Speeding Ticket! And I have questions!

BaggedLancer

exalted512 wrote: »

Im sorry, but pleading guilty is the worst advice I've heard on this thread.

DO NOT PLEAD GUILTY. If you do, it will go on your record, your insurance will go up, and your parents will really be unhappy then.

You'll have to find out your local laws, but like I told you before on AIM, ask for deferred adjudication or deferred by your safety class. You will pay more initially, but it won't go on your record and your insurance wont go up.
-Cody

same as what i said, you plead guilty and you are guilty

George Grand

I'm sorry to hear you got caught speeding. You admit to doing 16 MPH over the limit. Mike, you are guilty. In Jersey, you go to court, and the court clerk announces right after roll call, that EACH AND EVERY PERSON WILL GET A CHANCE TO SEE THE COUNTY PROSECUTOR during the after roll call recess. It's a virtual "Let's Make A Deal" type of affair. Willing to plead guilty and they will drop the speed 10 MPH or so.

I can't believe some of the people who are telling you to fight this thing, when you yourself know you were dead wrong. I think that is bad advice, and one helluva bad lesson to be learned.

ARE YOU GUYS THE SAME PARENTS WHO REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT YOUR LITTLE ANGELS CAN'T DO ANY WRONG?

sucks2beme

rskarvan wrote: »

In Indiana... the unwritten rule is that if you hire an attorney... you pay the ticket twice...

Example: Speeding is a $150 ticket. You pay the county clerk $150 fine. You pay your attorney $150. And, the ticket never appears on your record. In short, you can "buy" your innocence and protect your insurance record. They call it a deferral and you are allowed one "free one" every two years. With an attorney, you are allowed as many deferrals as you can afford.

Of course, after a while, you get sick of paying $300 every time you get stopped and you realize what a great amp you could have purchased with those coins and you just give up and slow down.

In Texas, You can plead no contest with a deferral. I have 6 months to stay out of trouble on a right turn on red where I "didn't really come to a full stop"
(words of the cop). I was a bit Po'd. Nobody around the intersection
but a cop. $270 down the crapper.
I know the speeding thing in Iowa.
I used to drive full throttle everywhere I went as a kid.
Outside of towns, I never saw a cop but once. He pulled out on the
highway after I went by, and turned the other direction. I guess
he wasn't in the mood for a high speed chase.

TroyD

Generally speaking, the folks that are saying to fight the ticket are the ones who have a LOT of experience with speeding tickets...me, I haven't been stopped for speeding since 1986.

My advice is based on being around cops for the past 35 years and knowing a couple of judges who deal with this **** every day.

If you frigged up, man up, take it like a man.

BDT

McLoki

Court supervision - ask for it by name. You were guilty, just try to lessen the impact.

I don't know about your area, but in Illinois you can take a class (but if you are more than 15mph over the limit you cant) and it will drop off your record.

You can almost always get court supervison. It will usually cost the ticket plus court costs (another $75-100 over the ticket cost) and the ticket will drop off your record like it never happened. You still end up paying, but insurance never finds out about it. When you get to court, just ask to see the prosecutor and say you are interested in court supervision for the ticket.

Best of luck - I have had to use it in the past and it worked out just fine.

One extra thing though - at least in our county - they dont take Visa. I would bring about $150 over the ticket cost in cash with you to pay the fine after court. (the rest can buy you lunch as you reflect on the nice audio gear your recent ticket could have purchased for you.....)

Michael

PolkThug

Take the safety class and get a deferment.

BaggedLancer

Pay the fine, ask to go to jail, do not pass go, and do not collect $200.

PolkThug

BaggedLancer wrote: »

Pay the fine, ask to go to jail, do not pass go, and do not collect $200.

...and let the insurance company bend you over for the next two years.

exalted512

Theres a huge difference between fighting it and asking for a deferral. Fighting it is going in, hoping the officer doesnt show up, hoping his gun hasnt been calibrated lately, and if it has hoping he mis-calibrated it.

Deferral, on the other hand, is common place. Yes, he is guilty, **** happens. Deferral is pleading no contest. You're not saying you are guilty, but youre not saying you aren't guilty. You still pay the fines and you usually pay more. This is probably the reason why most towns do it.

Do you pay for your insurance? I'm going to guess that you probably don't. And if you dont, deferral is, IMO, the right thing to do. Your parents shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes, and if paying a little extra to get it deferred gets it taken off your record, your parents will not have to pay extra for your ticket.

Pleading guilty, on the other hand, will raise your rates, and if your parents do pay for your insurance, theyll be paying extra. And if anyone can tell me why this would be a good thing, I'd love to hear it.

