He caught me doing 77mph in a 60mph zone. The ticket is only $80, but I think I'll contest it anyways to get the points off my record.

What a shit way to start the week.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

if you dont win, you'll be charged extra for court fees

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=Kamal]if you dont win, you'll be charged extra for court fees[/quote]

Do you know how much the court fees run?

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

no clue..... someone I know got one in WV and was charged $80 over the ticket in court fees

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Most of the time the prosecuter will take off points but balance it out with a lareger fine. Bro, TAKE the lager finer. You do not want points on your license b/c Insurance companies will eat you alive due to points.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

that is another thing.... how do they check for points ? because not all states share DMV databases, so getting a ticket in one state (and you living in another) might not show up on your record at all.

not to mention, I recently called Geico to get a quote, she asked me on the phone how many tickets.... if she is basing the ticket based on my response, then can't anyone give incorrect information and get a lower monthly payment ?

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

lame... sorry to hear that.

i guess i've been lucky... had my license 9 years - been pulled over only 3 times and never had a ticket (one of the times would have been a definate ticket for 25 miles per hour over the limit, but it was my eighteenth birthday and he let me off :lol: )

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

your chances of winning in court are somewhere between nil and none... you'll say you weren't going that fast, cop will say you were (if he/she shows up)... case closed thanks for stopping by. i've never heard of a prosecuter taking a larger fine in exchange for points as traffic court is different from municiple (crimes) court and is handled by a judge not a prosecuter. if it's your first ticket go to traffic school, if it's not pay the fine, go on and don't get another for at least two years.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

I would go to court. I used to be a cop. The judge will commonly make you an offer that is better than not going to court. For example, where I was from speeding was two points on you license. But in court, if you agree to the bargain at the start and avoid a "trial" the judge will often knock it down to a non moving violation which only carries 1 point. If you don't agree and have the "trial" don't expect any break if you lose.

The cop is the one who will commonly suggest the offer to the judge. Find him before your court time, out in the lobby or something and ask politely if there is anything to be done or any lesser fine/charge he can suggest.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[QUOTE=geoffgulley]i've never heard of a prosecuter taking a larger fine in exchange for points as traffic court is different from municiple (crimes) court and is handled by a judge not a prosecuter. if it's your first ticket go to traffic school, if it's not pay the fine, go on and don't get another for at least two years.[/QUOTE]

Respectfully, this is just not correct. Prosecutors routinely accept larger fines in exchange for a plea to a non-moving (read: non-point) violation, such as improper parking or excessive vehicle noise. Some prosecutors will work directly with you, but most won't -- most will only deal with an attorney. This is because, if you have an attorney, the prosecutor knows that he or she is on a level playing field with you, can't push you around, and may actually have to do some work to get a conviction. Most prosecutors would spare the aggravation for guaranteed revenue for the city, unless you're doing something really outrageous.

Also, I've handled tickets all over the place for folks, and I've never dealt directly with the judge. On your court date, if you're the defendant and you're not putting up a full blown defense, you might only see the judge because municipal courts tend to have fairly loose procedural rules, but there's always a prosecutor involved.

Please, for the love of God, don't just pay the fine. That's the worst advice I've ever heard, and I hear it all the time. PM me if you live in Missouri or Illinois and I've handle the ticket for you gratis on general principle.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

My suggestion to you is just pay the ticket. You will have to pay court fees either way. Which I think can be anywhere to 50 or 60 bucks extra. Plus you might have to take a day off of work and lose pay for that. Really I don't think it is worth it. At least in my opinion.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Looking at your post now, I see you're in MD, so there's not much I can personally do. I'd recommend going to the court on your court date and seeing if you can agree to plea to an amended charge that carries no points. If they won't deal with you directly, ask for a continuance and get a lawyer -- shouldn't cost you more than $100 to get the ticket fixed, but you'll save much more than that in insurance...

