question about speeding tickets

[Bob]

i got my first speeding ticket the other day, i'm sure several of you have been in this position before, so i have some questions;

they give you two options, guilty or not guilty...i seem to remember from driving school that the instructor advised us to always plead not guilty, even if you are (no comment from me there), but i don't remember why. i asked my mom about it, she says something about them giving you the option to make a donation instead of paying the ticket, and your record gets cleared, but that sounds dumb to me; why would your record be cleaner for speeding and lying about it instead of just owning up to it and paying the ticket?

and my next question is about car insurance; this is my first ticket in 5 years of safe driving, i haven't had anything worse than a written warning before this; will that affect my premiums in a serious way, or do they generally only do that to repeat offenders, and people who get into accidents? i'm inexperienced here, so any advice would be neat

[Nuzzolese]

What does it say on the back of your ticket? Does it say anything about having to appear in court if you plead not guilty?

I'm surprised your ticket doesn't explain your options and what do to, or at least provide a phone number.

[Bob]

oh, the ticket explains some things, but doesn't really mention anything about insurance or donations or any of that. all it says is that if i plead guilty, i need to send a check, and they won't put any points on my lisence, and that's it. if i plead not guilty, they'll send me a court date, but they don't say what will happen when i go or if i lose.

[Nuzzolese]

Originally Posted by Bob

oh, the ticket explains some things, but doesn't really mention anything about insurance or donations or any of that. all it says is that if i plead guilty, i need to send a check, and they won't put any points on my lisence, and that's it. if i plead not guilty, they'll send me a court date, but they don't say what will happen when i go or if i lose.

If you go to court, the cop will also have to go to court and most likely won't show up so probably nothing will happen, meaning you'll have to pay the donation which will be more than your ticket, but then your record will be clear.

I guess you have to call your insurance company to find out what they will do.

I've had one speeding ticket. I didn't feel like going to court or paying extra so I just paid the $75 for the ticket. I was guilty, I knew I was speeding.

[jabumbo]

i can't see how any judge could actually turn over a ticket. how can you prove that the ticket isn't legit unless you have some nonpartisan witness that was at the scene at the time, and that would basically be impossible on a speeding violation

[Bob]

Originally Posted by jabumbo

i can't see how any judge could actually turn over a ticket. how can you prove that the ticket isn't legit unless you have some nonpartisan witness that was at the scene at the time, and that would basically be impossible on a speeding violation

exactly, i can't see how you could prove it either way. my mom got two tickets, went to court and got both turned over, but they were for bullshit reasons. one was for not signalling a lane change on the highway (which she denies to this day, and i believe her, she's annoyingly cautious)...she went to court, the cop showed up, and the judge just laughed and overturned it...i forget what the other one was for. but for speeding? don't see how i could win that. and what if the cop does show up? then i'm definitely in for it. it'll just be embarassing, really.

[Bob]

you know what kills me though, i got pulled over by one of those like, undercover cars. the unmarked beige ones, with no sirens on top, they have them in the rear windshield instead...you don't know they're cops until it's too late. when did they start using those cars in speed traps? i thought they were reserved for like the vice squad or something. the only distinguishable feature they have is a radar gun sticking out of the window, which i failed to notice until i was already past it. oh well.

[wanton wench]

Originally Posted by Bob

you know what kills me though, i got pulled over by one of those like, undercover cars. the unmarked beige ones, with no sirens on top, they have them in the rear windshield instead...you don't know they're cops until it's too late. when did they start using those cars in speed traps? i thought they were reserved for like the vice squad or something. the only distinguishable feature they have is a radar gun sticking out of the window, which i failed to notice until i was already past it. oh well.

there's your out! when you go to court tell them you didnt know it was a cop so you sped up to try and get away from him. and in some states they dont consider the radar gun reading accurate. so its just your word against the cops. but be careful with the "we'll send you a court date" my license got suspended while i was "waiting for a court date" assholes never sent me one. and my ticket was a bullshit ticket that i would have definitely gotten overturned.

