Yeah, got a speeding ticket yesterday.
First of all, I don’t think I was going that fast (43 in 25MPH zone). And no, this was not a school zone - just a stupid side street and not even residential.
Secondly, I was at a stop light behind three other cars. When light turned green, all three cars zipped along at a good clip, leaving me in the dust for the two blocks until the next light. I was easily six car lengths behind all three of them, but the cop singled out ME - I guess it was easiest to take the slow horse at the end of the line.
The fine is $302!
I called one of those “we fix your traffic ticket” places. They said they can get the fine reduced to $150 - but their fee is $192. Now, I might not be good at math, but that doesn’t sound like much of a deal.
If I go to court and plead my “not guilty” case to the judge, do you think I too could get this reduced to the $150 without using an attorney?
Why on earth would you plead “not guilty” when you were caught doing 43 in a 25 zone? It’s my experience that traffic court judges despise having defendants who whine, “but everyone else was speeding worse than me.”
You pay the fix-a-ticket lawyers to prevent having points added to your license, not necessarily to come out of the experience paying less. It’s up to you to decide whether keeping points off your license is worth the extra $40.
The traffic ticket place was probably going to get the fine down by getting the charge changed to something other than speed. Depending on your state, that’s advantageous because it also results in fewer or no points on your license.
As far as dealing with it by yourself, I can’t offer any advice.
Well, except for maybe just don’t pay the ticket, and move to Virginia.
I fight pretty much every ticket I get (there have been a few I didn’t fight but looking back I wish I had), and have “won” every time I’ve contested a ticket.
On seperate occassions, I’ve taken the approach of outright denial, asked for clemency, and on one very memorable occassion the Magistrate dismissed the ticket for me just because I showed up wearing a suit and was polite to her - I didn’t even get a chance to “plead my case” - she just dismissed it.
In my state, the appeals process goes like this: you check off the box on the back of the ticket to request a hearing. The respond within a week or two and assign you a date and time(usually a week or two out) to report to the Clerk Magistrate. The Clerk sits at a desk facing you and your fellow alleged traffic law breakers and calls you up, one at a time, to plead your case. As a representative of the State, the Clerk has the power to enforce, reduce or dismiss you fine at her/his discretion. If you dress appropriately and are respectful you will have a much better chance at a favorable outcome.
Back in 2005 I was caught speeding in a traffic tunnel. I was clocked at 103 in a 55, and the cop yelled at me and wrote me up for 85 so he wouldn’t have to arrest me. I appealed the ticket and asked the Clerk for clemency, on the grounds that I didn’t have a lot of money, had a mostly good driving record and would be much more responsible about watching my speed. She dismissed the ticket with the warning that if I EVER got another ticket in her jurisdiction I should just pay it, since I was using my one and only get out of jail free card.
Fast forward to 2010. I was in the same general viscinity in Boston and made an illegal U-turn right in front of a cop, who promptly pulled me over. I appealed the ticket. Got to the hearing. Guess who was Magistrate? Yep, my old friend from 2005. Luckily, she didn’t remember me. Anyways, I ended up being called last, after the room was cleared, and she called me up, told me I looked like a nice young man, and asked me if I was familiar with the intersection in question (I wasn’t). She said she was familiar with it, and could understand how it could be confusing and difficult to navigate, and dismissed the ticket without another word. Nice.
Check and see if your city/county has a deferrment program. You will still have to pay the fine, but the ticket will be treated as a non-moving violation. As long as you don’t get another speeding ticket in that jurisdiction for the next 6 months, the ticket will not show up on your insurance. If you do get another ticket then the original ticket and your subsequent ticket both become moving violations and will appear on your record as such.
If you decide to fight it, unless you get lucky like Mr. Smith above, your chances of winning in court are slim to none, unless the police officer that gave you the ticket fails to show up for your hearing, then the judge will normally dismiss the case. If the officer does appear, normally the officer is going to testify that he tagged you with radar, and your word that you didn’t think you were going that fast will mean butkus.
I disagree with this. It is not a requirement for the ticketing officer to be present in most cases, and the law allows for a representative to be there instead (at least in my state, and I think that is a pretty common circumstance).
