Here's what they said:

I have been pulled over once for speeding, and it was a 70 in a 55. I was given a ticket and went to court that day. They dropped the speed down to 60 in a 55 and all I had to pay was court fees. Nothing on my license and nothing in regards to insurance.

HOLLY ATKINS, KNIGHTDALE

I have three speeding violations on my record, but only one in the last four years and that was in North Carolina. I was cited for driving 68 in a 45. I went to court and requested a PJC and paid my court fee. While in court, nearly every single person there requested the same thing. Many people I had talked to will get out of speeding tickets by simply hiring a lawyer.

ERIC D. BROLLEY, RALEIGH

In Wake County in June '97, February '02, October '03, and Jones County in October '02. Went to court each time and spoke with the DA. Each time the charge was significantly lowered. For the Wake County charges, in June '97, from 49 in a 35 to 44/35 (used my PJC to keep record clean), in February '02, from 60/45 to 54/45 (only a 2-point violation and the only violation on my three-year record, so no insurance points), and in 10/03, from 60/45 to 54/45 (used my PJC). For the Jones County charge of October '02, they reduced the charge from 70/55 to improper equipment. In Wake County, it takes about 1.5 hours. In Jones County, it takes about three hours.

JEFFREY D. BURNS, RALEIGH

My first ticket came in 1992 when I was 18: 65 in a 55 in rural Rockingham County. Went to court in front of a judge and got it reduced to improper equipment. Next: 2002 on Highway 74 near Lumberton. 20-plus mph over, and therefore in danger of losing my license. In that case, I hired a local attorney who went to court on my behalf. I paid a fine and the charge was reduced to "improper muffler." ... not sure how that happened.

SARAH WOODARD DAVID, CHAPEL HILL

When I first moved to Cary about eight years ago and got my first ticket, I did go before a judge and the DA spoke to me beforehand and offered the plea of 9 over. But I remember the last couple of times I went to court, I spoke directly to the DA and he pleaded it down for me.

JACKI HARRELL, KILL DEVIL HILLS

I arrived at the courthouse in downtown Chapel Hill to find that there were many, many people in for the same thing I was. Finally, I got inside and told the DA my name. He pulled up the file, took a quick look at it, and asked if I was willing to take 44 in a 35. No other questions, no interest in mitigating circumstances or any such thing.

I took it, of course. (Hey, why burn a prayer for judgment when you don't need to?) Went into the actual courtroom, and sat for another 30-45 minutes before the judge called my name. He said I was accused of 44 in a 35, what did I plead? Guilty, of course. He said OK, no fine, just pay the court cost.

MICHAEL MILLS, CHAPEL HILL

I went to court when I was cited for driving 45 in a 25 zone in 1991. Friends told me to plead guilty with "prayer for judgment continued," which I'd never heard of (I was new to North Carolina). I had no idea what it meant, but I did it anyway because they promised me the citation would be dropped -- sort of -- and it was. My most vivid memory was getting used to the idea that the word "prayer" was part of a legal proceeding. It was then that I began to understand that no matter what my work life in RTP looked like, I was now really living in the South.

JULIE TOMLINSON, NORTH RALEIGH

Orange County court in Chapel Hill: The judge starts out by saying, "No one here will receive any points on your insurance today." The speeding ticket for my child was changed by the assistant DA to "improper equipment." That was really nice for the DA to do that. There were 10 cases heard before our turn. Everything had been reduced or changed. You paid court cost and a small fine.

BRUCE WHITE, CARY

I have gotten two speeding tickets in the last few years. One was in Duplin County and one was in the town of Clayton. Both times I hired a lawyer and paid a hefty fee -- over $300 both times -- to have the tickets knocked down to equipment violations. I never went to court, and neither time did I even see the lawyer that represented me. Both times I was exceeding the limit by more than 20 miles an hour (77 in a 55 and 56 in a 35). I did this to avoid what I knew would be heavy increases in my insurance rates for up to three years. It is actually cheaper to hire a lawyer and swallow the up-front fees than it is to take the jacking of your insurance rates over a three-year period.

DAVID WILLIAMS, RALEIGH

(READ MORE COMMENTS, OR ADD YOUR OWN: You can see more comments at newsobserver.com. To add your comments, send e-mail to speeding@newsobserver.com or call (919) 829-4830.)