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Thanks for all the advice. I don't mind paying the fine and court costs as long as they reduce or drop the points all together. A co-worker said that the court costs are around 30 dollars here in Maryland for a traffic violation and that she has gone to court for several speeding tickets and has received a reduced fine/points for a couple of them or the cop didn't show for a couple of them also. This is my first speeding ticket in 6 years so hopefully there will be some leniency. I don't want my insurance rates to go up.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=toasty]Respectfully, this is just not correct. Prosecutors routinely accept larger fines in exchange for a plea to a non-moving (read: non-point) violation, such as improper parking or excessive vehicle noise. Some prosecutors will work directly with you, but most won't -- most will only deal with an attorney. This is because, if you have an attorney, the prosecutor knows that he or she is on a level playing field with you, can't push you around, and may actually have to do some work to get a conviction. Most prosecutors would spare the aggravation for guaranteed revenue for the city, unless you're doing something really outrageous.

Also, I've handled tickets all over the place for folks, and I've never dealt directly with the judge. On your court date, if you're the defendant and you're not putting up a full blown defense, you might only see the judge because municipal courts tend to have fairly loose procedural rules, but there's always a prosecutor involved.

Please, for the love of God, don't just pay the fine. That's the worst advice I've ever heard, and I hear it all the time. PM me if you live in Missouri or Illinois and I've handle the ticket for you gratis on general principle.[/quote]

Thanks for the info.... I personally haven't had a speeding ticket in over 15 years.... (did i just jinx myself?) so what the hell do I know eh? That and pops is a patent attorney so I missed all the fun stuff growing up. Just for my info how much would the insurance typically go up? Would it actually be more than the fine and the lawyer fees combined? Is there more to this story? (multiple moving violations etc recently?) I have absolutely no point of reference so I'm just attempting to educate myself here.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Around here it is pretty much automatic that if you show up at court they will knock it down at step, i.e 4pts --> 2, 2pts --> 0, etc.

77 in a 60, that sucks, here in NJ you will be holding up traffic if you were going that slow :lol: those are usually the PA drivers :x

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

i heard if the cop doesnt show for any reason they drop the ticket? is that untrue

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[QUOTE=geoffgulley]Just for my info how much would the insurance typically go up? Would it actually be more than the fine and the lawyer fees combined? [/QUOTE]

Too many variables to really say, because it will depend upon how many other tickets you've had, what they were for, and what the charge is at the time. In general, though, when you consider that you're going to be paying auto insurance as long as you drive your car, I find it hard to envision a situation where it would be cheaper in the long run to just pay the fine, even considering legal fees. It won't take very long at all for the insurance rate increase to eat up the savings of just paying the fine, likely less than a year. Also, if you get another ticket, you're going to have problems getting it fixed because you have another one already on your record, and you have a snowballing effect.

If the ticket happened in a different state, it might be worth rolling the dice, but if you ever apply for new insurance, you'd theoretically have to disclose it anyway so it may not be worth running the risk.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

you got a ticket for only going 17 over the limit? They usually don't bother with that around here....usually have to be 20 or over.

Regardless, sorry to hear you got a speeding ticket....I don't know if I would bother fighting it for $80, but then again I wouldn't want to lose points

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[QUOTE=peloquin]i heard if the cop doesnt show for any reason they drop the ticket? is that untrue[/QUOTE]

That's normally the case, yes.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

I'd go to court...worst case, you pay a little in court costs and the ticket doesn't change...best case, you get it reduced to a minimum and either get no points, or 1. The fact you mentioned that it's been 6 years since your last one could help your case (and that one probably isn't even on your record anymore)...by having points on the insurance, you'll pay much more in the long run.

But as said above, don't just pay the thing directly, unless for some reason you then can't make your scheduled court date and can't move it...

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

definitely go to court. i've gone twice for speeding tickets and both times things wound up better for me. i'm sure this varies from state to state, but here's what I've been through in NJ: you go in (be there a little ahead of time), when the judge calls your name, you tell him/her you'd like to speak to the prosecutor. he/she might even suggest this to you. you leave the court room and line up to see the prosecutor to the side. when it's your turn to speak to the prosecutor, if you don't have an attorney, he/she will ask you what you want to do. most likely the issuing officer will be there too. tell them you'd like to get the ticket reduced. depending on local traffic law, what they will most likely do is lower the ticket to the next-less-severe penalty. for example, as someone said before, 4 pts to 2 pts, 2 pts to a non-moving violation, etc...in your case, whatever threshold is the next lower on your ticket. in NJ, 17 over is a pretty stiff fine, so they will usually lower it to 14 over, which is just under then next lowest threshold, saving you points and fines.

