khiyal

Got a ticket at 1 am in MD doing 82 in 50 zone. First ever in so many years. For someone who has never got even a parking ticket, this feels very bad. It is $280 and 5 points. Yeah, I was just an idiot to do it, but was in a bit of hurry, and I know it is a lame excuse.

So what next? Need advice from MD people on the laws there and whether it is worth the effort to appear in court. I am told that it is best to get a lawyer. Never had to get one so no idea there...I just look up a lawyer in that county from yellow pages? Any idea on how much they may charge? Is appearance in person necessary or does the lawyer take care of that?

I was definitely above 70, but for some reason, I am quite sure that it was not as high as 82. I wanted to ask the cop if he had his radar calibrated, but then wasn't sure if I should ask.

Any advice will be appreciated.

subinf

If its worth it to you, get a laywer. I dont know the laws there but sometimes a lawyer can get the number of points reduced or change the violation to something else.

leedogg

Dont know about Maryland, but I got a reckless in VA recently 89 in 55 (lucky because I was doing 100+ at times on these empty 2 lane freeways). This was way down near the mouth of the bay in some hickville county. Went online googled for traffic lawyers in that county. Was charged a retainer fee of 150, lawyer knocked the reckless down to driving with faulty equipment (my foot was broken you see). My fine jumped to 230 (reckless fine is 100 something) but most importantly, a faulty equipment ticket does not carry over into md and there were no points. My insurance is oblivious to it all so I'll save hundreds of dollars in the end.


yaya some of you might get on my case about driving dangerously, but I've learned my lesson. I'll get a V1.


j/k!! No more speeding for awhile. 0=)

ussi

iTrader: (1)

http://ticketassassin.com/

subinf

That sounds like what a buddy of mine in St. Louis was telling me. He was caught speeding, got a lawyer, got the ticket brought down to an illegal parking but the fine jumped 200 bucks. Pay more but no points. I dont think people can get away with that in CA though.

khiyal

That is what I would rather have. Paying the fine plus added fine plus lawyer is still cheaper in the long run than having 5 points on the record for the next 3 years and paying a fortune in insurance costs as ins. in NY sucks... almost $100 a month on average.

khiyal

http://ticketassassin.com/ probably applies to CA laws specifically.

chfields

I'm assuming it's for reckless driving so you can't just go to traffic school?

khiyal

The ticket does not say reckless driving, but there may be codes on the ticket to say that... Any website to decipher the ticket as to its codes used, etc?

2002Dawg

I did a Google search and found this site:
http://public.findlaw.com/traffic-ti...affic-law.html

Look under the appropriate section and see if the individual law designations match anything on the ticket.

Tripp11

Why not just call the number listed on the back/front and ask someone who truly knows?

A few months ago I was stopped doing 95 in a 65 in Georgia and I called the number listed and asked to talk to the probate judge. I was polite and admitted my error and she allowed me to pay the fine ($200) and she agreed not to report my infraction to my home state (wouldn't go on my driving record) if I could show proof that I went to a defensive driving class.

I would call the number listed and talk to them BEFORE I engaged an attorney.

KevinDGP

I have experience with tickets in Maryland. If you otherwise have a clean record you should ask for probation before judgment (PBJ). PBJs are routinely handed out to drivers with good records. Basically, it means that as long as you have no more infractions within the next year there will be no judgment/conviction - so no impact on insurance. They will make you pay a fine, however. Hiring a lawyer will enhance your chances of getting a PBJ, though is not necessary. The cost for a lawyer would likely be in the $600-$750 range.

AcurasGhost

Welcome to the crew. I've been pulled 29 times and counting. 90% of the tickets are for speeding. I actually have the same ticket still pending that you have now. 5 pt, 30 mph over, from when I was ending the night in my friends Evo.

But here goes. First, you can play shadow games (as I like to call it). Have your court date pass ... purposly miss it ... then within 1 week later go in to the court and say you want to pay the tickets amount right then AND reschedule another court date. This allows more time for the cop to juggle around his schedule to show up court the next time you have a court date ... maybe somehow the papers can get lost somewhere ... etc. It's worked a couple times for me. If you get a lawyer he can speak on your behalf ... but I wouldn't recommend it .. just go in with him if you get the lawyer.

Second, you could get a lawyer, but in this case you cannot really argue how fast you were going. If it was a laser (which is mostly the only thing a cop uses these days as opposed to old school radars) then it's very accurate to only +/- 2 mph. I've been caught from 742 feet away and the laser got me at the exact speed I was going. A lawyer in our MD area will cost you around (if not more) than $1,000 dollars for him to show up to court for you. Believe me .. I've shopped around numerous times. I personally would take my chances ... because there's not much he can do for you ... plus you have a good record so you might be able to get off with a PBJ (Probation Before Judement) charge - which means you walk off scot-free.

