That's Chicago! "I'll send Santino and the boys down to take care of this problem, make them an offer they can't refuse."
Speeding ticket: go to court or just pay it?
- Thread starter gasiorv
- Start date
That's Chicago! "I'll send Santino and the boys down to take care of this problem, make them an offer they can't refuse."
CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
The system just wants the $$$$
Youre not getting out of that
Most recommend to just pay for traffic safety school and in 1 year of probation it falls off your record. Every ticket Ive ever gotten past 15 years this is all I did. I havent seen a ticket granted clemency in many years since the 90s/2000s
Its all about the revenue now
Youre not getting out of that
Most recommend to just pay for traffic safety school and in 1 year of probation it falls off your record. Every ticket Ive ever gotten past 15 years this is all I did. I havent seen a ticket granted clemency in many years since the 90s/2000s
Its all about the revenue now
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
I have received more than my share of speeding tickets.
911's like to go fast, as do muscle cars and big block trucks.
I have managed to avoid convictions in all cases EXCEPT the one time I actually went to court.
Here in CA, we have the option to pay the fine amount and accept a guilty verdict, or go to court and contest the citation.
A third option exists which has been very beneficial for me, and that is called Trial By Declaration.
Essentially, it is equivalent to going to court, except that you plead your case in writing, providing any evidence etc. "as a package" to the court. The Officer then must do the same.
Yes, you still have to pay the fine amount up front but you'll get it back if there is a dismissal.
I find the benefit of using Trial By Declaration over going in to court, is that in person you are subjected to everything from the parking and lines and terrible seats and potentially angry judges, etc. None of which guarantees you the opportunity to present your facts in their entirety. A crabby judge may tell you to STFU and there you are.
With the written testimony, the judge must review it in it's entirety... and often times, a police officer cannot recall the specific incident until he gets a trigger, like seeing your ugly mug sitting there waiting.
Anyway, I have successfully avoided a ton of fines and points on my license using this method over the past 35 years in LA.
911's like to go fast, as do muscle cars and big block trucks.
I have managed to avoid convictions in all cases EXCEPT the one time I actually went to court.
Here in CA, we have the option to pay the fine amount and accept a guilty verdict, or go to court and contest the citation.
A third option exists which has been very beneficial for me, and that is called Trial By Declaration.
Essentially, it is equivalent to going to court, except that you plead your case in writing, providing any evidence etc. "as a package" to the court. The Officer then must do the same.
Yes, you still have to pay the fine amount up front but you'll get it back if there is a dismissal.
I find the benefit of using Trial By Declaration over going in to court, is that in person you are subjected to everything from the parking and lines and terrible seats and potentially angry judges, etc. None of which guarantees you the opportunity to present your facts in their entirety. A crabby judge may tell you to STFU and there you are.
With the written testimony, the judge must review it in it's entirety... and often times, a police officer cannot recall the specific incident until he gets a trigger, like seeing your ugly mug sitting there waiting.
Anyway, I have successfully avoided a ton of fines and points on my license using this method over the past 35 years in LA.
i’ve had lots of luck going in to the courtroom,
one of the last ones i fought. passing on a double yellow in excess of the speed limit. spring lake, NC.
i went to the court house, slacks, button up tucked in, sir that sir this, being from Fayetteville, knew i had a slim chance. i was the only one to get past the prosecutor when asked to plead my case to the judge.
guy next to me wearing shorts “you can’t even show up with respect for the courtroom, go pay your fine your not seeing the judge”
sat there for four hours, till the prosecutor came to me and said judge had an appointment, all charges dismissed.
it helped i had nothing else on my record.
NM the judge gave me a year probation, no fine as long as i didn’t get another ticket. then both would go on my record, Alabama was 6 months,
Alaska ain’t happening, you get a ticket your paying the fines
I'll play devil's advocate and say man-up and pay the ticket. Your opening two lines say it all. I'd feel differently if you weren't actually speeding, but you were. The cop knows it, and so do you. The way I look at shit like this is it's a small price to pay when you consider all the times you may have been speeding or f'n around and never got caught. Accountability is more than just a buzzword for politicians.
I disagree. I've gotten pulled for speeding a few times, the fines are what they are. My issue is the points and insurance going up. Fight that if you can, because it almost never goes away. I worked in insurance for a few years and what a scam.
It is about the revenue, but if he can get it reduced and no points it is 100% worth it.
You and Sarge Hill are perverts and eat boogers.
Victor is not kidding about Memphis traffic. I usually drive between the speed limit and the 100 mph people to reduce the closing speeds.
speeding_infraction
TJ Addict
I used off the record a few months ago, got a $650 ticket, 99 in a 60, he was pacing me (Allegedly). I payed $150 and the ticket was completely dismissed. Didn't even have to go to court. This was when I lived in Seattle. It's worth mentioning that I had nothing on my record, and I was 18 at the time.
Last edited:
gasiorv
I'm a new world samurai, and a redneck nonetheless
Original poster
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Well I drove the 1.5 hrs over this morning and went to court. Judge reduced it from 91mph in a 70 to 74mph in a 70 and increased my fine by $10. So it is definitely a money racket for the county. There really was no pleading your case, judge just called your name and then told you what he was going to do. It seemed like he was easier on the younger people who had a parent or grandparent with them and seemed to dismiss there tickets all together after asking the parent/grandparent if they talked with the kid and do they understand what they did wrong. Few people he didn't say anything to he just told them to go sit down over there (not sure what happened to them).
Not sure how much the 4 mph over will effect my insurance, can't really get a clear answer with a google search. My luck, it will have an effect, but hopefully less than what 21MPH over would have had.
Not sure how much the 4 mph over will effect my insurance, can't really get a clear answer with a google search. My luck, it will have an effect, but hopefully less than what 21MPH over would have had.
I've never had my insurance affected. But, haven't had a ticket in almost 20 years.
Last one I received was written for 80 mph in a 70. I was clocked in the triple digits and climbing at the time. I thanked the officer and said I'd get it paid pronto when he wrote it for 80. In that state at the time 71 to 80 was all the same ticket. He liked my car.
Those are the people who are physically hit with the book, then charged double for that service.
It should definitely help. I know in my state 20 over is considered reckless driving.
Yep.
Good luck, Victor. I don't get a lot of tickets these days but, in another century, I did get 2 in one day on my VFR 750 (kinda perversely proud of that
). My last ticket was about 10 years ago and was pure tax collection, as opposed to protecting me or the public. Dude wrote the full 20 over and my insurance went up for 5 years despite having no tickets for 15-20 years prior
.
What year VFR? I had an 86 VFR with D&D exhaust. One of my riding buddies stole the baffle and it was obnoxiously loud, but fun. I never had time to talk police.
What year VFR? I had an 86 VFR with D&D exhaust. One of my riding buddies stole the baffle and it was obnoxiously loud, but fun. I never had time to talk police.
View attachment 636452
Thats it. Loved that thing. Mine had a Kerker pipe, carbs were re-jetted and Metzler Comp K rubber.
I may be ignorant of policies in other states, however I have always used a ticket fixer even for minor infractions and never have to worry about insurance rates or my driving record. If you try to fight it by yourself and fail, that shit is on your record permanently. Going to court seems like a waste of time when you could just drop a couple extra franklins and be done.
For CDL drivers they make you obtain a drivers abstract from the DMV website to hand over to employers that basically details all your incidents. Despite like 5 or 6 tickets my record is still squeaky clean, almost too clean.
For CDL drivers they make you obtain a drivers abstract from the DMV website to hand over to employers that basically details all your incidents. Despite like 5 or 6 tickets my record is still squeaky clean, almost too clean.
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