Going to defend myself next week for a speeding ticket.

[PowerMacG5]

In reference to this thread.

I am going to be defending myself on Tuesday because the lawyer wanted way too much money (700 dollars), and I don't think I can find a local one who will take up my case on short notice. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for me to plea it down to a no point infraction.

I already got a copy of my drivers abstract which shows a clean driving record, and am planning on going in a suit to look professional. What should I say, or not say? Should I mention I know I was not going as fast as he clocked me for because I had my cruise set, or let him offer me something and if I am not happy with it tell him I know I wasnt going 83?

It will be in the New Baltimore Town Court in Hannacroix, New York. Anyone have any stories of being there, and how the judge is?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[krcat1]

Did you check to see if the local gov is going to give you a fair trial?

Some places exist to write tickets, esp. to people out-of-town. If your in ticket-trap town, you might have a hard time.

There is a little town in the St. Louis area that was punished for deriving too much money from tickets.
The limit was 45%, and they were way over that. The traffic court literally had lines of people, all with tickets fines to pay.

Do a search on 'ticket trap' on google. What county is this in?

 

[imported_Phil]

If it were me, I'd let them offer and then tell them about the cruise control, but that's just me; I don't like to lay all my cards out on the table immediately.

 

If it's a local cop and you have no priors they usually will let you knock it down to a minor violation, like driving w/o a seatbelt. As long is it's sane, aka you were not doing 90MPH in a 25MPH zone. You meet with the officer prior to the court and you can strike a deal with them. Totally common.

If it's a State Trooper your dead. They rarely budge.

 

[TwiceOver]

Make sure to bring the cash plus extra money for court fees. A friend of mine fought a ticket once and when he lost they wanted the money that day + court fees.

 

[ThePresence]

I only know how it works in NJ.

They will usually let you plead it down to a charge of unsafe driving (unless you were 25 mph or more over the speed limit), but the unsafe driving charge carries a $250 MVC (Motor Vehicle Comission) surcharge.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: krcat1
Did you check to see if the local gov is going to give you a fair trial?

Some places exist to write tickets, esp. to people out-of-town. If your in ticket-trap town, you might have a hard time.

There is a little town in the St. Louis area that was punished for deriving too much money from tickets.
The limit was 45%, and they were way over that. The traffic court literally had lines of people, all with tickets fines to pay.

Do a search on 'ticket trap' on google. What county is this in?

This is in Greene County.

Originally posted by: dwell
If it's a local cop and you have no priors they usually will let you knock it down to a minor violation, like driving w/o a seatbelt. As long is it's sane, aka you were not doing 90MPH in a 25MPH zone. You meet with the officer prior to the court and you can strike a deal with them. Totally common.

If it's a State Trooper your dead. They rarely budge.

It's a NY State Trooper.

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I only know how it works in NJ.

They will usually let you plead it down to a charge of unsafe driving (unless you were 25 mph or more over the speed limit), but the unsafe driving charge carries a $250 MVC (Motor Vehicle Comission) surcharge.

Honestly, I would rather pay out of the ass, then to have points, but that is just me. Points mean insurance goes up and doesnt drop till I am 25. Should I tell the cop that I would pay anything to not get points, or does he figure that much on his own?

How much cash should I bring with me?

 

[bret]

your f'ed

 

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5
It's a NY State Trooper.

Ouch. My brother is a NY cop and he can get me out of most traffic stuff. Even he can't get NY Troopers to budge. See what you can do when you speak to him before court, but from what I hear it's a hard sell.

 

[AnyMal]

Does your state offer traffic school option. Here in KY we can choose to attend traffic school instead. You still have to pay the fine but no points are assesed against your license if you stay out of trouble for the next 12 months.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Does your state offer traffic school option. Here in KY we can choose to attend traffic school instead. You still have to pay the fine but no points are assesed against your license if you stay out of trouble for the next 12 months.

We have traffic school (a defensive driving course) which will remove points once they are given to you, but insurance will still find out I at one point had points on my record (until 18 months pass when it is then removed, but it will still be on record).

 

[CptObvious]

I got a speeding ticket on Sunday, but I'm not going to contest it. Here in FL, if you lose in court, you can't take traffic school on your own to avoid the points on your license (thus raising your insurance rates) and the judge can order you to take the school at a rate of $500. Seeing how I got the ticket in a podunk speed-trap town, I don't think my chances are good.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Anyone know how much court fees are going to cost, and how much extra I should bring?

 

[Nitemare]

Your word vs a lieing cop....hell even if his nose was growing a mile a sec, the judge would believe him over you.

Pay the revenue tax and get it over with.....


Seriously though if your record is clean ask for a reduction say 74 in a 65 and plead guilty to that. No points on your license and the state gets more money to waste...all is happy

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5
Anyone know how much court fees are going to cost, and how much extra I should bring?

About a hundred in NC

Usuually, they know where an atm machine nearby though

 

Honestly, I would rather pay out of the ass, then to have points, but that is just me. Points mean insurance goes up and doesnt drop till I am 25. Should I tell the cop that I would pay anything to not get points, or does he figure that much on his own?