i'm willing to bet you won't get away without incurring some points, but trust me: having points on your license follows you around for a long time. years. and if you get enough, at least in NJ, you have to pay surcharges in the range of $100 a year until the points go away, which takes three years per ticket. those points, in turn, make your insurance much more expensive. honestly, i was paying twice as much as i would have if i hadn't gotten any tickets, and insurance is thousands a year.

for me, my fines were not changed; it only appears that way because when you visit the cashier she tallies up the cost of the ticket, the court fees, etc. all on one bill.

so, find a way to get to court and do what you can. hire an attorney if you're rich. but you'll be saving money in the long run.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Stick it to the man!

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=geoffgulley]your chances of winning in court are somewhere between nil and none... you'll say you weren't going that fast, cop will say you were (if he/she shows up)... case closed thanks for stopping by. i've never heard of a prosecuter taking a larger fine in exchange for points as traffic court is different from municiple (crimes) court and is handled by a judge not a prosecuter. if it's your first ticket go to traffic school, if it's not pay the fine, go on and don't get another for at least two years.[/quote]

I disagree with this. I haven't had any tickets stick in over 5 years and believe me, I've had my share of tickets (I'd say somewhere between 50 and 100) since I was 16. Once I learned how the courts operate I became successful at getting tickets dismissed. In WA. up until earlier this year we had a filing procedure which required the officer to file the ticket with the court within 2 days, excluding weekends and holidays. If he failed to file you could bring up the rule and have the ticket dismissed. Earlier this year they changed it to 5 days so now its a bit harder to get out of tickets. Also you can get the SMD certification and make sure its current, many times they are not. Thats cause for dismissal as well.

It just comes down to how much homework you want to do. Else you can pay an attorney. For traffic tickets (around here) its usually between 150 and 300. Usually the attorneys with the 300 dollar fee only get paid (or partial payment) if they get the ticket dismissed. If they get the infraction amended to a non-moving violation they will pay the fine out of their fee. The ones who charge 150 is simply a flat fee with best effort.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=neoee]I disagree with this. I haven't had any tickets stick in over 5 years and believe me, I've had my share of tickets (I'd say somewhere between 50 and 100) since I was 16. [/quote]

surely you jest...+/-15 tickets a year? bullshit, imo

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=neoee]I disagree with this. I haven't had any tickets stick in over 5 years and believe me, I've had my share of tickets (I'd say somewhere between 50 and 100) since I was 16. Once I learned how the courts operate I became successful at getting tickets dismissed. In WA. up until earlier this year we had a filing procedure which required the officer to file the ticket with the court within 2 days, excluding weekends and holidays. If he failed to file you could bring up the rule and have the ticket dismissed. Earlier this year they changed it to 5 days so now its a bit harder to get out of tickets. Also you can get the SMD certification and make sure its current, many times they are not. Thats cause for dismissal as well.

It just comes down to how much homework you want to do. Else you can pay an attorney. For traffic tickets (around here) its usually between 150 and 300. Usually the attorneys with the 300 dollar fee only get paid (or partial payment) if they get the ticket dismissed. If they get the infraction amended to a non-moving violation they will pay the fine out of their fee. The ones who charge 150 is simply a flat fee with best effort.[/quote]

read all of the posts.... toasty and i already discussed this.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=sammwalk]surely you jest...+/-15 tickets a year? bullshit, imo[/quote]

No really, probably on the lower end though. And I'm not as bad as my friend who has many, many, more. One of these days I will have to get a copy of my records from the courts, to scan in. I know for certian I have had 4 wreckless drivings and 3 neglegent drivings (thats easy to remember). And I had my license suspended one year for having "too many tickets within a year" (6 that year). And that didn't include the tickets that got dismissed. That was when I got smart and started hiring a lawyer and also learned how to fight my own tickets.

