9 MPH over is a little anal on the part of the officer. The general rule of thumb is at least 10...and more often 12-15. In fact, in Maryland where I lived for most of my adult life, you won't even get flagged by speed cameras under 12. Of course, there are no points involved in a camera offense. You just get a tidy little bill in the mail.
That said, also in Maryland, if the ticket is garden-variety with no aggravating circumstances and your record is clean, you go to traffic court...and odds are good that the judge will let you off with a small fine...or court costs...something to that effect. In fact, in my experience, more often than not, if your record is clean, the officers themselves will cut you a break with just a warning if you're polite and respectful.
Over the last 10 or so years, I've been pulled over three times, every one of them for chickenshit violations, and each time got off with a warning because of a clean driving record. Years prior to that, I went to traffic court for a speeding ticket and pointed out to the judge that my record was perfectly clean. The judge said, yes, I can see that, and I'd be remiss not to take it into account. He gave me probation before judgment...$50 fine and no points. Points are the ballbreaker because of insurance.
