Speeding ticket woes....

[KTA]

I didn't see the off-topic forum, so hopefully this will work.

I'm posting to ask what i should do about a speeding ticket i got last night. Well, it isn't actually a ticket. It is a piece of paper that i either plead guilty or not guilty to. If i plead guilty i am sent a fine and points on my license, if i plead not guilty i am issued a court date. Now, I'm 19 and this is my first offense. I was pulled over in Glen, NY but live in New Hampshire. I was clocked at 87mph on the New York State Thruway (I-90) which has a posted limit of 65mph.

I know it was fast, but I had been driving for so long i was just spaced out and cruising, i really wasn't paying attention to my speed. anyway..... , I have been doing some looking around online and found that its best to go to court, because it would ultimatly cost less and you have the possiblity of getting the offence nulled or reduced.

Could anyone offer me some advice on what to do? I really don't know how the system works or what my best course of action should be. I just want to spend as little money as possible and try not to get any insurance hike. Thanks.

 

[LOOPOUT]

ask for deferred adjudication....

they will have you pay a fine & then you are on probation for 3 months not to get another ticket or violation then its dropped off your record ... sometimes they make you take defensive driving too but its better than a ticket on your insurance esp at your age....

my wife has taken it twice in last 3yrs she likes to cruise in here GTP..... funny she had a ram-air formula before & never got a ticket...

 

[YZ kid]

Me and a friend got pulled over doing 95 in a 65 the other day also. You plead guilty if you pay the fine i believe. Our fine was 270 bux. I am not sure how it works out there, but here they say you can take it to court if you think that you are not guilty; otherwise you pay the fine. Understand what i am saying. You could take a class that is called "Drive to Survive" that will wave the cost of your ticket. But you have to pay court cost and the cost of the class. The court cost and the class both combined were still under the amount we had to pay. I don't know how much your ticket was but i would consider this class b/c it totally waves the cost of your ticket and i think it only takes 1 or 3 points off your license. DAMN MARYLAND COPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[marcusgunby]

I dont know much but, i think the court way is only is you think you arnt guilty (or have some kind of excuse-like rushing to hospital etc)-in a clear cut case you will be just wasting there time and i dont think they appreciate it.

 

[Camstyn]

Similar question - I got a ticket a few weeks ago doing 98 in a 50 zone (km/h, not mph.. equals 60mph in a 31mph zone). Stupid, I know. It was out on some desolate farm road where there is no traffic, a wee bit late on my way to work. It caught me off guard as I didn't intend to go that fast in the first place, I thought I was doing between 70 and 80, not 98!:scream:

A $350 ticket later and I'm also unsure on what to do.

My full printed name is actually four words, two middle names, according to my drivers license. The speeding ticket only has one middle name on it, he forgot to put one on. Does anyone know if that makes the ticket invalid?

I really don't need to pay $350 to learn my lesson. I've slowed down, and I actually realize that I used to speed way too much and took it for granted. Now I keep it at the speed limit, no exceptions. Again, paying the government $350 doesn't really help the government much, but it sure screws me over financially. I couldn't pay it if I wanted to. Not to mention the 6 points on my license and a bad record on my drivers abstract. Any advice? I don't want to waste court time with something like this, but I don't think that trying to reason with the signing officer would get my anywhere.

Cam:uh:

 

[dell30rb]

plead not guilty and file an information request on the certifacation of accuracy permit on the gun that was used to gauge your speed. 80% of the time they dont have it. There are alot of other things you can do to pretty much eliminate speeding tickets by manipulating the law, go to a bookstore and buy a 20 dollar book on how to avoid speeding tickets, its saved my uncle's butt many times.

