Speeding Tickets

[focalmatic]

I got a speeding ticket last month and I just received the notice (I live in San Diego btw).

What I wanted to know is - does anyone know whether or not they lower the ticket if you
appear in court to plead guilty? I have heard rumors, but I want to make sure before I
just send the ticket amount in through the mail.

Any other input is appreciated

 

[FireGoddess]

Every time I've gone with DH or a friend to court regarding the ticket, some of the fee is knocked off. Even if you plead guilty, they give you a little "discount" just for showing up, so it might be worth it to you to go to court even if you plead no contest. I do find, however, that if you end up going to traffic school to get the point erased from your license or whatever, it all ends up evening out because they end up charging a fee for going to traffic school, etc...so it might not be that much of a total difference. But if you can take traffic school, you definitely should go to court.

 

[Kaleigh]

Well here''s a subject I am an expert on. I go and fight my case. Haven''t lost yet. Worth a shot. Here outside Philly you win if the officer doesn''t show up. Not a real win, but hey a win is a win, at least in my book. I haven''t gotten a ticket in years, thank god.

If I were you I''d go and try and fight it, those speeding tickets add points to your license and can make your insurance go up. Good luck!!

 

[FireGoddess]

Lisa, next time DH gets a stupid ticket I am totally calling you up!!! Once he actually tried to fight it (got pulled over but no evidence of speeding - ie. no radar gun, etc). DH tried to fight it and all of a sudden the cop says that he followed DH for a block and to match his speed, he had to go over the speed limit. I know they do that sometimes, but there was no one else on the road (it was really late at night). DH saw the cop pull out of a parking lot and just turn the lights on. But they always go with the cop''s story if there''s no tangible proof and the cop shows up to court.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/12/2006 6:22:21 PM
Author: kaleigh
Well here''s a subject I am an expert on. I go and fight my case. Haven''t lost yet. Worth a shot. Here outside Philly you win if the officer doesn''t show up. Not a real win, but hey a win is a win, at least in my book. I haven''t gotten a ticket in years, thank god.

If I were you I''d go and try and fight it, those speeding tickets add points to your license and can make your insurance go up. Good luck!!

yup...same here in Ca.that''s what happen to me.

he,he.

 

[Dancing Fire]

SDL
this was 1979,maybe different now? i got a ticket for breaking traction "peeling rubber" in front of a police car.i was so stupid

he was right behind me and i didn''t see him. i went to court hoping the officer wouldn''t show up and he didn''t.

 

[Kaili]

I have heard of people going to court and having the ticket dismissed if the officer didn''t show up. They went as far as calling the police station to find out what day the officer was off of work. Apparently, officers are less likely to show up to court on their day off.

If you do have to go to traffic school, do it online. It was boring, but you can go through it in small bits over a few days and from the comfort of your own home. For me, it was better than sitting in a classroom with a bunch of random people.

 

[monarch64]

I don''t know if this is any help whatsoever, since I''m not familiar with CA traffic laws, but I got a speeding ticket in 1999 in Indiana and was scared to death to tell my parents as I was still on their insurance policy (I was in college). I called the county office where I got pulled over and I was able to "defer" my ticket, meaning I had to pay some percent of the ticket (but not the whole thing) and I couldn''t have any traffic violations for a full year after that, and they would not put the ticket on my record. I haven''t had a speeding ticket since. I know it wasn''t something that was advertised, so maybe you can call the traffic clerk office or whatever they call it and find out. It''s worth a shot. I didn''t have to show up in court or anything either.

 

[fire&ice]

Here in our state, you can appeal it if you have an excellent driving record. Two of my friends did this. They got a lawyer friend of their''s to do something very minor. Both tickes dismissed.

