yantastic

Hi, I'm new to forums but got a reckless driving ticket in my new Acura TL, hoping some of you can share some wisdom.

I got the ticket in Brooklyn, NY for passing a red light due to food coma and passed right infront of a cop. They pulled me over and wrote me up for reckless driving instead of running a red light and they said running a red light is worse, and that the reckless driving ticket might be dismissed.

Looking at the ticket, they wrote down my TEMP NJ PLATES (expires before court date) in the "Alternate Plate" section. Anyone thinks I would have a good chance of dismissal?

Should I seek a lawyer? Thx!

yantastic

Forgot to mention that I have a NY license. I was reading somewhere that tickets can be completely dismissed due to incorrect filing.

potmilkz

keep in mind that ticket is under the driver, not the car... if your driver license number is right on the ticket, your most likely getting the ticket..

yantastic

Damn im probably going to plead not guilty and hire a lawyer then :-(

omaralt

yes i really hope you end up getting off for running a red light due to a food coma. you do realize you could have killed somebody? you did something stupid and got caught. instead of trying to get off on a technicality, STFU, accept your punishment and learn a lesson..

g37guy01

Don't they have point forgivness. How many points? Maybe you can get a doctors note, but you also could have killed someone. if it's two points I don't think you need a lawyer, go down to the court and talk to the prosecutor and pay the fine.

omaralt

i really hope this costs you a lot of money and headache.. only way your going to learn your lesson.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

Best to just face the music. "Yes your honor, I did it. It was irresponsible., it won't happen again.

If you've had a good driving history otherwise, you might be able to plea it down to an improper equipment ticket or something with the county/city attorney before court, but you must humbly admit fault in either case.

Pay your fee, hit traffic school, and be done with it.

yantastic

Yes it's stupid but that's what happened. Good thing it was on a semi-highway area and good thing I rolled by at 15-20mph. I might have hurt someone and luckily I didn't.

Caught by red light camera - no points fine only
Caught by police officer - 3 points and fine
Reckless driving - 5 points, fine, and permanent criminal record if convicted.

I don't deserve to be called a criminal for what I did.

My record is pretty much clean. A speeding ticket was issued 2 years prior.

omaralt

That's good that you realize the gravity of the situation. You are extremely lucky that you didn't hit a family and kill a few them (happened here a while back). What I would do is plead no contest and you'll probably get off with a fine and maybe some points

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

Hahaha, whenever I see someone in NY going through a red light I always assume A) He/she is a cop B) He/she is an idiot, you're the later.


It's nice to know someone's getting ticket for running reds; too many people do that shit in NY blatantly.

gibbyisgibby

I dont know how it works in the states but in Canada we can go to the justice of the peace to reduce the set fine and points by just talking to them

If you take it to court here you are 99% likely to have the fine reduced or eliminated.

I never plead guilty right away

potmilkz

oh.. when your talking to the judge.. please please please!!! do not use the food coma story.. because they will probably give you a ticket for being an idiot trying to give them some lame story about food coma.


but yea, pay the ticket, ask the judge to see anyway you can reduce the punishment to see if you dont get the full 5 points on your record and a added criminal history

eazy

iTrader: (8)

Since when did food coma become an excuse to blow red lights? Red light ticket is harder to fight (especially cause of food coma) -_- but if you lose the reckless driving one you could very well get 5 points vs 3.

And I'm pretty sure you have to go to criminal court on Queens Blvd vs your local DMV

yantastic

Thanks I got helpful answers from some and a private court trial from others. MODS can lock this.

EazyRider562

You have to fight that bro!

potmilkz

its more serious in NY as there is always people walking around.. vs here in california, once it hits like 5pm, there is virtually no one walking in the streets.. so running reds here is not that big of a crime..

but each state has their own legal system... if you did a reckless driving here in socal, you are for sure getting arrested and will have your car impounded.

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

It was probably "Wreckless" driving, because i am assuming you didn't slow down, yield... or even pause before blowing the light

Honestly, If I was a cop (which I should have been!) i might have done the same...

Its one thing to blow a yellow-to-red light.... but another to just zoom through an intersection

diddy_nyc

iTrader: (1)

contact notspeeding.com

I received a speeding ticket back in December 09 for for doing 105 in a 55 MPH zone. Notspeeding.com was able to get my violation down to 65 in a 55 in MPH zone, plus I was facing 9 points on my license. the drawback is that this attorney's services cost me 1000 bucks.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

I get arguing the 70 in a 55 type tickets. 105 in a 55 and you fought it, AND won?

