When literally your only job when driving is NOT to zone out and to always be paying attention?

You all do realize that you’re operating thousands of pounds of metal at high speeds that can kill people instantly right? You have no reason to zone out. Next thing you guys will tell me is that using your phone and driving is fine as long as you do it quickly (a comment my peers always make).

 

[narla_hotep]

I mean, I noticed we were in a town and was starting to slow down a little, but clearly not fast enough. I know that this isn't an excuse, but it was one of my first times doing a longish road trip, because normally I don't drive for any more than an hour at a go and I wasn't really prepared for how monotonous it gets. Definitely taught me a lesson for future road trips tho.

 

[deleted998607]

Oh right, of course. If everyone does it then it must be okay!

And you all wonder why you constantly get put on waitlists after interviewing.

Look at the smugness and elitism cultivating in front of our very eyes, before even stepping foot into medical school as a student. Will you treat your patients who act 'less holier than though' with the same contempt? Hopefully you won't be around patients who shoot up, prostitute, or drug deal with this type of mentality.

If you think speeding is this big of an atrocity, wait until you see the behavior of some of your classmates. Pills, booze, reckless behavior, 'throw everyone under the bus' mentalities, etc. Humans are humans. Humans can also be doctors. Everyone makes mistakes.

Congratulations on your acceptance. Spend the next few months working to get off your high horse.

 

[narla_hotep]

Yeah, for real. Many of our patients are far from perfect as people, but we have to suspend judgment as best as possible so we can treat them fairly from a medical perspective.

 

[High Noon]

Look at the smugness and elitism cultivating in front of our very eyes, before even stepping foot into medical school as a student. Will you treat your patients who act 'less holier than though' with the same contempt? Hopefully you won't be around patients who shoot up, prostitute, or drug deal with this type of mentality.

If you think speeding is this big of an atrocity, wait until you see the behavior of some of your classmates. Pills, booze, reckless behavior, 'throw everyone under the bus' mentalities, etc. Humans are humans. Humans can also be doctors. Everyone makes mistakes.

Congratulations on your acceptance. Spend the next few months working to get off your high horse.

Calling people out for intentionally breaking the law and only worrying whether it will affect their acceptance is elitist? Okay.

Maybe it’s not smugness, maybe it’s from having friends and family who have been in accidents because of reckless speeding drivers.

 

[Cornfed101]

Maybe it’s not smugness, maybe it’s from having friends and family who have been in accidents because of reckless speeding drivers.

But that’s the point. You don’t know enough about the circumstances behind this to know. You are just assuming that OP was being a psycho. If you have never been speeding before in your life then I would be surprised. Most often I just follow the flow of traffic and that is typically 10+ miles over the speed limit. It’s not a good habit to assume the worst in people.

 

[deleted998607]

Calling people out for intentionally breaking the law and only worrying whether it will affect their acceptance is elitist? Okay.

Maybe it’s not smugness, maybe it’s from having friends and family who have been in accidents because of reckless speeding drivers.

Everyone has either been in or knows someone who has been in a car accident. It doesn't give you moral high ground to kick people while they are down and assume the worst.

Definitely don't work in an ED or ICU. I'm shocked that you don't find it scary that you are going to be taking care of people from all walks of life and you carry such hash judgments. If I was at fault for a car crash due to being reckless and was in need of care, I wouldn't want you as my physician. Your bias is dangerous.

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

Calling people out for intentionally breaking the law and only worrying whether it will affect their acceptance is elitist? Okay.

Maybe it’s not smugness, maybe it’s from having friends and family who have been in accidents because of reckless speeding drivers.

Sorry your loved ones were in an accident. Going +18 mph over the limit isn't wreckless driving.. swerving and brake-checking others is. And I doubt OP was even doing that. I don't get why you're getting so worked up over a person who forgot to decelerate as the speed limit was changing. It happens to the best of us and it's not reflective of OP's ability to function as a physician...

 

[GreenDuck12]

Surely it’s time to lock this thread @gyngyn

 

[High Noon]

Yeah, for real. Many of our patients are far from perfect as people, but we have to suspend judgment as best as possible so we can treat them fairly from a medical perspective.

But that’s the point. You don’t know enough about the circumstances behind this to know. You are just assuming that OP was being a psycho. If you have never been speeding before in your life then I would be surprised. Most often I just follow the flow of traffic and that is typically 10+ miles over the speed limit. It’s not a good habit to assume the worst in people.

Everyone has either been in or knows someone who has been in a car accident. It doesn't give you moral high ground to kick people while they are down and assume the worst.

Definitely don't work in an ED or ICU. I'm shocked that you don't find it scary that you are going to be taking care of people from all walks of life and you carry such hash judgments. If I was at fault for a car crash due to being reckless and was in need of care, I wouldn't want you as my physician. Your bias is dangerous.

Sorry your loved ones were in an accident. Going +18 mph over the limit isn't wreckless driving.. swerving and brake-checking others is. And I doubt OP was even doing that. I don't get why you're getting so worked up over a person who forgot to decelerate as the speed limit was changing. It happens to the best of us and it's not reflective of OP's ability to function as a physician...

Well obviously since I’m alone in this then you all might be right and I’m not looking at this from the correct perspective. It may be that I’m coming from a personal experience that is causing me to overreact to OP. I’ll re-think it based on the viewpoints you’ve provided.

 

[deleted859689]

Calling people out for intentionally breaking the law and only worrying whether it will affect their acceptance is elitist? Okay.

Maybe it’s not smugness, maybe it’s from having friends and family who have been in accidents because of reckless speeding drivers.

So you’ve never gone 1 mph over the speed limit?

 

[narla_hotep]

It's okay guys, it's no longer high noon and he chilled out already. This thread isn't really being productive anymore

 

[gyngyn]

It's okay guys, it's no longer high noon and he chilled out already. This thread isn't really being productive anymore

Agreed.