BTW it would only take 5 tickets a year over 10 years to get to 50 and I've been driving (legally) since I was 16.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

^^ mercurydrivingschool imo

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=neoee]No really, probably on the lower end though. And I'm not as bad as my friend who has many, many, more. One of these days I will have to get a copy of my records from the courts, to scan in. I know for certian I have had 4 wreckless drivings and 3 neglegent drivings (thats easy to remember). And I had my license suspended one year for having "too many tickets within a year" (6 that year). And that didn't include the tickets that got dismissed. That was when I got smart and started hiring a lawyer and also learned how to fight my own tickets.

BTW it would only take 5 tickets a year over 10 years to get to 50 and I've been driving (legally) since I was 16.[/quote] well, you alluded to having not had any tickets stick in 5 years, so i assumed that was the timespan in which you had been driving...5 tickets sounds more reasonable, but still...jesus. don't they notice you getting so many tickets? you'd think they'd revoke your license or something. shit, if you had 1/4 of that here in NJ, you'd never drive again!

are you sure you're not an asian woman?:lol:

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=sammwalk]well, you alluded to having not had any tickets stick in 5 years, so i assumed that was the timespan in which you had been driving...5 tickets sounds more reasonable, but still...jesus. don't they notice you getting so many tickets? you'd think they'd revoke your license or something. shit, if you had 1/4 of that here in NJ, you'd never drive again!

are you sure you're not an asian woman?:lol:[/quote]

The key word being [B]STICK[/B] ;). If they can't find that you committed it's not on your record. They can give you thousands of tickets, in the end its the number of tickets that stick that count. Though I will admit in the past 5 or so years I have only been [B]given[/B] maybe 5 tickets.

And no I'm not an asian woman, I was just born with a lead foot. And honestly I don't think I'm that crazy of a driver. Now, my friend I mentioned earlier... I could write a book on all the crazy stuff thats happened with his driving, some of it you would think belonged in a hollywood movie.

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

me and my girl we're coming home from work last night and got yanked by some douchebag going 65 in a 45

and he came back just to tell her to watch her speed

if it was me i would have been fucked

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Speeders best friend:

[IMG]http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8237/200154wc.gif[/IMG]

Mine paid for itself twice over and then I stopped counting. Though, I haven't been using it in the last few years since I now drive a beater which cops never bother giving me a ticket in ( I think they feel sorry for me).

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

what is that thingy called

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Valentine 1. Best radar detector you can buy. Period. Although you'll get the Passport folks saying theirs is best. About 400 bucks. The really nice thing is once you buy one if more features are added to the current model you can either have them added on or they will buy it back your old one (since they are the same case and all). I had mine upgraded a few years ago for about 150. Its time to do it again though since lots of new technologies have been added since. Currently its manufactured under 21 different patents.

[url]http://www.valentine1.com/[/url]

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

speeding is fun, till you get caught......................

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=hulkhuss]speeding is fun, till you get caught......................[/quote]

That's when the real fun starts!

"PLEASE STEP OUT OF THE CAR. HANDS IN THE AIR! DOWN ON YOUR KNEES..."

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

anyone see the police car theft in cali today?

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=neoee]And no I'm not an asian woman, I was just born with a lead foot. And honestly I don't think I'm that crazy of a driver. Now, my friend I mentioned earlier... I could write a book on all the crazy stuff thats happened with his driving, some of it you would think belonged in a hollywood movie.[/quote]

you know NASCAR might be a good choice for you...

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=FM]you know NASCAR might be a good choice for you...[/quote]

I'd prefer CART, but you gotta have some serious balls for that, which I've seem to have lost as I've gotten older. ;)

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

[quote=picklemonkey]anyone see the police car theft in cali today?[/quote]

they should have clubbed that shit outta that white trash bitch

Re: So, I got a speeding ticket yesterday.....

Ha! All this talk of points.... no such thing in this country (South Africa) yet!! You get caught, slapped with a fine - you go pay it and walk off :)

By the way, I have 4 speeding fines outstanding since December - should have been paid by February - but I'll eventually pay them whenever. I must just make sure I obey the rules or if I get pulled over and I have outstanding fines they can arrest me :(