Paul

I got a speeding ticket today. 86 on 55mph, what should i do????? i dont want my parents to find out.... But they'll see it in insurance. Some people told me to go to court and hope the cop wont show up, and if he does, just ask to reduce the ticket since i've had my license for 5 years and never got a ticket except 1 parking ticket. what do you guys think i should do??? I basically dont want any points so my parents wont find out. Someone told me to pay $600 and get a lawyer, but if the lawyer cant win the case then it would be a waste of money. help.......

ABlueCL-S

Live and learn...save the money for a lawyer, the ticket, and a Valentine One. I have a friend who was drag racing in his street rod, with zoomies, in front of a cop, and the attorney got him off by making a fool out of him...BUT, if the cop is in an area where u travel frequently, think about how much he will be watching out for you next time..And although the attorneys make a living on loopholes and technicalities, the cops only get burned once, and they remember all crap later....The biggest thing is finding out HOW he caught you, what the road conditions and traffic were like, and how many cops were working in tandem. The best way out is if he got you with VASCAR, and you hope that an attorney can trip him up that you never even have to testify. VASCAR (the white lines in the road) are the most erroneous of all readings because they USUALLY require human intervention to trip the switches. If he got you with Lidar, Radar, or the air ropestaped to the tarmac, you can only hope that it was a rookie and that he doesn't remember to testify that he calibrated the unit at the lab AND on the roadway prior to use. These are things an attorney will tell you. Either way, good luck and keep the speed down in that area.....

Steve

Melanie

I actually got pulled over yesterday too for the first time in 3 years of driving, 61 in a 45 but luckly no ticket. My brother and friends however have gotten a couple tickets and whenever they get them they go to court hoping the cop won't show up and it will get kicked. If not try explaining the situation that you have never gotten a speeding ticket and maybe offer to take one of those 5 hour defensive driving deals (which will lower your insurance anyway) and there is a good chance that they will knock it down to something like not wearing your seatbelt and it won't affect your insurance. Good Luck.
Melanie

Paul

Well he was hiding behind a bridge/overpass facing forward along side of the highway. I just blew by him and my friend was liek shit cop, i slowed and signaled to switch to the slow lane, he followed. Then he pulled me over. First thing he siad was do you know u were going 86, i was like i was?? I really didnt know i was at 86 already. Then hes like what were u doing going into slow lane and started doing 35mph, i said i was looking to see if thats the exit i have to take. He got me with radar. He then ask me for license and registration. Do you guys thihnk its worth it to get a lawyer??I mean i think he has me pretty good here. I have no excuse going 31mph over the limit. Although someone told me to just say that i was going 70 and this guy was tailgating me, so i had to step on it a little to switch lanes.

monkeymato

I'd say take it to court. Hope you get a nice judge. If you have any friends that are lawyers...ask them to represent you and take them out to dinner. Thats what I've done.

raiacl

i got a ticket a few months ago for 70 in a 45. i was actually going 71, but the cop took that one point off because he didn't feel like taking me to jail. anyway...i went to court on my assigned date and i told the judge i was willing to pay the fine and that i would like to request defensive driving school. he said fine, and got me a court order for driving school. anyway, i went to the class and the ticket is not on my record at all, thus no points and no premium increase.

you should see if you can do that.

ABlueCL-S

Hmmm....A lot depends on the state your in, the mood of the cop, your age, and again, the traffic conditions. You could admit in court to knowing that you were going say..68 or 71 and that you even had the cruise on...but if you were passing by cars like they were all Saabs or Volkswagons, then your pretty had..On the other hand, many times the radar is wrong, and if you do admit to going a certain speed with the cruise control on, they will get you for what you admit.. I like Melanie's suggestion though,,,she gets dibbs on the plea bargain...

jcl_cls01

Sorry to hear you got caught. NJ Police really suck. Just be careful and slow down. Also, try yo be friends with a Cop so he can give you a PBA/FOP card. As for the court, I would get a lawyer, byut make sure he can gaurantee you to drop points at least.

Eggplant-EX

Seems no one in your neck of woods has been to Court or can suggest a lawyer...

Look for a lawyer that specialises in traffic offenses and ask what it will cost. Make sure that it is a set fee but he will not gaurantee winning tho'. DO NOT go to Court to fight your ticket without a lawyer.