Thirdly, just to cover your a$$ I would take a drivers improvement class BEFORE you go into court. This sets you apart from going in like all the defendents ASKING to take the class INSTEAD of getting the fine and points. It's 6 hours straight and I think it's less than $200 ... I took it when I was 15 yrs old, haha! Get a official certificate to show the judge you actually did it.

Lastly, just as a side note, remember if the judge feels like it ... he has the right to raise the fine and points ... but since you were a good driver previously ... I highly doubht he'll do that. He would only do that for someone like me with pages and pages on his drivers record, ha. Also, I'm sure you already know this, but if you just pay the ticket and send it in ... then you accept the points and won't get a court date ... so hopefully you didn't/don't do that. I would ALWAYS go to court just incase the cop doesn't show up. IF the cop doesn't show up ... you also walk away scot-free and there is no trace back to the ticket you received.

Oh ... and get a Valentine 1 Laser Detector now. It's $400, but pays itself off instantly if you can even avoid 1 ticket conviction. It's saved me from at least 2 dozen tickets. I wish I didn't wait years into my driving to get the damn thing ... ha.

PM me if you wanna talk about it more. Good Luck.

batting_cleanup

In Maryland it will be 5 points on your license. I grew up and spent most of my wilder days in the state before moving to Virginia. Check the ticket over well and make sure the cop didn't make any mistakes. I got off on one ticket because the State trooper put down that I was going "75" in a "5" zone instead of "55" zone. The judge just read the ticket and threw the case out. I hadn't even noticed the error and was just planning to plead guilty. When the judge said you are free to go, I was probably doing 75 walking out of his court room hoping he wouldn't change his mind

http://mlis.state.md.us/cgi-win/web_...exe?gtr&16-402

Normally they will have a pre-trial session where the will let you plead guilty to a lower speed and you at least won't have a reckless driving conviction on your record. Good luck to you.

LoReNzZz

**

LoReNzZz

I had a ticket for doing 83 in a 50 and it was called "EXCESSIVE SPEEDING"

They didnt seem to take to well to it......

But it was in NY ------ I was fuct

$230 - Andddd i got a $750 surcharge for passing 6 points on my lisence (u kno that new 6 point law soo they can get more $$$ out of people for any stupid reason they can possibly think of)

ubnpast

Go to wal-mart and get some cheap rubber floormats (big ones that cover the gas pedal). Then go to acura and say your gas pedal seems to stick sometimes. Get a written statment from your dealer saying that the floormat was infact the cause.
This will point out that you did not "intend" to speed, but the floormat was the wrong size for the car.. If there was no Criminal Intent than you shouldnt get anything.

lindros2

There has been a lot of good info posted in this thread, but here is my advice:

1. Take the driver safety class. I took one online ($44.50 from http://www.safetyserve.com).

2. In Georgia you can plead "nolo contendre" ("no contest" or basically you don't dispute the charges but don't plead guilty). You get socked with the full fine but no points. This works for everyone with zero or one previous ticket.

3. Don't get a lawyer. They'll charge you from $500-$1200 and it's not worth it since you have a good record and this isn't a DUI or fully reckless driving situation.

On a side-note, if you DO get a Valentine 1 radar locator, take its help with a grain of salt. I've never been pulled over with my two V1's, but at the same time my current one sits in my glovebox 95% of the time. Luck and common sense will always reign supreme.

Good luck.

-josh

Tripp11

LOL Will the madness never end?

Or you could just own up to your responsibility and NOT fabricate a story.

He admits he was speeding but was merely questioning exactly how fast.

You play. You pay. Simple as that.

khiyal

I guess honesty is the best policy:

I found no errors on the ticket itself. Since it was 1 AM Sep 1, 06, I was hoping that they put the wrong date/month, Aug instead of Sep, but no luck there At least three "corrected" typos (crossed out and corrected). Speed written in bold on the center of the ticker 82/50.

For a "Probation before Judgement", it is just taking a chance since according to MD laws, you have to notify in advance that you intend to plea guilty with an explanation. Once you send in your ticket with that box checked, you don't get a trial, and the officer who ticketed will not be present.

The good advice to follow and plan of action:

1. Take a safe driving class.
2. Don't argue the fine, but not plead guilty.
3. Try without a lawyer.
4. Do appear in court.
5. Invest in a radar locator.

Hopefully this would help. Will keep you all posted.

