what are the chances of getting out of a traffic ticket?

[WhyMe]

So i went with mom to traffic court today to take care of a speeding ticket. state patrol said she was doing 70 in a 60 on i-90. of course mom says she was not speeding and wants to fight it.

We went and the court room had about 10 people in it. the prosecutor gave the options out like deferral , discussion or see the judge. i know the chances of winning in these small courts are close to zero unless represented by council. So we spoke to the prosecutor and was able to get a no seat belt ticket for $65 fine. does not go on record as moving violation.

what was surprising is 90% of the other folks either took the deferral, traffic class or something lower the prosecutor offered. i guess no one want to see the judge.

So with traffic tickets , how succesfull have you been on fighting it yourself? i told mom what happened was the best thing that could have been done today. am i wrong in thinking this way and should have fought it?

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Saw the judge 1 time, threw out the ticket. Was a red light camera. I hope I don't have to try again.

 

[Dave9]

Depends on the municipality. Some depend on fines and will fight tooth and nail. Some recognize they're making money by harassing motorists. So, it's the judge. Research that or maybe not worth the bother for a low cost fine?

If she didn't have repetitive moving violations, a few points is not the end of the world. If she did, maybe it's a wake up call?

Yes it is common for people to plead guilty to a lesser charge. It makes the prosecutor's success rate look higher because humans are too lazy/busy/etc to interpret the data otherwise.

 

[Skippy722]

If it's an option, I'll take the deferral. I paid the deferral with both mine and my wife's tickets, mine was for 20 over and my wife's was for 27 over. I still think 30mph when you're surrounded by nothing but fields on roads straighter than a razor and have miles between intersections is asinine. But, we were in the wrong, no one to blame but ourselves.

Those would have been $160 tickets each+points, the deferral cranks that to $252 and you can't get another moving violation for a year otherwise you get the points for both on your license. To me, beats having to go to court.

 

[RooflessVW]

I always call my lawyer as soon as the officer leaves and I have never had a speeding ticket stick.

 

[Fawteen]

I've always found it easiest not to behave in a manner that begets traffic tickets in the first place. I don't have to worry about calling lawyers and I don't have to worry about going to court.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted by Fawteen
I've always found it easiest not to behave in a manner that begets traffic tickets in the first place. I don't have to worry about calling lawyers and I don't have to worry about going to court.

That's what I always said until I was on a road with a school zone and passed a sign that said "end school zone" and "speed limit 30". Apparently that doesn't actually mean the end of the school zone. That was an expensive lesson --- which was, to completely avoid that road!

 

[Joel_MD]

I'm two for two in Maryland traffic court wins. One was for careless driving, given to me by a state trooper because I was involved in a multi-car pileup accident. Apparently everyone who hit the car in front of them was cited for careless driving. I went to traffic court, made a plea of 'not guilty,' and was found not guilty. Mostly because the trooper didn't witness the accident.

I also went to court once for a speeding violation, intending to plead 'not guilty.' The cop didn't show for court, so the judge dismissed it.

In Maryland it works a little differently than your state. You can plead guilty and mail in a check for the fine. You can plead 'not guilty' and request a trial. Or you can plead 'guilty with an explanation' and request a waiver hearing. The cop doesn't need to show up for the waiver hearing, and you're basically asking the judge to go easy on you.

It's pretty interesting to sit through an entire docket of traffic court. In my experience, the judge tends to go easy on folks who have a relatively clean driving record, whether they plead 'guilty with an explanation' or 'not guilty.' Many times they are sentenced to 'probation before judgement' and have to pay court costs (~$75), with no points assessed to the driving record. However, habitual offenders tended to get hammered and sometimes end up worse than if they had just mailed in a fine.

 

[skyactiv]

Originally Posted by Fawteen
I've always found it easiest not to behave in a manner that begets traffic tickets in the first place. I don't have to worry about calling lawyers and I don't have to worry about going to court.


Anyone here who drives has broken the speed limit. You cant honestly say you've never looked down at your speedometer and caught yourself driving over the speed limit.

 

[skyactiv]

My dad is a retired attorney, but I've never used him or an attorney to get out of driving infractions.
My last ticket was for doing 50 MPH in a 35 and marked lanes, which means not using your turn signal in Ohio. I did this in Downtown Columbus.
I fought both citations, got the marked lanes dismissed and got the speed amended to a no points MUFFLER, EXCESSIVE GAS OR SMOKE mechanical violation.

 

[Kestas]

I had a new car with a speedometer that was off. I showed the judge the warranty repair work order and got my speeding ticket dismissed.

 

[CourierDriver]

Everyone is innocent in traffic court.....

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I got a ticket for doing something like 80 in a 65 and ended up having a consultation with a trooper before seeing the judge.
I had taken a driving class on my own and the trooper offered to bust the ticket down considerably...I asked if I would get points if I took the deal and he said no.
He lied, I still got points and our insurance rates went up considerably...my wife had chosen a policy that offered a discount but would go up dramatically with any points on anybody's license.
Without consulting me, of course.