 

[oldguy]

Originally posted by dell30rb
. There are alot of other things you can do to pretty much eliminate speeding tickets by manipulating the law, go to a bookstore and buy a 20 dollar book on how to avoid speeding tickets,

My advice to this is pay attention to what you are doing when you are driving

As far as fighting tickets every jurisdiction has different methods. If you are guilty (and from the posts each of you admit to be) it is prtetty hard to fight and win a dismissal. The notion that 80% of guns are not certified is rediculus. Evry dept has personel assigned to crertify the equipment on schedule- occasionally it will slip up but rarely. I have never lost on a speeding citation (over 1000 issued) that went to trial because of strict guidelines used to issue them.
Your best bet is usually (in our jurisdiction at least) is to go to court, Be courteous , and speak with the prosecuting attourney. It doesn't hurt to bewell groomed either:silly: (you would be amazed how some people come to court. Explain your situation with the edge that you would be willing to plead to a reduced charge. If you are 15 over you may get a defective speedometer. If you are 30 over your chances are less but in order to save a trial you may be able to get it reduced to a lower point value but keep the fine. as I said every jurisdiction and often each court veiw this differently.

Also YZKID those DAMN Maryland cops never encouraged you to put your foot down that was YOUR choice:confused:

 

[zilla]

oooh jeez... payup...

As a veteran speeder (I'm 54) I never seem to get the points off my license.. I just pay up.. I have been rather lucky by either getting a warning or the officer gives a ticket for a lesserspeed/fine.I even got a ticket in Canada once for $120 Canadian ($2.00 US). I was busted once for 95 in a 55, and got a whole $5 off for wearing my seatbelt.. Out here in Wyoming there are so many wide open spaces, long distances and not much traffic, that speeding is second nature. At least you didn't do what a buddy of mine did last summer. He was riding his 300EXC on the street with another guy on a 380 MXC, when a cop spotted them. Mr. 300 takes off at full speed, Mr. 380 pulls over. Shortly Mr. 300 burns his engine up trying to outrun the cops.. He lands in jail and Mr. 380 got off with a warning..

zilla

 

[CanadianRidr]

Cam I wil check with my law prof tommorow, I know if there is any single error in your name from what it says on your licsence it's no good. However I have never heard of the 2 name thing, the simplest thing would be too just phone a traffic law office (traffic lawyers)

 

[BSWIFT]

Pay the fine, slow down. It costs much, MUCH more money to speed than it does to leave a little bit early. To this day, I drive a pick up and not a sports car or street bike because I KNOW I will exceed the posted limit. That's why I like dirtbikes, no traffic cops in the woods.(No offense Oldguy):p

 

[oldguy]

BSwift no offense taken- it is my job and I enjoy doing it and your suggestion is right on the mark

Canadian rider the name thing around here is normally corrected by reissuance of the ticket with correct info- may vary in Canada;)

 

[Camstyn]

I appreciate the tips, just what I was hoping for.. And I have slowed down, it was a real shot of reality for me. I still think that a warning would have had the same effect on me, without the wallet damage and points on my driving record though.. Especially since I enjoy working in the trucking industry. I was planning on ditching this computer tech support job to go back to driving soon, I love being on the road.. Doubtful of getting a job now though, if I get this excessive speeding charge on my record. I just wish it weren't neccessary, and I'd love to avoid getting penalized like this when I've already learned my lesson.
Do the crime, do the time I suppose.. It still sucks and I'd rather not tho:silly:

BTW BSwift, that's why I drive a truck too.. This time I screwed up.

CanadianRidr, thanks for looking into it for me. Let me know what you find out.

Cam
the guy in the slow lane:cool:

 

[High Lord Gomer]

In my misguided youth I had the opportunity to visit many traffic courts. In one I went to (Prince Georges County, MD) the judge said right up front, "If you plead guilty, I will reduce your fine and points. If it was $200 and 6 points, I'll make it $150 and 4 points. if it was 120 and 4, 100 and 2...Line up here if you want to plead guilty." I also went to one (here in Columbia, SC) where the judge lead in with, "If you came here thinking you would get your points reduced, you came to the wrong place. The DMV assesses points, not me. If you came here to get your fine reduced, you're also out of luck because I don't do that either. Now...for any of you that were wishing to plead guilty, you can leave through that door and go pay your fine at the counter across the hall." Most of the time they did drop the fine and points some if you showed up and were respectful.

got pulled over doing 95 in a 65 ... DAMN MARYLAND COPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do all of us a favor and DO NOT BREED!!

Reminds me of one of the hundred or so occasions I got to speak with a Maryland officer...

