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I have a court appearance tomorrow morning...

TheLonelyPhoenix

TheLonelyPhoenix

Diamond Member
I got a speeding ticket about a month ago, and the court date for it is coming up tomorrow morning. The officer told me that since it was my first offense, the judge in Blacksburg would probably wipe the ticket if I took the time to go to court and agreed to take a one-day class (or something similar to that).

I've never gone to court before, and I really have no idea what to say/what not to say/how to dress/etc. Does anyone have advice on what to expect or how to prepare?

Update:

They did have a course I could take to clear the ticket, but because I was more than 20 over the speed limit (21 to be precise), I still had to go before the judge. I plead guilty, didn't deny speeding, and asked for an opportunity to take the class in exchange for not reporting the ticket to the DMV. Because it was my first offense, he let me go. 😀

The final cost is about $120 in court fees and the cost of the class, and 8 hours of driver's ed on a Sunday, but it definitely beats the insurance hike I would have taken otherwise. If the ticket had been reported, I'd be looking at another $1500 a year for insurance in PA.

And all of this happened because I didn't just slow down and take another 3 minutes to get home on a Friday night. Oh well, $120 isn't bad for an education, I guess.

Thanks for the advice, everybody. 🙂
 
Wear a suit or at least a tie.

Don't say anything unless the Judge asks you something and only tell them what they are asking to hear.
 
Originally posted by: waldo
Originally posted by: ncircle
dress nice. business casual
be polite. think respectful, treat the judge as an honored elder
Click to expand...
and answer all the questions with "Yes your honor"
Don't be a wise guy....the judge will just give you a hard time for it
Click to expand...
And don't act stupid or waste the judge's valuable time in any way. When he asks you a question, answer it calmly, truthfully, respectfully, intelligently, and quickly. He has 100 more cases to hear after yours and he doesn't need any BS. Make it march.

If you have a chance at actually winning, take it. If you're stone cold busted but have a clean driving record, throw yourself on the mercy of the court and beg for traffic school and a reduced fine, just as long as you can keep the ticket off your driving record (and off your insurance).

edit:
Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
So, like, have any of you actually gone to court before over a speeding ticket or what?
Click to expand...
Yes, many times 😱 My lead foot used to get me in quite a bit of speeding ticket trouble (no accidents though).
I have won a pretty good number of my cases too.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: waldo
Originally posted by: ncircle
dress nice. business casual
be polite. think respectful, treat the judge as an honored elder
Click to expand...
and answer all the questions with "Yes your honor"
Don't be a wise guy....the judge will just give you a hard time for it
Click to expand...
And don't act stupid or waste the judge's valuable time in any way. When he asks you a question, answer it calmly, truthfully, respectfully, intelligently, and quickly. He has 100 more cases to hear after yours and he doesn't need any BS. Make it march.

If you have a chance at actually winning, take it. If you're stone cold busted but have a clean driving record, throw yourself on the mercy of the court and beg for traffic school and a reduced fine, just as long as you can keep the ticket off your driving record (and off your insurance).

edit:
Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
So, like, have any of you actually gone to court before over a speeding ticket or what?
Click to expand...
Yes, many times 😱 My lead foot used to get me in quite a bit of speeding ticket trouble (no accidents though).
I have won a pretty good number of my cases too.
Click to expand...

I was about 20 over (according to the officer), so I'm not getting away scot-free on this one. I'm going for the "beg for mercy" approach.
 
Also,
Don't dispute the speed or the ticket with the Judge.
All he will say is "were you speeding, yes or no."

Cut and dry, you were.

Just take the class. Its crap, but there won't be any points
taken off your license to jack up your insurance.

Good luck.
 
ive had a speeding ticket, as have my wife and sister...and none of us have ever had to come before a judge. (this is in NC btw)

we got there early, and the DA said anyone who wanted to plead guilty or had no attorney gets in the first line...where they just reduce the speed on the ticket, thus effectively cancelling it, and charge you $100 for "court costs"

then you get in another line, wait for the magistrate who is 45 minutes later to work than the DA, give him cash and go wherever

if it works like that in your area the key is getting there early; when i went it was one damn long line but i was at the front of it.
 
Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
I was about 20 over (according to the officer), so I'm not getting away scot-free on this one. I'm going for the "beg for mercy" approach.
Click to expand...
Not good. You better hope for a kindly judge in a good mood because his wife actually put out last night...

How the procedure will work depends on the individual court and county. Show up early (don't be late!), follow the procedure, wait patiently, and don't make any excuses (they don't want to hear it). Just admit that you made a mistake and that it won't happen again.

Good luck! 🙂
 
Wear pants, nice shirt and tie. Comb hair...all that stuff
Bring checkbook/cash with you just in case you need it.
Be there 30 - 45 min early, courthouses and parking can be confusing.
Get to where you need to go and you'll probably have to sign in or something.
Sit down, try to sit near the front, since it can be hard to hear sometimes and you want to pay attention.
Don't talk while they are going over procudures and discussing other people's matters.

The judge's name is Sir, and he(she) likes to hear his own name.
Always go with the truth.

Judge - Son you're accused of speeding and raping a toad. How do you plead?
You - Guilty of speeding, innocent of raping a toad, sir.
J - Is this your first offense?
You - Yes, sir.
J - I sentence you to 3000 years in driving school.
You - Thank you, may I have another.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
I was about 20 over (according to the officer), so I'm not getting away scot-free on this one. I'm going for the "beg for mercy" approach.
Click to expand...
Not good. You better hope for a kindly judge in a good mood because his wife actually put out last night...

How the procedure will work depends on the individual court and county. Show up early (don't be late!), follow the procedure, wait patiently, and don't make any excuses (they don't want to hear it). Just admit that you made a mistake and that it won't happen again.

Good luck! 🙂
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was my plan. Like I said, its my first offense, and it wasn't in a residential area or anything like that, so I don't think I'm completely screwed yet.

I'm 19 and have two little bros who are just coming around to driving age, so I really don't want to be a burden on my parents' insurance because of this. Just hoping for the best.

Thanks. 🙂
 
So when you're meaking your plea, would you still plead guilty right off the bat to speeding if you're trying to get the penalty reduced? I've never been in this situation before either.
 
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