Backstory: I'm heading to Issaquah about a month ago to pay a surprise visit to a friend on my new motorcycle. I'm going down 99-S to get onto I-90, and I totally forgot that there was a game that day.
So, I spend a good half-hour in stop and go traffic. Finally, I get onto I-90. Frustrated by the traffic, I start going much faster than I usually do...like 15 over. Well, before too long I see the red-and-blue in my windows. I pull over, I'm courteous, I apologize and explain that I usually don't speed like that, I was just frustrated. All true, but I guess he had heard it all before, because he just said "Well you did tonight!", and hands me a $500 ticket for "negligent driving." WTF? I was speeding, true. But I wasn't weaving in and out of traffic, I wasn't cutting anyone off, I was using my signals for every lane change...I guess he just didn't get a radar reading and wanted to make something stick?
The court date's coming up, and I'm stuck in a difficult position. This was the first time I've really opened up on the highway (and probably the last...I've been kicking myself almost every day for the past month, and certainly have been keeping it to a reasonable speed). I'm usually a very safe driver, and all my friends can attest to that. But, of course, the legal system has heard that defense a billion times by now, and the truth simply won't cut it anymore.
So now I have to consider whether to show up to court and be perfectly honest (I'm not good at BSing my story, I just don't feel right doing that), or hire a lawyer to do the BSing, at around the cost of the ticket. I really don't want this on my record, and $500 is an insanely high amount of money for me. How do they determine these fines, anyway? I mean, any doctor or lawyer would consider it a pinprick, but for me, it's a crushing blow.
So, those of you who have been to traffic court...how forgiving are the judges? Are they usually willing to lessen your sentence, or is it something you really want to fork over the $$$ to hire a lawyer for? How effective are the lawyers, anyway? I guess if the US court system is really for sale, I might as well be doing the buying, but I really want to believe that a regular citizen can do OK in the courtroom, even without years of law school. I want to be honest and penitent, but that simply doesn't seem to be a recipe for success in modern society.
This sucks.
So, I spend a good half-hour in stop and go traffic. Finally, I get onto I-90. Frustrated by the traffic, I start going much faster than I usually do...like 15 over. Well, before too long I see the red-and-blue in my windows. I pull over, I'm courteous, I apologize and explain that I usually don't speed like that, I was just frustrated. All true, but I guess he had heard it all before, because he just said "Well you did tonight!", and hands me a $500 ticket for "negligent driving." WTF? I was speeding, true. But I wasn't weaving in and out of traffic, I wasn't cutting anyone off, I was using my signals for every lane change...I guess he just didn't get a radar reading and wanted to make something stick?
The court date's coming up, and I'm stuck in a difficult position. This was the first time I've really opened up on the highway (and probably the last...I've been kicking myself almost every day for the past month, and certainly have been keeping it to a reasonable speed). I'm usually a very safe driver, and all my friends can attest to that. But, of course, the legal system has heard that defense a billion times by now, and the truth simply won't cut it anymore.
So now I have to consider whether to show up to court and be perfectly honest (I'm not good at BSing my story, I just don't feel right doing that), or hire a lawyer to do the BSing, at around the cost of the ticket. I really don't want this on my record, and $500 is an insanely high amount of money for me. How do they determine these fines, anyway? I mean, any doctor or lawyer would consider it a pinprick, but for me, it's a crushing blow.
So, those of you who have been to traffic court...how forgiving are the judges? Are they usually willing to lessen your sentence, or is it something you really want to fork over the $$$ to hire a lawyer for? How effective are the lawyers, anyway? I guess if the US court system is really for sale, I might as well be doing the buying, but I really want to believe that a regular citizen can do OK in the courtroom, even without years of law school. I want to be honest and penitent, but that simply doesn't seem to be a recipe for success in modern society.
This sucks.
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