Dudewithoutapet

I honestly don't know much about tickets, but I wanted to say there is a boat load of useful info here from everyone. I have yet to recieve a ticket but I am glad I read this and know this community is so helpful. Cheers

khiyal

OK. So today was the scheduled date. Went in the court without a lawyer. The news: Got the speed dropped from 82 to 69, the fine dropped from 280 to 100, points dropped from 5 to 2, and best of all, the points do not get reported to my state, NY. Lessons learnt:

1. Do not OVERspeed; a few miles over may be OK, but certainly not by 32.
2. Take a day off and DO go to the court; it is worth it.
3. Lawyers are good only for MAJOR tickets. For minor driving offences, it may be a waste as witnessed today in the court for other defendants.
4. Before the scheduled date, do a Defensive Driving course from your state. While it does not help too much in other states, it shows the judge that you realise your mistake, and made an effort to correct it.
5. If you believe you were guilty, plead so. Don't plead not guilty when deep inside you know you screwed up. Saw people pleading not guilty, and getting no sympathy from the judge from their made-up stories.

and the most important, keep your driving record clean... well as much as possible.

Happy driving!

varanelli

Wow!!

I thought I was bad, being pulled over 10 times (also mostly for speeding). You're 15 years younger than me and have been pulled over three times as often.

subinf

Couple changes I'd suggest

1) No argument there
2) If you don't want a lawyer (see 3)
3) In some jurisdictions a lawyer can get a speeding ticket dropped down to a non-moving violation parking ticket, might be worth if for ANY speeding ticket, as any moving violation sucks more than a non-moving violation, even if the latter is 3x more expensive
4) Is that the same as traffic school?
5) If you believe you were wronged in some way then plead not-guilty and review that the officer did everything they were supposed to. If that is the case - plead no contest. Usually results in a lower fine.

CobraGuy

God I guess!! Accept responsibility!! That's what's wrong with a lot of people now...and I think we all know where that attitude comes from.

In this case, he did what was the right thing to do and it paid off big time for him. Kudos for that.

My TL is in the shop this very moment getting a dent taken out of the front fender. My neighbor's snot nosed kid rolled his skateboard out in front of me the other day. I don't know why...maybe he thought it would be funny...maybe he wanted a new skateboard. Who knows. Anyway, I hit it, it kicked up and dented my fender. His dad heard it and ran out of the garage and looked everything over. His kid kept saying "I'm sorry". Well, he called 3 days later and told me he wasn't paying...that I couldn't prove criminal liability. I told him "nice lesson to teach your son. But criminal liability was a whole lot different than civil liablilty and I will see you in small claims court." Two days later, his insurance company adjuster calls me at work and offers to take care of everything. I told him I was surprised because the last I heard he wasn't going to pay. The adjuster told me that he contacted his company lawyers and they told him I was right and could also get monies for time lost and legal fees. What I'm trying to say here is what in the world is wrong with people that won't accept responsibility for their actions and try to weasel out of everything??? Again, I think I know where this attitude comes from. And it's flat wrong.

Tripp11

Nice post.

Children, for the most part, learn by example and any parent not paying and claiming so sets the wrong example for the child.

As you said, nothing surprises me anymore.

In today's world, very few people want to take responsibility for their own actions which is drastically different than the way I was raised. A different era, I suppose...

FLBusa

Awesome work!!!! My hat's off to you and "Honesty is the Best Policy" (when you haven't had a ticket in a long time).

I live in So. FL (Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area) and here I have used a dedicated ticket attourney (sp) a number of times with excellent results. Basically I've faxed them my ticket and paid a $70.00 fee. Never had to go to court and about 2-3 months afterwards... I've gotten a letter congratulating me on my case having been thrown out of court. For the most part I don't get tickets very often 1 every couple years at the most and if I didn't have a resource like mine available to me I would have done the same as you. Actually I have in the past and it's always worked out for me.

Pete

khiyal

This was my first ticket in my life. I would, however, recommend people to go to court at least once if there is a chance to see real-world examples of what people do. In the short time that I was there, I saw people coming in where their brother/sister is using their name instead of producing a license so they end up getting the summons in the mail for their sibling; I saw a young boy and girl who were cited for negligent driving, car racing, and several others summing up to $1200 in fines for each and 12 points for both. People who were "busy in their thoughts" while doing 30 mph over posted speed limit. The list goes on, but it is an experience worth it.

Tripp11

Sounds like you made out well in the end - kudos.

I'll take your recommendation a step further but call it an "experience" - in my opinion, you've never really lived and know what life is truly like on that proverbial "other side" until you've spent time incarcerated in our prison system. Shocking to say the least and one place I never want to return - and my time wasn't lengthy at all.