 

[diamondlil]

I''ve only gotten 1 speeding ticket in my life. I was out of state, in an unfamiliar area, and it was a speed trap. I had two sleeping children in the car, who abruptly woke up when I rolled down my window and was scolded by the officer. If it was in my home state, I would have gone to court, but since I was not, I just paid the stupid thing and moved on. That freakin'' ticket raised the cost of my car insurance for years after I got it. Can you tell I''m bitter?

 

[AndyRosse]

Go to court to fight the ticket. Every single person I know who has gone to court has ALWAYS paid a lower fine, if any.

For instance, my fiance got a speeding ticket last year. He contested the ticket, went to court, and walked out just paying for a seat belt violation

instead of going 75 in a 55

. The cop did show up to court FYI.

Another example, my maid of honor got a ticket for running a red light one late night. She contested the ticket and a couple weeks later received a letter in the mail saying the ticket was nullied.

 

[VegasAngel]

I have gotten 2 tickets -exactly 3 years apart:

The first one I called the court and they told me if I pay it up front and don''t come to court they will reduce the amount which they did.

The second one I called the court and they were like heck no we won''t reduce it you need to come in and dispute it or pay the full amount. She said it was because of the side of town/area where I got the ticket. I just payed it up front. I didn''t feel like being bothered & I was doing 50 in a 35. Besides, the officer put on the ticket I was doing 50 but wrote it up as 45 in a 35, so what could I fight? I must say the officer was super nice he was friendly & chit chatting just doing his job. For some reason after the second ticket I was sure my insurance would go up, it never did.

 

[Kaleigh]

My hubby got 2 in one day. One leaving PA, we were going to NJ for a party, and once we were in NJ he got one there too.

I laughed so hard when he got the second one, hehee. Hubby wasn''t amused.

 

[researcher]

Depends on the judge. But, as Kaleigh mentioned, in San Diego there''s the same policy of a policeman not showing in court, you winning the case. And, I can tell you that many officers won''t waste their time showing up; they are spread too thin out here. I know many of them because of volunteer work I used to do (supporting families who lost loved ones to homicide) and I can tell you that, if you weren''t speeding too badly and didn''t make a negative impression on them, you have a good chance of them not showing (unless they have another case, etc.).

My guess is going to court will only help

 

[researcher]

Date: 1/13/2006 1:31:47 PM
Author: kaleigh
My hubby got 2 in one day. One leaving PA, we were going to NJ for a party, and once we were in NJ he got one there too.

I laughed so hard when he got the second one, hehee. Hubby wasn''t amused.

That''s horrible! But, I have to say, if it happened to my hubby I''d be laughing too

 

[diamondlil]

Date: 1/13/2006 1:48:41 PM
Author: researcher

Date: 1/13/2006 1:31:47 PM
Author: kaleigh
My hubby got 2 in one day. One leaving PA, we were going to NJ for a party, and once we were in NJ he got one there too.

I laughed so hard when he got the second one, hehee. Hubby wasn''t amused.

That''s horrible! But, I have to say, if it happened to my hubby I''d be laughing too

LOL - ditto that.

 

[lost on 5th]

i usually just pay mine and move on... then again i have had very nice officers pull me over and they usually dont record the actual speed for the infraction which keeps me out of getting ''reckless opp.'' or a require trip to court!

i.e. i got clocked for doing 96 in a 55 (it was 6am on a sunday and i was late for work.. no one on highway) my ticket was for 74 in a 55. keeping me within the +20 range and out of court.

how much is your ticket that its worth your time to contest??

 

[snogirl17]

i live in wisconsin and i got caught doing 83 in a 55 mph zone... i had no excuse, i was already pulled over before he even turned around to come get me, i knew i was busted... i just had alot on my mind with graduation approaching and other life dramas he hit me with a $231 ticket.. yikes.. i thought ok.. this is my first ticket i will go to court and get it lowered...WELL little did i know that in wisconsin anything over 25mph is manitory suspension of licence and 6 pts of your licence too out of 12!!. Not to mention my car insurance would have hit the roof...
we got the district attorney involved.. my final desision was to pay 495 bucks and my ticket was dropped almost like it didnt happen..
Except in the paper it said i was driving the wrong way on a divided hwy... which in my eyes what worse than a speeding ticket.!