SCompRacer

exalted512 wrote: »

Pleading guilty, on the other hand, will raise your rates......

The ticket going on record at the State for your insurance company to see is what raises your rates. Pleading guilty, paying your fine, and asking for court supervision or a driving class can keep it off the record. Losing the case or getting another ticket while under court supervision will get it put there for sure.

And ab, IIRC most States have laws saying the speed limit for Interstates and controlled access highways is 55MPH unless otherwise marked.

jdhdiggs

I would personally aim for a deferrel or take the plea deal the prosecuter will give you. Fighting it just pisses off the people in control and costs more money and you were guilty.

shack

It's very easy as some have said to simply pay the fine and move on. There is an issue of your age and the ultimate cost of this "mistake"...namely insurance premiums. The cost of the fine is negligible in comparison. My advice is to consult with a good attorney knowledgeable in traffic court procedures. He will give advice as to how to approach the matter. Typically 1st offenders can get the violation deferred...meaning that you pay the fine, may have to go to some sort of driving class and if you keep your record clean for X amount of time then your record will stay clean, with no points on you license and no record for the insurance companies. Sometimes the attorney will appear with you in court and know how to plead to get the best result.

As a side note, an attorney friend of mine said the price of his services are worth it to many because, the traffic judges will take the ticketed represented by attorneys first as an accommodation to the attorneys so they don't have to spend wasted time waiting in the normal queue (which can be quite long). Having to only spend 30-45 minutes in traffic court vs a half a day or longer definitely has value.

Sherardp

go to traffic school asap so when youre in court it doesnt look so bad. Pay fine is there is still one and be done with it.

Last year when I was out in SC on a trip for Japan I got a ticket, I was doing 80 in a 55. Officer told me he could take me to jail right then and there if he wanted. I just said hey, Im on my way out of the country, didnt live in the state any longer. Needless to say, I got a ticket in the mail in Japan, sent in payment, Im sure I lost points off my license, but so what, Im never in the US for more than a month out of the year. Just had to vent, japan police rule, they just tell ya hey, dont do it, slap on the wrist.

bobman1235

BaggedLancer wrote: »

took me about 3 tries before I learned that.

I ended up slowing my **** wayyyy down......sometimes.

Jesus, I think a dead lab rat would have learned the pattern and modified his behavior before you

billbillw

Every state/county is a little different. I've been in traffic court in at least 4 different counties in two states, and the process was very different in each.

I say don't bother with a lawyer. This type of ticket is not serious enough to make it worthwhile.

Go to court on your date and feel things out. Like others have said, many courts offer the chance to speak to one of the prosecutors. 9 times out of 10, as long as there was not an accident, they can usually reduce things down (either points or fine).

Georgia has something called No-Lo, which is like No Contest. You can only do it once, but you basically pay the fine, but you don't get the points as long as you remain ticket free for a certain period. A driving class may be part of the process too.

Maybe you can call the court and inquire about the general process. Ask to speak to one of the prosecutors if possible.

By the way, quit giving him a hard time about going too fast. 71 on the highway? Geeze, that's nothing. It was a speed trap, most definitely. Why else would the officer write you up for the full amount of the violation? They almost always reduce the violation by one level (ie: "You were doing 71, but I'll write you up for doing 65 in a 55"). That makes me believe that the community uses traffic violations as a significant supplement to the county budget. That also means they probably are pros at going to court over these tickets and their equipment is probably calibrated weekly!

BaggedLancer

bobman1235 wrote: »

Jesus, I think a dead lab rat would have learned the pattern and modified his behavior before you

That was when i first got my license and thought:

Mark > Massachusetts State Law

bobman1235

It's worth pointing out that if this is your first offense, most insurance companies give you a pass on your first minor offense, as long as you don't get another one within a calendar year. So you may not have to worry too much about insurance.

jcaut

Despite liking and owning some fast cars, I've only gotten one speeding ticket in my life and it was for going 41 in a 35, down a very long steep hill--- in my girlfriend's (now wife's) Corolla. I was a little ticked that he pulled me over, but I WAS going over the limit.

Go to court, be honest, tell them what happened. If you were unfamiliar with the road and thought the limit was 65, you were still going 6 over, but that's a lot better than 16. If you're respectful and you've got a clean record, they'll almost certainly go easy on you. It sounds like you're very fortunate that they didn't get you going 85. I'd strongly advise slowing it down a bit.

Jason

PolkThug

I can't drive 55.

cfrizz

He IS guilty, as were you when you got caught!

