It’s been a crappy couple of days. I woke up yesterday feeling bad, not wanting to go to work at all, but I had told a co-worker that I would fill in for him, so I pretty well had to go. When I got off that evening (7, if anybody is curious) I was feeling depressed (don’t really know why) and wanted to be anywhere other than the town I work in. And, the point of the story, I got a speeding ticket on the way home. I wasn’t paying attention to how fast I was going (88 in a 70 is what my ticket says, though I was going 85 when I saw the lights go on).
Now, I’m not going to rant. Even though he got me for 3 mph faster than I think he should have, 85 is still too fast so I deserved the ticket. What I want to know now is, what exactly are my options? I’ve been trying to google regulations and that sort of thing for Indiana, but I can’t find anything on a website that isn’t telling me to fight the ticket on very minor technicalities. I’ve heard there is a program where, if you pay a little extra money and don’t get any more tickets (which I really think I can avoid) for a certain amount of time (six months, maybe) that the ticket will be erased from your record. However, I can’t find anything about it. Are there maybe any dopers out there who can help me?
Yes, something like that, except I can’t seem to find anything of value unless my license has been suspended (it hasn’t). Why is finding this information so hard?
Your immediate options are usually stated on the back of the ticket – pay the fine or ask for a court date. I’m not sure why you’re contesting this ticket if you admit that you were speeding albeit maybe a few mph slower than what the ticket says. Since you want to keep your options open, ask for a court date. That’s probably where you will hear about options to keep your driving record clean while paying for the ticket.
I don’t really want to contest the ticket, but I’m trying to find out about this program that I’ve heard others talk about. That’s where I’m finding no information.
Just go to your local courthouse and ask. If its anything like my local courthouse, the line will be long, but the teller will be pretty friendly and answer all your questions. In my county, you pay the price of the ticket plus $25 and sign up for a class. It takes a few hours and is pretty much a joke, but the ticket is erased from your record. I think the class option varies from county to county though, so you may not be as lucky as I am.
Check with your courthouse when you go in to pay your ticket. They’ll have the answers.
This site talks about traffic schools approved by Indiana that you can go to to get points removed from your license. It says there are online traffic schools, too.
I used to live in Indiana, and thought this was an urban legend the first time I heard it (or a hardened Hoosier pulling the new girl’s leg). It is however, true, at least in some counties. If you have a clean driving record, meet a few other requirements, and do not get another ticket within 6 months, you can pay a legal bribe, er … fee ($150 or more), and your ticket is not reported to the BMV or your insurance company. This option isn’t as widely publicized as either contesting the ticket or just paying it, but is listed online for at least some counties.
You don’t say what county you’re in, or I missed it, so you’ll need to find out what your county’s policy is. It’s sometimes called a Diversion Program, Deferral Program, or Safe Driver Program, so you may need to get a little creative in your searches. Some links to county information are below:
If you can’t find any information online, call up the number on the ticket and ask about a deferral, diversion, blah blah program and see what happens. Can’t hurt to try.
Now, now, I was just following the (If I remember correctly) black car in front of me. If I also remember correctly, you were behind a big SUV, so I’ll spare the comments of slowpoke.