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 1/13/2006 1:16:21 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady

Date: 1/13/2006 9:59:48 AM
Author: fire&ice
Here in our state, you can appeal it if you have an excellent driving record. Two of my friends did this. They got a lawyer friend of their''s to do something very minor. Both tickes dismissed.

I''ve never heard of this, neither did my fiancee. Its not an option here.. sadly. If you speed and get caught, and it goes to court, it generally stands.

It''s some sort of amnesty. Here we have "points". You can earn good points if you go a long period w/o points. It''s a way of keeping track of habitual bad driver''s & a way of rewarding good ones. And, a way of giving someone a break on insurance increases. But, in both cases, a lawyer had to file some sort of paperwork.

 

[codex57]

You really have to ask someone knowledgeable about San Diego County. Each county is different. I used to work for the Sacramento County District Attorney''s Office prosecuting traffic violations. I know that county REALLY well, but can only offer general advice for the rest of California.

Traffic court''s not like real court. They''re pretty lax with the rules so judges and counties have a good amount of leeway to do what they want.

Generally, if you ask for a break in the fine amount, a judge can give it to you. Some places do it for anyone, just to get you to plead guilty. Others want a good excuse. Some will do it, but not if you ask for traffic school. Some will do it even if you do traffic school. It all depends on that location and sometimes on the particular judge.

 

[laney]

In both maryland and newyork I have gotten tickets (oh no). In Maryland -if you go to court, they usually do either end up lowering the fine or points. It''s just you in front of the judge But it really depends on the judge. Most cops do show up - but you do get off if they don''t.

In NY (LI) in Nassau county - If you go - you actually get an attorney assigned to you (FREE) - (that''s NY for you). He talks with you and gives you a plea bargin!!!! WOW! So just like some of you mentioned, they''ll give you failure to yield, so lower or no points -but you pay the whole fine. Or sometimes a smaller one. The attorney thing was very funny to me.

In Suffolk county they have a "pay down your points" program. So you can pay more to the county. I haven'' "tried" that one out yet... I hope not too!

 

[princessv]

My Criminal Procedure law professor spent about 30 minutes one day going over how to fight and win a speeding ticket.

If you are really industrious...there are laws like 1) When the radar gun was last calibrated 2) Were there other vehicles around you, especially 18 wheelers that could have impeded or obstructed the clocking of your speed 3) if the police officer was sufficiently trained in using the equipment 4) if all the protocols were followed or 5) hire a good attorney (which will cost you)

I got 1 speeding ticket in Michigan and I have an SC license tag. The cop wrote my tag down as a TN tag. So my speeding ticket got thrown out on a technicality.

I didn''t even have to argue anything else.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/13/2006 1:48:05 PM
Author: researcher
Depends on the judge. But, as Kaleigh mentioned, in San Diego there''s the same policy of a policeman not showing in court, you winning the case. And, I can tell you that many officers won''t waste their time showing up; they are spread too thin out here. I know many of them because of volunteer work I used to do (supporting families who lost loved ones to homicide) and I can tell you that, if you weren''t speeding too badly and didn''t make a negative impression on them, you have a good chance of them not showing (unless they have another case, etc.).

My guess is going to court will only help

only if you''re a pretty girl.

 

[Momoftwo]

While that may be true in CA, in MD and VA I know several people who have shown up and had their cases dismissed because the officer didnt'' show or they got the fine and points lowered based on their records. I also have heard stories from friends who cried and got out of tickets. I haven''t had a ticket since 1982 and got two that same year and just paid them both, so I have no personal experience with court, but the only people I know that have had problems with tickets were under 18 (friends kids) and were required to go to traffic school here in VA. We impressed the importance of the law and our boys (19 and 22) haven''t had a ticket ever. Before someone says that they could hide them, no they can''t. Our insurance checks every year and the cars are in our names, not theirs and our rates have only dropped every year and we only have positive points which show up on our insurance paperwork (VA uses that system), plus our boys are very honest with us and would tell us before we found out through insurance. Anyway, I''ve heard lots of stories of how to get out of a ticket. I guess I''m too honest, I would just pay it if I knew I was guilty.