Points only stay on your license for 18 months. Your insurance does not always drop when you hit 25 years old, that is partly a myth.

I've gotten numerous tickets from state troopers. On two of them I had them reduced to parking tickets (non moving violation) and just paid the fine. That was mostly because I had a totally clean driving record for about 6 years.

The next ticket I got from a trooper was for going 72 in a 55 on route 20. I went to court and spoke with the DA, this happened in a VERY small town (so small the courthouse was literally a house), and I got the ticket reduced to the lowest possible moving violation. I got two points on my record and paid a little over 100 in fines. My insurance only went up $100 a year for thoes points.

I currently have another ticket pending for doing 72 in a 55 again, on route 20. This time I expect at least 2 more points on my license. I have not taken the defensive driving classes for NYS yet, so I plan on doing that and knocking 4 points of my record.

After all said and done with points on my license my insurance premiums have only gone up $200 a year. This also includes one no fault, one car accident.

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Get a continuance and then look for a lawyer you can afford. Right now the judicial system is going to eat your liver for lunch.

Who is the judge going to believe? You or a cop?

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Your word vs a lieing cop....hell even if his nose was growing a mile a sec, the judge would believe him over you.

Pay the revenue tax and get it over with.....


Seriously though if your record is clean ask for a reduction say 74 in a 65 and plead guilty to that. No points on your license and the state gets more money to waste...all is happy

74 in a 65 is still 3 points. In NY, if you are caught doing 1-10 over (or an undetermined amount over), it is 3 points.

Originally posted by: SampSon

Honestly, I would rather pay out of the ass, then to have points, but that is just me. Points mean insurance goes up and doesnt drop till I am 25. Should I tell the cop that I would pay anything to not get points, or does he figure that much on his own?

Points only stay on your license for 18 months. Your insurance does not always drop when you hit 25 years old, that is partly a myth.

I've gotten numerous tickets from state troopers. On two of them I had them reduced to parking tickets (non moving violation) and just paid the fine. That was mostly because I had a totally clean driving record for about 6 years.

The next ticket I got from a trooper was for going 72 in a 55 on route 20. I went to court and spoke with the DA, this happened in a VERY small town (so small the courthouse was literally a house), and I got the ticket reduced to the lowest possible moving violation. I got two points on my record and paid a little over 100 in fines. My insurance only went up $100 a year for thoes points.

I currently have another ticket pending for doing 72 in a 55 again, on route 20. This time I expect at least 2 more points on my license. I have not taken the defensive driving classes for NYS yet, so I plan on doing that and knocking 4 points of my record.

After all said and done with points on my license my insurance premiums have only gone up $200 a year. This also includes one no fault, one car accident.

See, the thing is I am 18 (19 in september), and am on my parents insurance. My father has had his share of accidents, so the rates as of right now are not cheap, and one bad thing could get us thrown out of the insurance company. I have a feeling if I get the points, a) Insurance will drop us, b) Insurance rates will go up, or c) I will be on my own for insurance, and that will rape me severely in terms of money since I will need to pay it all, and the rates for just me will undoubtedly be higher than me on my parents insurance. And no one call me spoiled, because I do pay my share of the insurance (and gas), it's just that if I am on my own, my bank account will quickly dwindle down and I will not be able to afford to drive a car.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Your word vs a lieing cop....hell even if his nose was growing a mile a sec, the judge would believe him over you.

Pay the revenue tax and get it over with.....


Seriously though if your record is clean ask for a reduction say 74 in a 65 and plead guilty to that. No points on your license and the state gets more money to waste...all is happy

74 in a 65 is still 3 points. In NY, if you are caught doing 1-10 over (or an undetermined amount over), it is 3 points.

Holy sh!t, damn NY sucks...

Move?

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

deferred judification?

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Your word vs a lieing cop....hell even if his nose was growing a mile a sec, the judge would believe him over you.

Pay the revenue tax and get it over with.....


Seriously though if your record is clean ask for a reduction say 74 in a 65 and plead guilty to that. No points on your license and the state gets more money to waste...all is happy

74 in a 65 is still 3 points. In NY, if you are caught doing 1-10 over (or an undetermined amount over), it is 3 points.

Holy sh!t, damn NY sucks...

Move?

Yeah, tell me about it. this is our point system.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
deferred judification?

What is that?

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Your word vs a lieing cop....hell even if his nose was growing a mile a sec, the judge would believe him over you.

Pay the revenue tax and get it over with.....


Seriously though if your record is clean ask for a reduction say 74 in a 65 and plead guilty to that. No points on your license and the state gets more money to waste...all is happy

74 in a 65 is still 3 points. In NY, if you are caught doing 1-10 over (or an undetermined amount over), it is 3 points.

Holy sh!t, damn NY sucks...

Move?

Yeah, tell me about it. this is our point system.

1 mph over is only 2 points less than passing a stopped schoolbus or careless and reckless????

What crackhead thought that up?

 

[speed01]

What kind of car were you driving? Just curious..

Speed

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: speed01
What kind of car were you driving? Just curious..

Speed

2001 Black Ford Escape, only after-market exterior item was a rub guard on the front.