<sarcasm>And people say the system is broken....</sarcasm>

It's because of the system, and people abusing it, defrauding it, and not owning up to what they're responsible for, that you're going to see car insurance carriers start issuing dataloggers (already happening). You want us to insure you, sure, no problem, just snap this little guy on your diagnostic port, and let it upload to us how much you drive, how fast you're going.....

potmilkz

i really wish we had that type of service in socal..

every company that advertise this is a scam where i live since socal traffic laws are soo strict

diddy_nyc

iTrader: (1)

I fought it because i definitely wasnt going 105 MPH. It was more like 85 MPH. The f'ed up part is that there was another vehicle which was clearly at the time going much faster than i was, but the state trooper pulls me over instead.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

So, you're not at fault because someone else was doing the same thing?

diddy_nyc

iTrader: (1)

I was definitely at fault, but the trooper clocked me at a speed in which I was facing 11 points (correction from 9 point per the previous post). There was no way in hell I wanted to see 11 points unrightfully on my license. Get what i'm saying?

CCColtsicehockey

The force is strong with this one

Own up and plead guilty. I mean seriously "I was in food coma and blew through a red light". More like you just were not paying attention and distracted by something.

BaucE

This might not end well.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I'm confused, what does a food coma have to do with obeying traffic laws? Did you fall asleep at the wheel and roll through a red light?

yantastic

Contacted the guy. Nice person. He's quoting 500

diddy_nyc

iTrader: (1)

probably because your case wasnt as severe as mines. Good luck

yantastic

Wasn't focused on the light and blew it infront of cop.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

lawyer this one.....

potmilkz

you fully deserve this one but we are only human.. so it is in our natural instinct to just fight the damn thing.

yantastic

Yes I deserve it. Dismissal would be great but impossible for me. Just don't want to be convicted a criminal for red light and a speeding ticket 2 years ago.

Thanks everyone was helpful in someway or another.

Bearcat94

The law allows you (even encourages you) to 'fight' tickets in order to get dismissals, reductions, etc. The ticket, as written, is only the starting point for negotiations.

"Hate the game, not the player."

types1fan

Good luck bro, that's all I can say.

EazyRider562

Good luck brodawg!

NBP04TL4ME

From my limited experience in New England, but add friends and family experience - the first court date is usually in front of a magistrate of some kind and the officer who wrote the ticket is not present. A represenative officer / trooper from the town / state / county that wrote the ticket represents the jurisdiction and is there for the day or period of time tickets written by that locale are being contested. The magistrate will go over the ticket and ask for your take and then ask the same of the represenative. Usually the ticket charge / fine is reduced. At that point you have the opportunity to accept the lower charge / fine or ask for another date. If you ask for another date, the officer who wrote the ticket has to show and you roll the dice in front of a judge in court.

I contested a speeding ticket and because I flat out wasn't speeding - I took two days from work to go to court in front of the judge. Officer didn't show, judge asked if I wanted to continue and I said yes. "Case dismissed" because I was there to represent myself, office was not there and could not represent himself. Now running a red light is not the same thing as speeding, so you may be up against more than me.
Again options and how the legal process / system plays out may also vary by jurisdiction.

23109VC

do NOT go to court and try to tell the judge you had a "food coma"...

I live in CA... so YMMV as you are in another state. Here in CA reckless driving is Vehicle Code section 23109... or 23109VC.. look at my handle.

in CA it is a misdemeanor. which means you coudl go to jail. you won't.. they don't have space for people who drive to fast in jail.. but it is legally classified as a misdemeanor. which means when you show up for your first court date they will appoint you a public defender - free lawyer.

you can hire a private traffic lawyer but tons of those guys are total cons and will rip you off. c'mon what REAL crimianl defense attorney does traffic tickets?@??! none. the real ones do murders, felonies.. maybe DUIs... and avoid traffic. it's low level stuff.

go to court, get a free public defender.

if all you did was really run a red light.. NOt burn rubber and do donuts all over the place... the odds are the DA at court will offer youa plea bargain to a lesser charge - like runnign a red light.

take your medicine, take the deal, it will go down as an infraction.. and you will be back on the road in no time. you will probably do traffic school or soemthing, pay a fine.. but you won't go to jail, and you won't lose yhour licnese.

if you are leaving out facts.. and there were 3 people following you, telling the cops that you were weaving in and out of traffic, almost runnign them off the road, etc etc.. in essence.. if the average person who SAW what you did, would tell the court you were driivng like a total A$$hole... and were endangering peo[le.. you might not get the reduction to a red light violation and maybe you are looking at more trouble. if you are telling us the whole truth..and you simply blew a red light and the cop was hassling you and gave you a reckless ticket.. then you shoudl have no problem gettin ga deal.

the thing is.. cops don't normally just drive reckless driving tickets when people just run stop lights. when you run a stop light. and say "gee officer, sorry i missed the light".. then they give you a red light ticket. if you gave the officer a line of BS about a "food coma" gave him attitude, or jerkeed him around - maybe he jacked with you and gave you a reckless driving ticket. or like I said before, there is more to your story than you are telling and it realy was RECKLESS and it was worse than running a redlight.

hope that helps. slow down.

23109VC.

Bearcat94

I don't know about the State of Kalifornia, but around here if you opt for a public defender they make you pay if the court determines you have the means to retain an attorney.

Free Lawyer is suddenly not so free.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

$500 for a lawyer? Holy crap.