 

[Mara]

I have had friends who have gone to court here in N. CA and the officer has NOT shown up and it was thrown out. So it does happen, maybe not frequently, but it happens.

I have no patience for crying or trying to get out of a ticket. I don't even think I could command tears if I tried! I also hate when they ask you if you know why they pulled you over. Seriously I don't care why you pulled me over, what am I going to do? Argue with you? Just give me the ticket so I can get back on the road...chances are I was going somewhere!! hahaha. My last ticket was during a speed trap near our house, I saw them there every day and just one day forgot, and got a ticket, so I pretty much deserved it...went to class and it didn't go on my insurance.

The funniest story I had re: this is when I was taking a friend to the airport and I missed the turn, so I took the next one and it was some roundabout around the mountain thing with no turnarounds or anything. I didnt want her to miss her flight so I did an illegal u-turn in the middle of the road, no cars anywhere in sight. Of course there is a lurking cop behind a BUSH for pete's sake. Nothing better to do?! He pulls me over and he is trying to tell me why he pulled me over, I said 'I know why, could you just write the ticket, my friend needs to catch her plane'. He looks at me like 'are you nuts for not even trying to explain or get out of it' and writes the ticket, and my GF says 'you know you could try to cry or something to get out of it'. I said' do you want to make your flight?!?!?!'

 

[crafftygrrl]

My DH got out of a ticket in a really funny way.

On his way into DC one day he was pulled over. I think it was for speeding or an illegal turn.

He said to the officer "You got me." He didn''t try to get out of it at all. He also happened to be listening to NPR on the radio. They were featuring a story about churches in the Bible Belt, so the Halleluyah songs were being belted out.

The officer was refreshed by my DH''s honesty and let him go with a warning.

 

[diamondlil]

Beside that one out-of-state ticket I mentioned above, I got pulled over one other time. It was right after we moved to a new area, and I seriously did not know the roads well. I was going 60 in a 50. As soon as I drove by the cop, I knew I was cooked. I pulled over and told him I just moved here and did not know the roads yet. I had just gotten a change of address card to my license which I''m sure he verified when he went and checked me out on his little computer.

Anyway, he came back and told me to "try to keep it below 55," and let me go. When I got home and told hubby that I got a speed warning, he wanted to know how I got out of the ticket, so I told him "I jumped in the back and gave him a quickie." His response: "Whatever works."

We still laugh about that today.

Sorry, hope I didn''t offend anyone . . . .

 

[crafftygrrl]

Date: 1/14/2006 9:00:53 AM
Author: diamondlil

Anyway, he came back and told me to ''try to keep it below 55,'' and let me go. When I got home and told hubby that I got a speed warning, he wanted to know how I got out of the ticket, so I told him ''I jumped in the back and gave him a quickie.'' His response: ''Whatever works.''

We still laugh about that today.

LMAO!!!! What a hoot!!!

 

[Mara]

LOL Lil you quick thinker you!!!

Greg would so say the same thing, whatever works!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/14/2006 9:00:53 AM
Author: diamondlil

Anyway, he came back and told me to ''try to keep it below 55,'' and let me go. When I got home and told hubby that I got a speed warning, he wanted to know how I got out of the ticket, so I told him ''I jumped in the back and gave him a quickie.'' His response: ''Whatever works.''

We still laugh about that today.

Sorry, hope I didn''t offend anyone . . . .

no wonder

so.... that is why women hardly ever get a ticket from an male officer.