I got a lawyer here in WA, and fought a 51 in a 35 ticket. It made a World of difference with a lawyer. The end result... my lawyer bargained with the DA and I plead guilty to a defective muffler & fined $25. Lawyer fee was $350. For me, it was well worth it.

Paul

i called 2 lawyers so far. About $600, both said cant gaurantee anything because I was 31mph over the limit. They said there arent realy any excuse to make up for going that much over. They said i most likely cant get tickets taken off record. THe most i'll get is a pt reduction since i miss the lower cut off by only 2 mph, they could say radars are never that acurate. The cop was a state trooper so he'll most likely show up. ANd he'll most likely remember what happened perfectly since is not everyday u see 4 asian kids dressed in all black suits in a 02 black acura.

Eggplant-EX

Paul,

here is another idea. I went to traffic court couple of weeks ago, just to watch people get fined. Yeah! I am a wierdo!!

Any way, some of them were asking for deferred sentences. I have never heard of this. What it is, is that you still pay a fine, go to classes and if you do not commit another offence for a year, it does not get recorded.

The judge found me amusing since I was there just to observe. He was really cool and asked if I had any questions. So, I asked him about the deferred sentence. He said that you can only use that once every 5 years and it depends on your 'crime'.

Go to the Court you will be going to and just check it out. See what excuses these guys are coming up with.

When you go, dress up and beg for a break with a good excuse. You would be surprised.

Paul

cool, thanks eggplant. I think im going to go, plead guilty and ask for a deferred sentence, tell them i've been driving for 5 years and never speeded before. And I was only speeding cause I needed to get to the slow lane to see which exit i have to take since i dont know my way around there and all i remmeber was the exit should be around there.

Nashua_Night_Hawk

Better still,... The last ticket I got was for failure to inspect a brand new car within 30 days..

The Officer representing the PD was calling for all traffic ticketed people to agree to deferr the court hearing for 90 days, as long as they do not get ticketed within the 90 days the ticket is dropped and you do not have to show up!... Zero point Zero Fee... Just drive like a ma for 90 days!

What a better you can ask for?

TheModMole

OK here is the way you really should go about it if you dont want incredulous points/surcharges/anal raping.

#1

Go to your scheduled court date. Arrive at least 45 minutes early and ask to speak to the prosecutor. Explain the situation to him ( Im X years old, I was late for work but honestly didnt realize i was speeding more then 5mph over the limit) Be civil cordial and respectful in your demeanor. The Prosecutor will most likely reduce the charge to a 2pt speeding ticket, if he's in a great mood he may asses you with a heftier fine for a non-moving violation. Given your age and car he may not be all THAT charitable. But this has worked for me more then a dozen times and I have to date (KNOCK ON WOOD) no tickets.. And yes I have talked my way out of a 133MPH ticket on Rt. 55 by Cape May at the roadside and several 25+MPH tickets in court.

If the prosecutor wants to bust your stones, then your in for a heap of trouble. But this way at least youll know what your facing with the opposition prior to doing so in front of the judge. If in fact he is not willing to work with you ( Remember they get promoted on a conviction ratio .. traffic court isnt quite like trying an axe murderer in criminal court.. in that he is a revenue collector for the municipality or state) and then you go to option #2 or #3.

#2

If #1 did not work or you encountered opposition, request a postponment of trial on the basis you are retaining counsel and are not comfortable representing yourself in a serious matter as this. Get an attorney and fight the longer and more expensive fight.

#3

Differred sentences/Suspended sentences are generally not all THAT common and are usually judged based upon length of licensed driving/driving record/and severity of infraction.. for a young guy to plead that .. in a new 30K car .. and doing ~30MPH over the posted limit.. may not fare all too well for you... i suggest push for #1 if not.. #2


Moral of the story.... We all speed...We all eventually get caught... and we all pay up.... You play you pay... the point here is to discourage dangerous driving habits AND COLLECT REVENUES..... I agree with the dicouraging of asinine driving (Which I too am guilty of) but too many places are looking for their quotas and would rather pull over a 19 yr old in a 30K car then a 45 yr old in a pinto doing the same speeds...


Rant Over

Eggplant-EX

Paul...

if you are going to 'beg' for deferred sentence, try to find out who the judge will be in your case and go watch him in action. You will get a good idea od whether he is a nice shit or nasty shit.

Dress well, speak politely and shave!!!!

Do not forget to update us...

For a back up plan, buy some soap on a rope...LOL