Speeding ticket...
#21
In Oklahoma first timers can request driving school. It's an 8 hour class......I hear it's mostly watching saftey videos.......anyway, you get a certificate upon completion and you take it back to the courts and bye bye driving record. They wipe it clean. You can only request this once every three years here. Might see if they offer that. Good luck and slow your a$$ down .........................I do understand being behind gravel trucks and to be honest I would have done the same thing.
#22
I think NJ has something like that also, you should contact the DMV or DOT to find out before you go to court. As for the testing/certification of radar. In NJ, the police need a daily radar test chart showing "before and after" light tests and calibration tests (done with tuning forks). As for inspection of the unit, the radar unit itself needs to be certified only once a year (unless it needs to be sent in for repairs) as well the tuning forks need to be certified yearly too. Not all states have a "no contest" plea so it may not apply to Pa. One thing that might work to get out of the points is: speak with the prosecutor and make a deal to pay an enhanced fine for a downgraded non moving violation. The town/city could care less if you get points or not, but it does care how much money in fines it gets. In NJ I've seen this many times and btw, a lot attorneys will deal like this as well. I also agree with davisinla not to use the "had to pass them" defense because they don't want to hear that. There are two choices, speed up or slow down and thats what a judge will ponder. Good luck and let us know how it ends up.
#23
In Oklahoma first timers can request driving school. It's an 8 hour class......I hear it's mostly watching saftey videos.......anyway, you get a certificate upon completion and you take it back to the courts and bye bye driving record. They wipe it clean. You can only request this once every three years here. Might see if they offer that. Good luck and slow your a$$ down .........................I do understand being behind gravel trucks and to be honest I would have done the same thing.
Ok I should have read the earlier posts more carefully.........since your state doesn't offer traffic court I recommend this..............Go to your court date, usually you can talk to the municipal DA prior to the actual trial.......be honest, be humble, and basically throw yourself on your sword. Pay the fine and I seriously doubt they are going to place it on your record. Good luck!
#24
If you go to court, dont forget that you will have to pay additional court fees on top of the fine. Another trick you can do is file for a continuance once you receive your court date and make up some reason for it. Usually a traffic cop tries to get all his tickets done in a couple days and makes sure that everyone has court dates in the same few days span, if you change that date on him and he does not show up, ticket is thrown out (still have to pay court costs ) but no points and no ticket at all on your record...
#25
I read all these posts about having the police officer present while trying to fight a ticket in court, but I can tell you here in Maryland they do not have to be present in order for you to still be fined/lose the case. I'm sure it has to be like that in more places. Just something to think about.
#26
Pennsylvania doesnt offer driving school as an option, so that ones out or else I definitly would have done it. Speaking of radar, Im 99% positive that the radar gun used to clock you has to have been inspected within the last month. The one the cop used on me wasnt, its last inspection date was 9/27/07 and this info is even written on the ticket. Is there any way I can use this to possibly get out of the ticket? I know its a longshot but Im kind of screwed either way so I may as well give it a try.
#27
About a court date, if I pay the fine right now, is there any chance I might be able to get a court date around Christmas time as this would increase the chances of the cop not showing up? Ive also heard that I should try to postpone the court date as long as possible to increase the chance of the cop not showing up or him just forgetting much info about the incident, is this true?
#28
Really? I live in MD and it has been quite some time since my last ticket, but the first one I ever got the cop did not show and the ticket was thrown out, the only thing I had to do was pay court costs ($70). Course if you settle before being called to the dockett then the cop does not need to be there...
#30
hope you dont live in VA, they just passed a law for "road improvement" that tacks on an additional fine of various amounts based on what the offense was, DUI being the heftiest. Article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062201781.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062201781.html
#31
Get a traffic lawyer to take care of the ticket for you. Pay a little more up front, save a lot later. Make sure though, even if the lawyer tells you that you don't need to go to court, at least call the court a few days before your court date and confirm. I know of many people that paid the lawyers big $$ to take care of the ticket, and the lawyer screwed up somewhere. The person ended up having a Fail to Appear Warrant for their arrest, and got hooked up and taken to jail for a night or two.
#32
Go to traffic school or at least that is what is done in the state of Kentucky
Well Im kind of screwed here. I have a completely clean record and have never previously been pulled over or ever even had a run in with the cops at all, but I got my first speeding ticket yesterday. I was on the highway and there was this line of dumptrucks, and I could see gravel piled in the back of them and I know what happens when gravel/rocks hit your car (not fun) so I merge into the left lane and floor it to get around them and what do you know, a cop pulls out of the trees on the side of the road and gives me a ticket for going 84mph in a 55mph. I can pay the ticket ($185) but if I get points and my insurance goes up, I may have to sell the car cause there is no way I can afford an insurance increase( Im only 18). So Im looking for tips and advice on how to avoid the points and insurance, Im going to plead not guilt and try to reason with the judge, but I doubt hes going to care when I tell him "I love my car and didnt want it to get chipped up by a bunch of rocks from those dumpsters so that is why I was speeding". What is my best option here?
