traffic ticket "failure to produce documents" or something like that... is it worth to fight it?

[spanky]

i got a ticket for basically not having my insurance card with me. i have insurance, which i told the officer i could bring it to the station the next day, or fax it to him. but i guess he wasn't feeling in a merciful mood. anyway, is it worth going to court to fight it? i seemed to remember one time when i was in traffic court, there was a guy who had the same ticket, the judge just asked him if he had his insurance card. he showed the judge the insurance card, and it appeared he was free to go. did anyone ever have a ticket for failing to show documents (drivers license, insurance, etc) during a traffic stop? if so, did u go to court to try to get the ticket thrown out? just wondering. it's a $44 ticket.

 

[Viper GTS]

YES!

Show up with a document proving you had insurance when you were pulled over, the ticket will be tossed.

You don't want anything on your record you don't have to have on your record.

Viper GTS

 

[olds]

In CA I believe the law says you have to present proof of insurance. Here the ticket would be for not having proof in your possesion. I believe the ticket would stand. Your State may be another matter.

 

[bmacd]

in MI, we can take our proof (assuming you had prior coverage, not signing up that night) and a substantial cost of the ticket is waived.

-=bmacd=-

 

[spanky]

hmm... i am thinking, if i go to court, and the judge sees i did have insurance coverage at the time of the ticket, if he does waive the ticket, i still need to pay a $30 court fee right? so if that is the case, i would be paying $14 for the offense of failure to produce my insurance card. hmm.... decisions, decision 😱

 

[notfred]

In CA there's a $10 fee to show up in court w/ your insurance papers and get the citation tossed out. The fine for driving without insurance is at least $800. More for a second offense. there's no way in hell I wouldn't show up in court if I was in CA. I don't know what state you're in.

 

[bmacd]

in MI, you have the option of getting a court date, you aren't forced to go. You generally have 14/30 days to decide. If you opt out of a court date, you can go right to the window clerk and she is able to "waive" most of the portion of the ticket upon proof of insurance.

-=bmacd=-

 

[jjessico]

My pal up here in MN got caught speeding; something like 80 in a 55. He was on his way camping with some other pals. Trooper asked for liscence and registration. He didnt have his wallet, no liscence. He also couldn't find his registration in the car(had thrown it out as trash while cleaning the car). So get got 3x tickets, speeding, no liscence, no insurance. He went to court, judge asked if he had a liscence, he said yes. Judge asked to see it. He provided his liscence and the judge tossed it. Judge asked if he had insurance, he said yes. Judge asked to see it. He provided his insurance card and the judge tossed it. He still got the speeding though. So it'd probaby be worth a shot?

Jason

 

[tcsenter]

You received a ticket for failing to show proof of insurance, not for failing to have insurance. There is no 'fighting' it, unless you're saying that you did in fact show the officer proof of insurance. Showing up in court to prove you have insurance does not address the reason for the citation.

You may get a nice judge, you may get a judge who resents that you're there wasting the court's time. 50/50.

 

[axelfox]

isn't that just a fix it tix?

 

[Evadman]

To me it is not worth it to sit in a court room for 4 hours to get a $44 ticket tossed. I would just pay it.

In illinois, if you show your proof at court, the ticket is tossed.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: bmacd
in MI, we can take our proof (assuming you had prior coverage, not signing up that night) and a substantial cost of the ticket is waived.

-=bmacd=-

Must have changed since I lived there....about 9 years ago I got pulled over for speeding and the cop was generous and wrote me a ticket for no proof of insurance, even though I had it. He told me to show up at the magistrate, show my insurance card and the ticket would be dropped.
Sure enough, it was.

 

[tcsenter]

He told me to show up at the magistrate, show my insurance card and the ticket would be dropped.

This was probably at the officer's discretion, meaning he gave you this option. What they have called "fix it" tickets are fading into obscurity simply because its a source of revenue that city councils, magistrates, police chiefs and legislators no longer wanted to see get away. Resources were spent writing those tickets, it doesn't make any sense to just let that revenue walk out the door.

Window tinting was a "fix it" citation, have any officer attest to the fact that you had removed the violative tint and the citation was dropped. No longer.