My experience is that my tickets have been dismissed every time I’ve requested a hearing, and I have done so on at least 4 or 5 occassions.
I had this situation five years ago. The county in which I received the ticket offered a “plea in abeyance” option, which went like this:
-pay a reduced fine, and submit a current copy of your driving record.
-in six months, submit a new copy of your driving record. No ticket in six months? original infraction gets expunged, as if it never happened.
Note that in my case it wouldn’t have mattered where I got a second infraction; if it showed up on my driving record, I woulda been screwed.
This. Officer (if he shows) will be citing evidence of your speed. You will not be citing any evidence at all, and that position won’t get you anywhere. Neither will the “everyone else was doing it” argument.
This has been my experience, and that of other people I know, too (at least in the DC/VA/MD area.
Since you definitely were not doing the limit, you can plead guilty with an explanation. The “explaining” part is typically your chance to humor the judge and the courtroom/audience, all of which are waiting for their turn. It’s best to just bring up your record (or they will ask), save everyone time by saying it was an honest mistake, and humble yourself by saying you should have paid better attention. If your record is clean, and provided your state allows it, they will postpone judgement for a period of time (3 years I think), meaning no points, and you pay the fine (possibly reduced, but unlikely).
The money is their real motive, while you don’t want your insurance company to find out about points, especially for a minor speeding offense (which is what our court system calls it, not me, btw).
My last offense was for doing 74 in a 65, and the state trooper didn’t use radar, but “saw” me doing it. I didn’t think it was worth a ticket and points, but I clearly wasn’t doing 65. As to the other cars passing me, also speeding? I heard one person/officer describe it best:
When you go fishing, do you catch all the fish?
It sucks, but it is what it is. Try to be more careful and good luck.
That’s a stupid speeding ticket. Only for 18 over the limit. That’s pretty strict. As you said, it wasn’t even residental, and it’s safe to drive that fast on it as well. I think the time has come for speed limits to be abolished. Let everyone whiz by at their own risk.
I am in Nevada, and the ticket is for the Henderson Municipal Court (suburb of Las Vegas).
I think he shot the radar down the street, saw the three cars zooming up, and seeing me as the fourth place horse, nabbed me by assuming I was bumper to bumper with the other cars - and I was not.
I can guarantee you that won’t be the officer’s testimony. He will testify that he applied the radar to your front bumper or license plate and the gun registered a speed of 43 mph. Your theory will not win in court.
-Have your speedometer calibrated. If it displays a lower speed than your actual speed you have a good chance. Calibrating costs about $50.
If calibration doesn’t give the results you want:
-Plead not guilty. Be very apologetic, completely 100% courteous, that you never speed, you were not in a hurry, and that you just don’t believe you were speeding (etc etc). You are now at the mercy of the judge.
-Do Not plead ‘guilty with explanation’. It never works.
If he paced your car:
-Plead not guilty. You will have a better chance (than radar).
Do not mention the other drivers and the unfairness of it all… that never works.
You don’t need a lawyer, these are misdemeanor traffic violations… if you feel you can’t get off than pay the man. Bring your checkbook and when you stand in front of the judge slap it down on the desk. Really, that’s what it’s all about.
ps- Was it a construction zone? Fines can be double in a CZ.
Agreed. How unreasonable can law makers and law enforcement folks get??? What’s next, flogging and keelhauling for a half-second delay switching on your turn signal at 3 pm in the least-busy side street of a small town?!
I mean, this is America. We have a long history of spitting on every law we happen not to like. Why be so unpatriotic?
Where do folks think we are, some nation like Denmark, where people actually try to shudder o-o-o-bey every gosh-darn law? Just because it is the law? Try being grown-ups and think for yourself!
You could try the bogus defense. In another thread we offered to cover the legal fees if that was used successfully.
Anyway, go to court. It’s not going to get worse and a judge may have mercy on you and reduce the fine. Had you done it here in RI with a clean license for 3 years the charges would be dismissed.
However it works out, go forth and speed no more (or just don’t get caught no more).
I didn’t think it was worth a ticket and points, but I clearly wasn’t doing 65. As to the other cars passing me, also speeding? I heard one person/officer describe it best:
