Well, last saturday I finally got my first speeding ticket...some of you might remember me saying that I haven't had a speeding ticket yet and therefor didn't need a radar detector....well it's time for a V-1. Anyway, I need an idea of what I can tell the prosecutor to get some or all of the 4 points taken away, I would much rather pay the $173 fine than pay the insurance. So far this is what i've gotten down to tell the shmuck...
1) I haven't ever been pulled over (truth)
2) My mom wasn't feeling well and I wanted to find a rest area...(and that is the truth)
3) I was in the far right lane, and the officer tagged me while there was a white pick-up in the left lane going faster than me (semi-truth)

Any other ideas guys?

 

You have never been pulled over before, there is always a first time for everything. Big deal if you get the points, take a defensive driving course and it will erase 3-4 points (usually).

 

Thanks!

 

The defense points that you itemized are (typically) not valid to prevent the full penalties. They don't care about excuses. They might give you leniency for you clean record. Unless you can document that a semitruck passed in front of the radar as you were tagged, that defense won't hold up. I'm sure the officer will be able to provide his data if asked.

There are websites that document on how to beat a radar speeding ticket, but I doubt that they will work every time (document that the officer is trained properly to use it; document that it is set correctly; document a tuning fork in the patrol car, etc.)

I would plead the judge for leniency for your clean record. Do they have traffic school in NJ? In California you can take traffic school in lieu of a plea and never have the points put onto your record. The insurance company also is left in the dark with school. You can do this only once every 18 months (I think) and not for reckless driving cases (>25mph over speed limit, I think).

Remember, a radar detector is just a tool. It doesn't prevent tickets, it just gives you information about radar transmission. Your brain is the best tool. Use it (and, at the very least, don't speed).

 

I dont know how the law is where you live but here In Connecticut there isn't a point system anymore. But you have to go to a driver retraining class if you get more then 2 tickets before the age of 24. after the you can get 3 tickets before you have to go back to the class. Also your insurance goes up but from waht i was told there ins't a point system.

 

It looks like the consensus is to check out the laws in your state regarding the point system and options to not have the ticket affect your point rating; that is, by going to traffic school or driver retraining school or whatever your state wants to call it.

It's interesting, as I get older (I'm in my late 30's) I speed less and choose where to speed more wisely, as such I have not been cited in years. The bottom line for me is that it is not worth it to increase the cash flow to the city/state/insurance companies on my behalf...but I guess the underwriter's know that - my insurance costs less than yours!

 

Around here, if you go to traffic court without a lawyer, the judge points at you, laughs, then makes you pay the full fine as well as keep the points. If you send your lawyer to traffic court, on the other hand, you pay the ticket amount in lawyer fees, but the charge gets dropped to some non-moving violation, and you don't have to worry about points or traffic school.

I my lawyer.