#33
NTTAWWT
Joined: January 27, 2007
Posts: 14,453
Likes: 35
From: That town you drive through to get to Myrtle Beach
Traffic tickets suck, plain and simple. I'd say youre best bet is to go to your court date, unfortunately you cant really change the date, however, you can call the office, and see if the judge will see you early, because of a event that you must attend. Just plead guilty, and explain the story, you have the advantage of being in college, usually judges go a little easier, bc they know we dont have a whole lot of money, that was a pretty sweet advantage. Good luck with this.
Edit: I just thought about something, it wont help in this case, but I wonder how much your speed could vary on the speedometer when you have brand new/really old tires. From a radius standpoint, it couldnt be more than a half inch or so difference, but when you extrapolate that out the 400 tmes or w/e that the wheels spin, could it make a difference?
Edit: I just thought about something, it wont help in this case, but I wonder how much your speed could vary on the speedometer when you have brand new/really old tires. From a radius standpoint, it couldnt be more than a half inch or so difference, but when you extrapolate that out the 400 tmes or w/e that the wheels spin, could it make a difference?
#34
hope you dont live in VA, they just passed a law for "road improvement" that tacks on an additional fine of various amounts based on what the offense was, DUI being the heftiest. Article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062201781.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062201781.html
Yes, actually I do, and the who came up with the idea would be D.B Albo
#35
TrafficFighters.com Last April I got ticketed for doing 60 in a 40 with LIDAR (lasar enforcement). Officer told me to just pay it.. that I can't beat LIDAR. Ticket was over $300 (with a clean record). Contacted TrafficFighters.com, and for first time clients, fee was $98 for them to fight it. They filed a "Trial by Written Declaration" and told me to NOT go to court. (Officers are paid OT to show up in court to respond to your plea... however, they must respond to the Trial by Written Declaration" on their own time.. and from what I gather, the law firm buries them in paperwork). Anyway, my case was dismissed (ticket bail was refunded... no points... no record violation ever took place). All it cost me was $98.
#37
hope you dont live in VA, they just passed a law for "road improvement" that tacks on an additional fine of various amounts based on what the offense was, DUI being the heftiest. Article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062201781.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062201781.html
Well Im kind of screwed here. I have a completely clean record and have never previously been pulled over or ever even had a run in with the cops at all, but I got my first speeding ticket yesterday. I was on the highway and there was this line of dumptrucks, and I could see gravel piled in the back of them and I know what happens when gravel/rocks hit your car (not fun) so I merge into the left lane and floor it to get around them and what do you know, a cop pulls out of the trees on the side of the road and gives me a ticket for going 84mph in a 55mph. I can pay the ticket ($185) but if I get points and my insurance goes up, I may have to sell the car cause there is no way I can afford an insurance increase( Im only 18). So Im looking for tips and advice on how to avoid the points and insurance, Im going to plead not guilt and try to reason with the judge, but I doubt hes going to care when I tell him "I love my car and didnt want it to get chipped up by a bunch of rocks from those dumpsters so that is why I was speeding". What is my best option here?
#38
I got a ticket about three years ago for doing 52 in a 40. Was acutally going 64 but the cop said he was giving me a break. The fine was supposed to be about 70-75 bucks plus point's but I made a deal for a no points violation but a $250 fine and $30 court cost. When I went to see the DA at my court date she asked me if I had any ticket's in the past and so forth so i had not had a ticket for like 7 years, so that was the plea she came up with. That was fine with me cause it didn't add any points to ye ol licence . Just be honest and don't BS when you meet with the DA and usually they can be reasonable. It may cost you some money up front for the fines and such, but it beats getting point's and a hike in your insurance.
#39
The fine for the ticket itself is $185, not cheap but its the least of my worries. My real concern is the points and the insurance increase they will hit me with. Thats for all the suggestions guys, Im trying to take them all into consideration and figure out the best plan of action here.
#40
TrafficFighters.com Last April I got ticketed for doing 60 in a 40 with LIDAR (lasar enforcement). Officer told me to just pay it.. that I can't beat LIDAR. Ticket was over $300 (with a clean record). Contacted TrafficFighters.com, and for first time clients, fee was $98 for them to fight it. They filed a "Trial by Written Declaration" and told me to NOT go to court. (Officers are paid OT to show up in court to respond to your plea... however, they must respond to the Trial by Written Declaration" on their own time.. and from what I gather, the law firm buries them in paperwork). Anyway, my case was dismissed (ticket bail was refunded... no points... no record violation ever took place). All it cost me was $98.