wvuviv30

Who has gotten a speeding ticket and taken it to court?

What happened in court?

What pointers can you give to a person who is going to take their ticket to court?


I got a speeding ticket over the weekend... I was on my way back to NJ, driving my g/f car, as she was feeling ill... I just have to say, big feet, small automatic car... Don't Mix.

caylorm

Were you speeding?

ncoffey

From what I've heard from friends who have contested them here in Canada is: IF the cop shows up there's not much you can do. It happens fairly often however that they don't show up, and in that case you win by default. If it's photoradar then there may be ways to argue it. If it were me I'd just pay the ticket. It's not worth losing work over it.

PoBoy

Buy and read the book - "Beat the Cops" - go a couple weeks before your court date and see how your court system works as many do things differently. If it's your first one, you may find that the judge will just give you probation for a year, traffic school, or something of the sort that will get the ticket changed to a non-moving violation. But courts do things differently than one another...so go down there a couple weeks before and check things out. You may need a different approach than hoping for pleading guilty to a lesser penalty.

Or just pay an attorney...it'll cost around $150-$350 depending upon the weight of the ticket. I wouldnt say that's a waste of money, but I'm like 23.5 for 24 though The .5 is for a ticket I couldnt get removed, but still was able to get a lesser fine.

4RUNR

http://www.poboytech.net/4Runner/Tri...wheel_well.jpg

PoBoy, I hope your insurance agent doesn't see that and take away all married rate discounts

Scarbro22

I went 3 weeks ago for a 16 over ticket and got out of it...i at first tried to make excuses (lack of signs) but then he cut me off and said "what you're saying is that you were speeding...poeple come in here all the time and tell me they were speeding but maybe not as fast as the cops say...now do you want mercy or do you want justice?" of course i said mercy and then he let me off...go in there and ask for mercy and a second chance....good luck

jimbo74

if you were speeding dont try to fight it... be a man not a puss...... in the county i live in, they purposely schedule their trial when they know the officer will show up, they make it around his work schedule... here there is a very low chance they wont show due to that and they get paid overtime for showing up... if you say the cops lying and you werent speeding they will straight tell you the cop was sworn to uphold and protect the laws and therefor you are lying trying to say the cop is and you are found guilty... if your defense was you were not speeding, you are going to have to satisfy the court that the officer might have made a judgement error.. i did this once by really cross examining the officer with diagrams and such... got a ticket where the cop says i was doing well over 80 MPH in a school zone (25 mph max) to doing 35 in a school zone

My99

Go to court (hopefully you have a good driving record) say yeah you were speeding, it's not like you can hardly deny the radar. (I'm assuming you were speeding here) ask the judge for probation so that it doesn't go on your record and tell him the circumstances. 9 times out of 10 you'll get get probation or at worst traffic school. Either way, just try to keep it off your record.

EDGE

Getting out of a speeding ticket is easy, things like time of day, weather and the car your in really could make or break you, I've had friends who got pulled over and they went into the court house and flat out told the judge they where speeding but my car can handle the speed, it was 3am and the highway was empty, then they just ask if they could have a break and pay a fine equal to that of what the ticket would have cost plus adding you have a clean driving record and you would like to keep your insurance from increasing, so here in NY usually thats 400 dollars or more depending on the speed but most of the judges and cops know that they themselves speed at certain times and all my friends including myself have gotten off like that, half the time I use my lawyer and whatever he says gets me off with a fine, but when he can't make it he tells me what to say so he's my mentor sort of.

For the times I've gone to court I usually just speak with the cop before hand, plead my case to him and ask him if he could cut me a break and just give me a fine with no points, for you I would go into court early and stay outside the courtroom, depends how each place does it some places actually give you a chance to plead to the cop before the judge, so catch him before you appear infront of the judge and just flat out tell him and be like I usually drive my 4Runner which is slow and I was unfamiliar with my GF car, it was a long trip and just before you pulled me over we switched, I don't live in this area and I very often even come this way so could you cut me a break and you will never see me again.

Now I would get creative and add, my GF mother was in an accident, she tripped and fell down a flight of stairs and she was rushed to the hospital, I told my GF I would drive cause she was hysterical and she would not have been able to make the trip by herself, my GF is an only child and talks with her mother everyday, usually by this time the cops like alright here's what I can do for you blah blah blah but which is not following the rules of the road but the judge determines how much the fine is, now in certain judges they will ask you can you pay 200 dollars, I'd be like yeah can I give you cash now and then the judge will case dismissed.

A few times the cop threw the ticket out for me cause he was like, you live 4 hours away, I've been to some CourtHouses in bumblefvck that I was like Im in the wrong place and some women comes and answer the door in sweats and it's a house in the middle of nowhere, meanwhile she sits down at this raised table in a side room, little kids are running around screaming cause it doubles as a day care center, I can't tell you how many times I was like their ain't no Courthouse here I guess we will leave and here comes 5 State Troopers rolling up, some of those places in the middle of nowhere had such horrible roads I thought I was driving through the woods, not to mention the hair and clothing from the people I met their is back in the 70's and 80's well so are their cars.

jimbo74

look, if you were blatantly speeding there is no reason to fight it... you do the crime you gotta expect having to pay for it..... and no, im not some snotty ass kid that has a silver spoon... im someone who did a lot of screwing up in my life and have finally learned from my mistakes.... not having a license and being 21 riding a goped to work for 8 months really puts a perspective on things

rimpainter.com

I totally agree. I have done this twice in the past. Both tickets were dropped on technicalities and I never had to go to court (miss work). He took care of everything.

Now, finding an honest attorney is a different story (is that an oxymoron?)

jacksonpt

I agree with Jim - if you were speeding, pay the ticket. It's called being accountable. I realize this is a lost notion in society today, but try to be an adult about it. Pay the ticket if you were speeding. If you weren't speeding, why did you get the ticket?

Tacoma Dude

I don't want to be part of a flaming group but I do have issues with people that contest speeding tickets in the hopes that the cop doesn't show. The last time I went to court (in the context of my job) I sat in the officer's lounge with AT LEAST 15 cops.
Ironically, one of the topics of discussion was how short-staffed all the divisions were - in fact some divisions were "borrowing" officers from neighboring divisions in order to meet minimum staffing.

Take one cop off the street into court and that's one less cop to respond to your emergency.

rimpainter.com

I see a problem with the system, not a problem with people excersizing their right to have representation.

jimbo74

then become a lawmaker and change the system, dont try to be all hardcore and figure out how to screw the system....

rimpainter.com

I paid the lawyer to represent me. What he does from there is his problem.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

I had many speeding tickets. Here in Jersey, there is a deal to get no points, but you pay more for the ticket. It's supposed to be a one shot deal, but with my old car I had many of those chances. (Corrupt town) I recall seeing the ads for them all over and I think the number was 1-800-FORGIVEN.
You can't be a habitual offender though, Or they will tell you to pay and take the points.
The ad went something like:

1-800-FORGIVEN
FOR YOUR ONLY TRAFFIC TICKET

havic

The US is about opportunism. Try to get the least penalty for the crime you committed, even though you were in the wrong. It happens everyday. I don't see anything wrong with trying to get out of the points, but I think you might have to pay the fine. Follow EDGE's advice, it sounds pretty good. That's the American way, trying to get over, screwing the system over, and always trying to find loopholes. It's great.

mt_goat

I haven't had a speeding ticket since I got my 3.slow

havic

Good one Mt_Goat. Get the 3.slow, it'll solve all your speeding ticket problems. It's better than a lawyer.