[icy manipulator]

well i can tell you that the court system in australia is a joke when it comes to traffic offences so the best you can do is contest it. everyone got their licences back the day i went to court. some 17 year old was caught doing 50 over and got his licence back

[Documad]

It's too difficult to give advice because everything varies widely state to state, and I wouldn't be allowed to give you advice even if I had an answer. So I'll tell you a story.

I got a speeding ticket when I passed a marked cop going over 70 in a 55. I think he stopped me because he figured I had to be drunk to be that stupid but I was just tired. In my city, we have these court clerk types who work at the courthouse and you can go and talk to them and sometimes they give you options. Usually they want you to plead guilty and they knock a little off the ticket's price. I showed up in court and contested the ticket. I would never have lied but I was lucky that mine happened in a suburban court with about 30 cases on the calendar and the prosecutor agreed to a continuance for dismissal. The terms of this were that I did not have to plead guilty, and the case was technically continued for six months. If I didn't get another traffic violation within that six months, my case would be dismissed. The other condition was that I paid $50 court costs. Most people at that courthouse don't get a deal that good. And it varies city to city--some cities won't deal. I didn't get another ticket in the six months and it was dismissed. If I had gotten another ticket within the six months, then the old charge would have been reactivated and I would have had to face two speeding charges.


Bob, you said that your ticket says that if you plead guilty, it won't put any points on your license. I don't know that that means in your state. That may mean that your speeding will not be reported to your insurance company at all--whether you plead guilty or fight it and get found guilty. We have a similar thing here and I'm not up to date, but it used to be that the records on your first speed here were not kept in a way that your insurance company would find out unless you went over a certain speed (like say 75 mph) or you were going more than 10% over the posted limit. That's why back when I saw a lot of these cases, people would offer to plead guilty to an offense that wasn't a reportable one. We didn't call it points, but it might be the same thing.

Obviously you want to be careful about watching whatever deadline they gave you to decide. I plead not guilty on mine because I couldn't figure out what to do and it gave me more time to talk to people.

[icy manipulator]

wow that's alot of typing for a speeding ticket documad

[CrankItUp!]

I would advise paying the ticket and just get it out of your way . And if by doing so, will not put any points against you - that would be the best way to go . Most likely , the insurance company won't detect it. Just be more alert for cops in the future and DO buckle up - because it could save your life and they of course - fine you for that too .

[RobMoney]

I can only speak about how things work here in Philly,

if you got a speeding ticket it usually carries points that will go against your license. get enough points and they will suspend your license for a period of time. Usually 30-90 days for the first suspension. Not to mention the rise in insurance premiums for any points against your license......YES they will raise your premium if you plead guilty to a moving violation that carries points such as speeding.

If you go to court, the judge will usually find you guilty of a lesser, non-moving violation which will not carry points, and will not cause your premiums to be raised, and is usually a little cheaper than a speeding ticket.

[QueenAdrock]

Always fight it. They'll never add MORE to what you already have, so just do it. As of now, you have a 100% chance of paying the ticket, if you go to court, there's like a 50% chance that they'll lower the price or say "fuck it" altogether (i.e. if it's your first offense, etc.). It doesn't hurt to try at all.

PLUS, tell them you really had to pee. I'm not sure if that works for guys, but one of my girlfriends got pulled over, and right as the cop came over, she rolled down her window and said "Please, please, PLEASE, can you follow me to a gas station, or take me to one? I just got my period and I need to go to the bathroom A.S.A.P. I don't mind if you ticket me, it's just really important that I get to a bathroom as fast as I can."

He felt so bad for her/so awkward, he just told her to slow it down and go on her way.

Sometimes periods CAN be put to good use.

[Bob]

argghh...i dunno i just really dont wanna bother with the whole court thing. i dont mind paying the ticket really