Driver pays. No debate.
That she slowed down, but enough to be in compliance with the law, means nothing at all. Ditto on whether or not they “saw” any workers, doesn’t matter whether you see them or not. The signs were jacked up because people fail to comply otherwise.
As they are best friends and not hurting for funds, it would be sweet of the non driver to chip in. It would be improper for the driver to ‘expect’ any contribution, in my mind though.
This. Unless I asked her to speed, or advised her to, it’s not my fault. I’ve been driving for 30 years, and never had a ticket, so I’m pretty confident that had I been driving, there would not have been a ticket.
The ticket is probably that high because of the presence of workers, even if we didn’t see them (maybe it was break time, but as long as it was the work day, it still counts). Maybe the ticket is high because Sharon has had tickets before, which means that if I had been driving, and had been stopped, the ticket would be lower. So this really is not my problem. You should know what the speed limit is for construction areas where you live. If they had an out-of-state plate, possibly the officer would have cut Sharon a break.
If you are driving and a passenger tells you to drive faster, run stop signs, or break any other laws, it’s still on you if you comply.
I was the passenger once when my girlfriend got a ticket; I didn’t offer to help her pay the ticket or to help her sit thru the class. She was driving; she’s responsible for the safe and lawful operation of the vehicle.