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speeding ticket: contest it in court or not?

F

FrontlineWarrior

Diamond Member
how often does the officer not show up for these things? i've heard half the time, is that right? i figure if the cop shows up i'll probably lose regardless of how good my case is, unless i pull some mean johnny cochran shiz, so i'm not really losing out on much. i just don't want this to increase my insurance rates. i have state farm; anyone know off-hand if they penalize for the first speeding offense? btw i live in michigan.
 
first ticket?

if you show up, there's a chance they just put you on probation. then after probation is over, and youdidn't get any tickets during that time, the ticket is waived. nothing to lose.
 
Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
iamme,
so if i go for that, do i show up to court with "deny charges" or "accept charges with excuse"?
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i'd say accept charges with excuse. you probably can't deny (or disprove) that you were speeding. maybe talk to the officer beforehand and ask him what your options are.

just be nice and apologize. if you have a clean driving record up until now, i'd say there's a good chance you'll just get probation.

like i said before, there's nothing to lose (besides time in court). it's not like the judge will double your fine or anything 🙂
 
I got my first speeding ticket earlier this summer.

It's the "accept with excuse" as you put it. I didn't even have to show up. I responded with the ticket checking that option. I got in the mail the paperwork for my court date. Included was a form to which I could explain the circumstanced in writing. I kissed a$$, asked for a deferral. Few days after the scheduled date, I got a response, reduced fine, and a 6 month deferral. Viola, not on my record, no increased insurance, and a reduced fine. And I didn't even have to go to court to get berrated by a judge!
 
Originally posted by: GtPrOjEcTX
Originally posted by: iamme
...like i said before, there's nothing to lose (besides time in court)....
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except the chance to go to traffic school
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i've never heard of anyone around here having to goto traffic school unless they accumulated many points on their driving record (*cough*, me 😱).

but then again, i'm not traffic law expert, so i dunno 🙂
 
If you pay the ticket and go to traffic school they'll dismiss the ticket and it won't go on your record. You can do that once every 18 months in CA
 
Originally posted by: SuperTool
If you pay the ticket and go to traffic school they'll dismiss the ticket and it won't go on your record. You can do that once every 18 months in CA
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that's why I went. its every 3 years in IN though (as of 8 years ago when I went)
 
Originally posted by: codeyf
I got my first speeding ticket earlier this summer.

It's the "accept with excuse" as you put it. I didn't even have to show up. I responded with the ticket checking that option. I got in the mail the paperwork for my court date. Included was a form to which I could explain the circumstanced in writing. I kissed a$$, asked for a deferral. Few days after the scheduled date, I got a response, reduced fine, and a 6 month deferral. Viola, not on my record, no increased insurance, and a reduced fine. And I didn't even have to go to court to get berrated by a judge!
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what kinds of things did you say to kiss ass? did you basically say it was your first time, you won't do it again, give me another chance?
 
Trial by declaration, then trial de novo, the whole thing is gonna last about 6 months. But, after that 6 months, the chance of the officer showing up for that court date is pretty slim. The bad thing about it is you'll have to shell out the bail amount upfront, you'll get it back after you have won the trail. I'm still fighting a ticket that I got since April.
 
Wait a minute, you live in Michigian but you show your location as CA in your profile. Does your license list your address as Michigan and did you get the ticket in Michigan or CA?
 
If traffic school is not an option in your state, find the officer before court and tell him you'll plead guilty if he changes the charges to a non-moving violation... give some sob story if you have to (the hard-working student one works if applicable)

As I said in another thread, it won't help you out of the fine, but at least you won't pay extra money in insurance.


Honestly though, if you can't do traffic school and you can't plead to prevent points, it's probably not worth the time trying to fight. The first offense rarely carries other penalties unless you were doing more than 29 over. If you go to court and the officer doesn't show up the first time, sometimes they postpone it. You'll end up paying as much in court costs as you will for the ticket whether the shows up or not.
 
Originally posted by: Freejack2
Wait a minute, you live in Michigian but you show your location as CA in your profile. Does your license list your address as Michigan and did you get the ticket in Michigan or CA?
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oh i moved to michigan for school. i've been here for over a year but haven't gotten a michigan license yet. i was about to get it soon actually. so my current license is for CA, but i got the ticket in michigan. does any of this make a difference? if so that could be valuable info 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Injury
If traffic school is not an option in your state, find the officer before court and tell him you'll plead guilty if he changes the charges to a non-moving violation... give some sob story if you have to (the hard-working student one works if applicable)

As I said in another thread, it won't help you out of the fine, but at least you won't pay extra money in insurance.


Honestly though, if you can't do traffic school and you can't plead to prevent points, it's probably not worth the time trying to fight. The first offense rarely carries other penalties unless you were doing more than 29 over. If you go to court and the officer doesn't show up the first time, sometimes they postpone it. You'll end up paying as much in court costs as you will for the ticket whether the shows up or not.
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so there are additional court costs? how much are we talking about and do i have to pay even if i win?
 
some insurance companies have a first accident rule, which just says they will excuse your first accident and not raise yrou premium. However, the setback is that if you get into a second accident, they will likely jack up your premium alot.
 
I just show up on the court date and they have always lowered my ticket to about 5 miles over the speed limit. I pay the court fee and go... and my insurance was not effected.
 
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