Getting the ticket was due to my temper, I wasn't feeling well at all due to some kind of head cold but had told my wife I would drive up North for our condo board meeting. I knew I was getting near a speed trap and was keeping it reasonable until I went to pass somebody who was going quite slowly in the right lane. As soon as I went to pass, the jerk sped up to match my speed...I was like, OK, fine, and slowed down to pull in behind him. Of course, jerk slows down dramatically.
This happened a few times and I just had enough...I didn't even want to be in the car because I was sick and now this jag was messing with me. I stupidly poured it on and the guy kept trying to race me, I got ahead of him easily but of course there is a trooper at the speed trap. I actually saw him from far away and took my foot off the gas while the jerk flew by me on the right...I still got pulled over.
If I ended up going before the judge, I was going to argue that the trooper got the speed of the other car because he was in front of me when we actually got near the trap...I think that might have actually been the case and figured there had to be some doubt about which car was actually clocked.
This is what happens when you let morons get under your skin...I can't believe how often stuff like this happens to me in New England, would be maybe once or twice a year in other parts of the country and it's at least a couple times a week here. I think it's the same bonebrains that have to chant "YANKEES SUCK" all the time...people with inferiority complexes who have to act out in passive aggressive ways.

 

[Donald]

Your best option is to go court and see what you can work out. Sometimes the officer does not show and its tossed out. Other times you are offered a lesser offense with no points. Obviously some of this is state by state laws or local laws. So not the same in every small court. However even with a lesser offense you pay the fine and court costs.

Best advice is to have a normal car that does not stick out, and don't drive like a jerk.

 

[Gebo]

I have found it pays to be friends with the District Attorney when possible. I have found that getting your speedometer calibrated works in some counties.

I have found that holding both my hands outside the car where the officer pulling you over can see them.

I have found that telling the officer the truth helps. For example, last Tuesday night, my wife and I were watching Poldark and had just put some cinnamon rolls in the oven to cook. 30 minutes left on Poldark and 15 minutes til the cinnamon rolls were done. Our son called as he forgot something and had left it at our home. So I agreed to meet him halfway at a particular rendevous point which would be 10:15 pm. 15 minute drive for each of us. No problem.

Already had my PJ bottoms and a T-shirt on. I hopped in my car and took off. I met my son and made the transfer. On my way back I was in a little bit of a hurry. I was doing 40 mph in a 25 and it was dark and raining and I accidently passed a town policeman. He obviously pulled me over. He asked me if I was in a hurry and then asked me for my driver's license. I apologized and told him I was in a little hurry. I told him I didn't have my Driver's License and if he wanted, he could shine his light in and see why I didn't. He shined his flashlight in on my leg area and said, "Oh, you only have on your pajamas." I explained my situation, my haste to leave without a DL, my "movie on Amazon Prime, the cinnamon rolls, my rush to get back home, etc. He smiled, shook his head and said, "I'm just gonna give you a warning tonight, but please slow down. Enjoy your cinnamon rolls."

 

[gman2304]

I pleaded "prayer for judgment" once and the judge granted my plea. I payed court cost and the speeding ticket was dismissed with no license or insurance points. I had an otherwise clean record but it's up to the discretion of the judge to grant a PFJ.

 

[doitmyself]

Obviously every state and/or jurisdiction varies. Unless you are very confident that you were wronged, my choice is the coward's way - do the plea bargain and do what WhyMe is doing - second guess yourself. Then, make comments like Fawteen (son of Pop Rivit?) - proclaim a life of perfection and moral superiority, LOL.

My first plea bargain traffic ticket was speeding in a construction zone (poorly placed signs, IMO). A prosecutor over heard my explanation at the front counter and offered a defective equipment fine. I, too, second guessed my decision and had thoughts of ""if plea bargaining is rampant at this level, just imagine what happens in serious circus court?". Move on WhyMe. You did right.

 

[SevenBizzos]

If you're clean for a long time it does help out if you go to the hearing. The last time I did that, which was probably 20 years ago, nearly everyone in the room was "no license, no insurance", so when I stood up there for 15 over I looked like an angel. Just a fine and no hit to my record (which is great for insurance reasons).

We have people attempt to contest red light violations all the time. Their problem usually is they don't watch the video before they come to contest it. The video is then shared for everyone and it's pretty obvious. Our standard is the light has to be red before you enter the intersection. This is easily shown by stopping the video and looking at red lights, a stop line, and a car that hasn't gone over it yet. Running light is pretty chronic around me, and it's annoying.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
I always call my lawyer as soon as the officer leaves and I have never had a speeding ticket stick.

Curiosity is how much does that cost per ticket roughly to have a lawyer involved?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Now with that said, I've been involved in some questionable vehicle stuff and NOT got a ticket. Following a friend 50+ miles in a junker Jeep he bought with no reg/insurance/inspection.

More recently a friend bought a boat and trailer and I hauled it home for him. Obviously it wasn't registered yet since he just bought it. Had no lights, so we did magnet stickon lights. We ended up getting pulled over at like 11PM. 4 ways on, off the road as far as possible, interior lights on, license and reg for my truck on display in my hand, both hands on wheel. Straightforward with him - hey we just bought this, have no registration on it, friend's place is only a few more miles.

He let us know that one of the lights went out but it started working again so we were good to go.