Speeding ticket, pay or fight?

[bozack]

So I just got hit with a pretty hefty ticket today on 89 comming down through NH, I was following another car and didn't think I was speeding...the officer flew up on my left and I pulled over to let him pass, he blew by and stopped the other car ahead of me and then jumped out of his drivers side door and stood in the middle of the road and had me pull over as well...

Couldn't tell if he wrote the other driver up as it was two women with handicapped plates and it appeared they got different paperwork but I got slapped with a ticket...the cost stinks at $350, says I was doing 88 in a 65 and checked the little radar box...but the real concern insurance points...

Just wondering if anyone in a similar situation just pays up or fights it? it is a cool two hour drive from my house to where I got the ticket.

Thanks

 

[FoBoT]

pay

 

[Ns1]

seeing as how you have absolutely no defense i would pay

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Take the class and pay it.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Take the class and pay it.

There is no class that reduces points here in my state, you are stuck with them for six years.

 

[Shadowknight]

Lawyer up. Check around for different rates. The last ticket I got, the lawyer only cost $50 and he got the ticket thrown out of court. Worst case scenario, you lose the case anyway, are out another $50. Otherwise, you have to show up yourself, costing yourself time and gas money to go to the courthouse.

 

[George P Burdell]

Pay up.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Lawyer up. Check around for different rates. The last ticket I got, the lawyer only cost $50 and he got the ticket thrown out of court. Worst case scenario, you lose the case anyway, are out another $50. Otherwise, you have to show up yourself, costing yourself time and gas money to go to the courthouse.

So the Lawyer can show up on my behalf?

 

[lupi]

Get your speedometer calibrated and try a mechanical failure defense.

 

[mattocs]

Fight it. See if he has training using the radar gun or if it was calibrated properly. If not, then say it might be inaccurate.

I've never been pulled over, and I drive about 65k miles a year.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: lupi
Get your speedometer calibrated and try a mechanical failure defense.

I have read this doesn't work...

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: bozack

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Lawyer up. Check around for different rates. The last ticket I got, the lawyer only cost $50 and he got the ticket thrown out of court. Worst case scenario, you lose the case anyway, are out another $50. Otherwise, you have to show up yourself, costing yourself time and gas money to go to the courthouse.

So the Lawyer can show up on my behalf?

Yep. The way it works is when he agrees to represent you, you fill out a form and mail it to him, giving him the legal right to represent you. When it comes to little things like traffic tickets, the state cares about getting $$ from you, they don't give a crap if you are there. Just check with the lawyers, though. I live in NC, and for all I know about the legal system where you got pulled over (which is nothing) you may be required to show up in person regardless, but I doubt it. Anyway you figure it, with today's gas prices, even if you live nearby, it'll still cost about $10 gas roundtrip, minimum, so you're not paying that much more. Now, you'll still have to pay court fees of $100 or so, (note: it doesn't matter if you just pay the ticket and don't bother going to court. They STILL nail you for court fees), so don't expect to only pay the $50 for the lawyer- they're still getting a pound of flesh out of you regardless. The imporant thing is to avoid getting those points, so... fight.

 

[lupi]

Originally posted by: bozack

Originally posted by: lupi
Get your speedometer calibrated and try a mechanical failure defense.

I have read this doesn't work...

It's been many years since I've had to do it, but during my high school years I had my speedometer calibrated about 3 times a year. Never got charged with a moving violation when I had done so.

 

[imported_Baloo]

You were follwoing the car he pulled over that was going 88MPH. You left out that crucial bit of info that. In the futre, keep it within 15mph of the posted speed limit. Better still, within 5, but if you must...

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
pay

Every. Damned. Thread.

 

[blackllotus]

You could stop trying to exploit the system and just pay. Look at it this way. Tickets are basically a tax for being able to drive faster than other people.

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: blackllotus
You could stop trying to exploit the system and just pay. Look at it this way. Tickets are basically a tax for being able to drive faster than other people.

Or he could fight it, win, and keep a clean driving record.

 

[pstylesss]

Originally posted by: bozack

Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Lawyer up. Check around for different rates. The last ticket I got, the lawyer only cost $50 and he got the ticket thrown out of court. Worst case scenario, you lose the case anyway, are out another $50. Otherwise, you have to show up yourself, costing yourself time and gas money to go to the courthouse.

So the Lawyer can show up on my behalf?

Yes, they usually charge around $250 and will make it go away almost every time. Either way, $1000.00 for a lawyer would be money well spent, especially when you consider ticket cost + added insurance.

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
Yes, they usually charge around $250 and will make it go away almost every time. Either way, $1000.00 for a lawyer would be money well spent, especially when you consider ticket cost + added insurance.

If you paid $250 just for the lawyer, you got ripped off. Seriously, I only had to shell out $50 for the guy I picked, and of the other four I called, the highest I was quoted was $75.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: blackllotus
You could stop trying to exploit the system and just pay. Look at it this way. Tickets are basically a tax for being able to drive faster than other people.

I really don't care about the ticket, it is the insurance surcharge that is the killer.

And I think I was pretty clear when I said I was following another car and we both got pulled over, just I was comming out of an area with roadwork and didn't think I was going that fast, I was just keeping up with the other car.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Shadowknight

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
Yes, they usually charge around $250 and will make it go away almost every time. Either way, $1000.00 for a lawyer would be money well spent, especially when you consider ticket cost + added insurance.

If you paid $250 just for the lawyer, you got ripped off. Seriously, I only had to shell out $50 for the guy I picked, and of the other four I called, the highest I was quoted was $75.

That's VERY unusual. You must live in a lawyer-rich area. Here it's up to $500...I've never hired one, waste of money.

Originally posted by: blackllotus
You could stop trying to exploit the system and just pay. Look at it this way. Tickets are basically a tax for being able to drive faster than other people.

The reason why everyone "exploits" the system is that it's broken.

If it were a fair system, lawyers wouldn't have nearly the success rate they do. Clearly most traffic tickets are about the money. Unless you think that people who hire lawyers are "less guilty" than people who don't?

 

[Jeff7181]

Pay. I speed and if I get caught, I will pay.

I look at it this way... I speed sometimes and get where I'm going on time or early. If I get caught once every 1,000 times I break the speed limit, it's probably worth it considering I could possibly loose my job entirely if I'm late too often.

Of course planning ahead and giving yourself extra time is a better idea, but lets face it, you can't plan for everything.

 

[Cattlegod]

i've done this a million times. go to the court and plea bargain down to a lesser charge so you get 0 points ( but will likely pay a bit more in fines)

 

[SparkyJJO]

Here is a quick and easy fix to avoid speeding tickets from here on out:

Don't speed, obey the law.

Works like a charm, amazing how I'm 20 and pay less on insurance (driving a sports car no less) than someone who was a good 15 years older than me simply because of speeding tickets.

If you usually do but weren't paying attention to your speedometer, then take it as a lesson. Besides, I'd think you could tell that you were going well over the speed limit when doing 88 in a 65 zone

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Here is a quick and easy fix to avoid speeding tickets from here on out:

Don't speed, obey the law.

Works like a charm, amazing how I'm 20 and pay less on insurance (driving a sports car no less) than someone who was a good 15 years older than me simply because of speeding tickets.

If you usually do but weren't paying attention to your speedometer, then take it as a lesson. Besides, I'd think you could tell that you were going well over the speed limit when doing 88 in a 65 zone

Honestly I have been in plenty of cars where you feel like you aren't going that fast and only when you look at the speedometer do you realize that you are flying...