I was 17, driving my sister's 65 Impala, and following a state police car into town (Easton) on a four lane highway. He was in the right lane and I was in the left. The speed limit dropped from 55 to 35 and he slowed down. I didn't. Shortly after that he pulled me over. He said, "What are you doing?!? You passed an ugly, yellow, state police car with lights and antennaes hanging all off the thing. That's dumb. I ought to give you a ticket just for being dumb."

 

[High Lord Gomer]

I should have also mentioned, while you can usually get your fine and/or points reduced, I also found out that hard way that in some places (MD in particular) they can raise the fine and give you jail time.

In another example of my misguided youth:

I was 18 and working at a place that froze vegetables 7 days a week, 6 am - 7 pm...91 hours a week. I had loaned my car to my brother and he had "fixed" it for me (which meant that I was having to ride a bicycle the 3 miles to town and back to get to work).

One afternoon on the way home I grabbed onto a friend's car and let him pull me through town. (Hey, I never said I was bright) We had almost made it out of town when I told him that I had better let go so he didn't get in any trouble. When he pulled away I looked over in the elementary school parking lot and both of our town cops were sitting there. They started moving, so I started pedalling faster. I was thinking Dukes of Hazard style..."If I can just make it to the town limit, they can't do anything!" I managed to make it out of town before the first car went by me and after my friend. I thought, "I'm not looking back." Soon I heard the siren and looked back to see that he was using every light he owned and his siren to pull me over on a bike. I ended up getting a $20 ticket, no points, for "Clinging to vehicle prohibitted."

I wouldn't have gone to court, but my friend couldn't talk his way out of an open door so I thought I would help him out. I showed up and found out that since a different cop had written his ticket, he had a different court date. I figured I would just go in, plead guilty, and pay my fine. As luck would have it, the week before my court date a kid had gotten killed trying to hold on to a city bus in Baltimore, so the judge was going to make an example of me.

He was the father of a girl I went to school with and liked to belittle the people that came in front of him. I wasn't too concerned, since it was only a $20 ticket with no points. He aksed me how did I plead and I said guilty. Instead of telling me to go pay my fine, he asked me if I worked or I went to school. I said , "Both, I work and I go to school at the University of Md."

"And what do you plan to be when you graduate?"

"I'm studying electrical engineering."

"And DO you plan to graduate?!?"

It was kind of obvious that he was leading up to a lecture, so I said, "Well, as long as I refrain from this type of activity in the future, I think I've got a pretty good shot at it." Bad move...people started laughing all over the court room and he got pissed.

"Do you own work gloves, Mr. Nyland? You know, the leather kind?"

"Yes sir"

"Good, I'll give you a choice, you can work eight...ah, 32 hours of community service."

He stopped there. I waited a minute and said, "And my other choice?" People started laughing again.

"Weren't you listening to me when I came in here?!?"

"Yes sir."

"What did I say?"

"You said a lot of things." (More laughter...oops)

"I said that any traffic violation you take to court in the state of Maryland can be adjusted, up or down, to a possible 30 days in jail and $500 fine!"

Disclaimer: Do not try any of this at home...these were the actions of an ignorant youth. :scream:

 

[Old CR goat]

Go to court, pay the fine, Learn!
OH, and start paying attention when you are driving.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

This story is much better heard live

Had to leave a little bit out (not sure what the statute of limitations is on the as-yet undiscovered other violations associated therewith).

 

[a454elk]

It kinda makes me laugh when someone wants a way around a situation when they know they did it in the first place. I'm not bashing here but it's funny that you know you did it, but you were hoping for a loophole to get you off. Bottom line, you did it, take your licks and quit whining. Just because the name is not exactly correct on the top of the cite, doesn't mean the whole thing should go away.

Again, don't take this reply wrong but if you really did it, and got caught, don't waste everyones time and go through the court process just to look for a slip up. You might get lucky and the Officer won't show up, then it will be dismissed. Not likely to happen, but it does from time to time. Our process out here goes like this. If someone fights a ticket and goes to court, then they lose their chance to go to traffic school. Once you opt to get a court date, you waive the chance of traffic school. Traffic school here lets you keep it off your record like some of the other states do.