Mark, am I going to have to rethink our roadtrip to Waltham? I want to get there & back in one piece & without suffering a heart attack!:(

BaggedLancer wrote: »

same as what i said, you plead guilty and you are guilty

exalted512

SCompRacer wrote: »

The ticket going on record at the State for your insurance company to see is what raises your rates. Pleading guilty, paying your fine, and asking for court supervision or a driving class can keep it off the record. Losing the case or getting another ticket while under court supervision will get it put there for sure.

And ab, IIRC most States have laws saying the speed limit for Interstates and controlled access highways is 55MPH unless otherwise marked.

In Texas, if you say 'guilty,' the ticket goes on your record, period. There is no deferral. You must plead no contest to get a deferral.
-Cody

disneyjoe7

I was once doing 120+ before the "S" curves of 95 in Rhode Island, so I'm thinking about a buck.... When I seen High-Beams in the back window pulled over and handed me a ticket for doing 75 in a 55mph zone.


All I could do is say "Thank You"

BaggedLancer

cfrizz wrote: »

He IS guilty, as were you when you got caught!

Mark, am I going to have to rethink our roadtrip to Waltham? I want to get there & back in one piece & without suffering a heart attack!:(

haha Im safe to drive with.

TroyD

exalted512 wrote: »

In Texas, if you say 'guilty,' the ticket goes on your record, period. There is no deferral. You must plead no contest to get a deferral.
-Cody

He ain't IN Texas, is he, hoss?

All states are different but the one constant is that if it's your first offense and you aren't a jackass in court.....you are more than likely going to catch a break.

Lawyer up and plead not guilty? I'd lay my odds on them sticking it up the old zorch sideways. As always YMMV.

BDT

exalted512

TroyD wrote: »

He ain't IN Texas, is he, hoss?

All states are different but the one constant is that if it's your first offense and you aren't a jackass in court.....you are more than likely going to catch a break.

Lawyer up and plead not guilty? I'd lay my odds on them sticking it up the old zorch sideways. As always YMMV.

BDT

I never once said he was.

"You are more than likely to catch a break" I'd like my chances better than 'more than likely.' Like I told him before, go in and seek out getting it deferred first off. In a half-way big town, you dont even see the judge. If that request gets denied, you can pretty much count on not waltzing in there, presenting yourself as mr goodie two shoes, and walking out with a slap on the wrist. Thats from personal experience of me and the people I know in my age bracket...which happens to be the same bracket bliss is in.

Again, I'm not saying hes not guilty, no one on here is disputing that, but know the rules of your state before you go in and plead guilty and end up with a ticket on your record.
-Cody

audiobliss

I really appreciate all the input you guys have offered.

I really like the idea of walking in there, totally not denying I'm guilty, and asking (begging!) for deferrment. That's the ideal scenario in my mind. Until you get to the part where "I'll probably get it." I'm sorry, but I don't think it's worth the risk. I'd rather fork out another $150 - $200 for a lawyer and KNOW that my parents won't be paying double the insurance for me.

billbillw

I don't think you realize what you are getting into. Your choices (whether you have and attorney or not) are to plead guilty, plead non-guilty, or negotiate a lesser fine/points, etc (this may be through No contest or deferment). Bringing an attorney won't really help you unless you plead not-guilty and go to trial. That's at least 2 court visits for the attorney, plus paperwork, etc. You will go far beyond your estimate of $150-$200 and the likely outcome is still going to be "guilty".

Attorney's are just an absolute waste unless you need to defend yourself against going to jail, or getting your license suspended. Trust us on this one.

PolkThug

Wear a suit when you go to court, it has helped me.

cjpre4

I am from Winston - Salem N.C. and just paid my ticket of 80 mph in a 55 zone on US 52 @ 1 mile south of the New 40 expressway. You need to contact a lawer and play their game. You are at the mercy of the DA if you go to court where a lawer can send a rep. and get a reduction, failure of equipment of something else. You also have a Pray of Judgement if needed. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it involves a lawer. You will be getting offers in the mail in about 5 business days. It will cost you around 325 dollars ( court cost is $170 which is included ) but you will have no insurance points and will not have to show up in court.
I used the Law offices of Douglas K. Myers on Peters Creek, you may want to give this guy a call.

shack

billbillw wrote: »

Attorney's are just an absolute waste unless you need to defend yourself against going to jail, or getting your license suspended. Trust us on this one.

I've used an attorney on two moving violations and the fine on one was court costs ($98) with diversion and the other was dismissed with no costs...and no violation was noted on my record in any form or fashion...and no driving class either. Would the outcome have been the same without an attorney? Maybe...but I doubt it and the price if not could have been "substantial". Of course this is JMO.

On the internet I am always reminded of the disclaimer:

"Any resemblance to fact or reality is purely coincidental".

ab - do whatever you and your dad decide is prudent.