speeding ticket: contest it in court or not?

[CVSiN]

ALWAYS go to court... ive gotten alot of free walks from officers not showing up..

 

[Talksmartz]

Hey guys,
From an (over)experienced speeder.

Options are different by state. Here in Kentucky (I do wear shoes......most of the time), You can go to traffic school once every 12 months: Court cost (~$120) + $15 for traffic school. The class takes 4 hours if memory serves me correctly.

Best idea in most cases, is just to take traffic school, - cheaper in most states and keeps itt off your record.
You could always go to your court date; you'll normally meet with the prosecutor, for a few seconds (all it takes for him to decide if you should have to keep the ticket), give him some sob story, and hope he'll reduce it to defective equipment.

 

[Imdmn04]

I don't know about your state, but in my state(WA), you can still lose the case even if the officer does not show up. I went to traffic court one time and not a single cop showed up, yet only 4or 5 cases outta of about 20 got dismissed.

The officer writes and signs an affadavit(an account of how you got your ticket), then it is sent to the judge, and the judge reads it and ask you if you have anything to say. Then depending on if you sound truthful and reasonable in your rebuttal, the judge will either reduce, dismiss the case or fine you the full amount.

 

[andy2812]

Go and fight it, the cop still has to prove everything and although highly unlikely, he might get a detail wrong. It happened to me a couple of months ago. The cop said I was heading west and turned right to head south. The judge immediately stated to the cop that if I turned right I had to have been going north. Although I actually had a good defense, she immediately found me not guilty on a technicality. She didn't even wait for me to give my side of the story.

 

[JohnAn2112]

Originally posted by: SuperTool
Make sure you go to online traffic school. You can finish it in 1 hr instead of 8 🙂

and it's easier to cheat on the tests...err not that I ever did. :laugh:

 

[rdgr8]

Originally posted by: johnjbruin
if you didnt get a ticket in the last 18 months - you can go to traffic school

...Yep, you're right. If you have time to spare then contest it; if you don't, then pay it and do traffic school on weekends or thru the internet. They have a list of schools that are authorized by them.

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

thanks for the replies. my fine is for 5 over the limit, recorded speed was 54 in 35 however. i believe in michigan even 5 over the limit will get me a point on my record. i scheduled a hearing for a month from now, and it seems that the traffic cop is scheduled for that date. i think i'll write a letter in the meantime and see if that does anything. any letter tips? i've heard from classmates that this often works but i'm not really sure of the details. something about being a busy student on loans, that kind of sob story. those things definitely apply to me but i can't imagine it'd be effective at all. who knows

 

[imported_judge]

in a state of michegan can you do trial by declaration? Basically you write what happens, officer writes what happens, (what he observed you do before he pulled you over) and then judge decide if your guilty or not. Also find out if you have that option, if you lose can you still go and fight in court?
I see that you made appointment for court, why not just take driving school and be over it and not risk losing?

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

nothing that i looked at showed an option for driving school. i made an appointment for an informal hearing with a magistrate. after that, if necessary, is a formal hearing with a judge.

 

[johnjbruin]

doesnt show up half the time.
even if he does - you can go to traffic school (if you are eligible).
meaning - GO - dont listen to the idealists here who never speed.

edit: i just realized i replied to this thread 2 weeks ago - haha

 

[Joemonkey]

Originally posted by: Talksmartz
Hey guys,
From an (over)experienced speeder.

Options are different by state. Here in Kentucky (I do wear shoes......most of the time), You can go to traffic school once every 12 months: Court cost (~$120) + $15 for traffic school. The class takes 4 hours if memory serves me correctly.

Best idea in most cases, is just to take traffic school, - cheaper in most states and keeps itt off your record.
You could always go to your court date; you'll normally meet with the prosecutor, for a few seconds (all it takes for him to decide if you should have to keep the ticket), give him some sob story, and hope he'll reduce it to defective equipment.

i too am in KY, and i go to traffic school about every 18 months (for some reason that's about the amount of time i have between my speeding tickets) just to keep the violation off my record. My most recent ticket (last week) was 60 in a 55 (i was clocked at 68, guy gave me a little bit of a break i guess) and if i pay the ticket outright, it's no points, but if i pay and go to traffic school, i'm out 4 hours but nothing on my driving record.

i think in iowa traffic school is something crazy stupid like 8 hours a day for a full week

 

[PKPunk]

First speeding ticket I got I contested even though I had no good excuse. I showed up to court with the defense of "I didn't think I was speeding" the judge found me guilty but she reduced my fine from 130 dollars down to 60 bucks so it was worth it.

 

[Insane3D]

Bah..first ticket. 😛 My driving record doesn't fit on one page... 😉