Oh well, off the soap box. Getting a ticket isn't any fun, I had my share. If you really feel it was unjust and shouldn't have been written, then definately, fight it. It's your right! But if you know what you did, be something different, say you did it, I got got caught and take the loss. Maybe he/she just saved your life by slowing you down that day, who knows. But it's not THEIR fault you got the ticket. I don't think there's enough room on the floorboard for your feet, and theirs!:)
Elk

 

[Neil Wig]

What's your time worth?

I have had oodles of tickets in my younger and dumber era, and I have never tried to dodge the bullet by going to court, but I had one speeding ticket that was truely crap. The officer wrote a court appearance ticket, no option to pay fine directly. I went to my court date, the judge asked for my plea, I said "not guilty". Her reply was "your hearing is scheduled for ....". In Saskatchewan, the court date on your ticket is only the beginning of the time they intend to waste for you, if you choose to play the game. So, at that point, I simply and respectfully stated that I didn't have endless time to deal with this, so I guess I'll change my plea to guilty. Now, that really, really didn't dazzle her. She assessed her fine, and I paid on my way out. The ticket cost $90 and an hour of my time. If I would have persued the "not guilty" plea, I would have spent at least one more day diddeling around with our legal system, and very likely paid the same fine...Fight the battles worth fighting. If your guilty, pay the price.

 

[logansowner]

Not that I recomend speeding BECAUSE I DON'T but get a radar detector! Not that I speed alot but I drive a 2002 Corvette Z06 so I really cant help it! lol but I avoid it, but just to be safe I gots me a valentine 1 radar detector and a radar jammer!!! havnt been cought yet! (----------- if you dont want a big problem when you do manage to get pulled over I really wouldnt sugest the jammer as it is a good way to boost the fine but a well hidden detector is a idea for the people who CAN'T HELP IT.

just my two cents.


Alex,

 

[canucklehead]

Originally posted by logansowner
Not that I speed alot but I drive a 2002 Corvette Z06 so I really cant help it!

No, you don't.

Ah yes, the ever popular story of the 14 year old with a new corvette. Please, if you feel compelled to lie, at least make it believable. :mad:

"The truth shall set you free".

Dave

 

[Okiewan]

Please, if you feel compelled to lie, at least make it believable.

LOL, someone forgot about their profile... :silly:

 

[Bill Hibbs]

<sneaky voice on> Yea, that's the ticket...I was going one fift, no, TWO hundred and fifty miles and hour, but my jammer made the cop think I was only going 50... and then the bridge was out so I had to jump it and it was one, two, no Five hundred feet wide, but my Z06, no Z09 Corvette made it no problem.... yea.... that's the ticket.... :eek:

 

[a454elk]

What a little booger!

 

[jharmon]

I don't the laws in New Hampshire, but in NY if you get pulled over in another state your insurance is not affected. Your best bet would be to call your insurance company (don't give them your name) and ask if the insurance rates would go up.

I can tell you know, I got pulled over outside my road about 8 years ago doing 80 in a 55. That ticket cost me $105. Expect your fine to be in that area.

If your insurance is going to be affected, I would find out who the District Attorney is in the county you got pulled over in and ask for a reduced rate. Tell him you thought you were only going about 70-75. This would lower your fine and would not affect your insurance a whole lot, if at all.

Good Luck.

 

[mdmader]

My .02 worth

Ya know, there are about a thousand different things you can do, all of which will cost you more money and time in the long run.

Biggest suggestion I can make is fork over the $'s then go forth and sin no more.

The other suggestion is to show up in court at least 30 minutes early (They frown on people who show late). Try to talk to the prosecuting attorney, ask if there is ANYTHING you can do (be nice to him/her). If they are in a good mood, they will work something out with you that will be better then paying the full fine and/or points.

If you can't get to prosecutor ask the judge to take it under advisement. What that means is you know you are guilty but you are leaving it up to the judge to determine what the penalties will be (Yes you are throwing yourself at the mercy of the court). Now this can either work for you or against you depending on how their day has gone and how many idiots they had to work with that day.

Note, don't dress like you're worth a million bucks or you will pay in full. Nothing says "I have money to burn" like a double-breasted suit. Wear simple khaki pants (Ironed not pressed) and a button up shirt. Nicely cropped hair never hurts either.

Good luck whatever you decision is. I know it sucks, paid my fair share of "Extra curricular road Taxes" myself.