I just got my first ticket ever... DAMNIT! GAH!

[tyrantt23]

I was 0.3 miles, 500 meters away from my house. Got pulled over for driving 53 on a 35... a few seconds earlier I had reached over 60, but had to slow down for the curve, where the cop was lurking. Damnit! Now I have the choice to: 1. Pay the ticket 2. Go to court and try to contest (does this ever work?) 3. Go to driving school and get the ticket out of my record. This sucks... this really really blows big hairy donkey balls.

[arby]

2. Go to court and try to contest (does this ever work?) Unfortunatly, yes.

[Marvo]

How much do you have to pay?

[tyrantt23]

Unfortunatly, yes. You mean, it does work? But you need to prove that the cop was somehow wrong though, right? How much do you have to pay? Don't know yet. I'll get the info in the mail in a week or two. From what I've been reading on the internet though, I can expect to pay $325.00 or more here in California. Also, if I don't chose to go to driving school, then my insurance will go up like crazy and over the next 3 years or so, I'll have paid $1,000 to $3,000 more in insurance from the price going up.

[Man of Shred]

i just drove for the 3rd time! scared the hell outta my bro's gf and her sister when i nearly drove off the curb and almost into a ditch. 3 times!

[tyrantt23]

i just drove for the 3rd time! scared the hell outta my bro's gf and her sister when i nearly drove off the curb and almost into a ditch. 3 times! haha, damn dude... stay on the road. As long as there isn't a cop near you though, you should be fine... Yeesh, now I'm thinking that a radar detector may be a worthy investment for me in the next couple of years.

[Burns]

Radar detectors are a waste. I had one before and the damn thing never saved me from a ticket. What did you get written up for? 15 over? Because I think that might be considered Careless Driving and they hit you hard for that. Though maybe the traffic laws in CA might be different than MI. Depending on the situation, sometimes you can go to court and get out of the ticket without paying or getting points on your license. Sometimes the cop doesn't show up, in which the judge drops the case. Or the cop makes a deal with you before the hearing starts to only pay the fine and get out of the points. I've never argued a ticket (since I deserved every one of them), but my hubby has and he's gotten out of them.

[tyrantt23]

Radar detectors are a waste. I had one before and the damn thing never saved me from a ticket. What did you get written up for? 15 over? Because I think that might be considered Careless Driving and they hit you hard for that. Though maybe the traffic laws in CA might be different than MI. Depending on the situation, sometimes you can go to court and get out of the ticket without paying or getting points on your license. Sometimes the cop doesn't show up, in which the judge drops the case. Or the cop makes a deal with you before the hearing starts to only pay the fine and get out of the points. I've never argued a ticket (since I deserved every one of them), but my hubby has and he's gotten out of them. Well, the cop just said he was going to write me a citation. On the citation it says that I was driving 53 on a 35 and that the safe driving limit is 40, so I really don't know. Reckless driving would suck even more... yikes. I was just dumb to not try to say anything to the cop about my home being so close... I was just silent and saying: "yeah, uh-huh, ok, yeah, alright." dumb me. I think saying that in court might not do any good... but I guess its worth a try anyway. I guess I'll just have to wait until I get the notice from the mail to see what exactly are my options, how much is the fine, and all of that. Did your husband have to pay court fees? ps. If any admin sees this thread, could you please move it to The Lounge? I posted it on Senseless Banter by accident and couldn't delete the thread... hehe. Thanks.

[Universal Mind]

You mean, it does work? But you need to prove that the cop was somehow wrong though, right? Don't know yet. I'll get the info in the mail in a week or two. From what I've been reading on the internet though, I can expect to pay $325.00 or more here in California. Also, if I don't chose to go to driving school, then my insurance will go up like crazy and over the next 3 years or so, I'll have paid $1,000 to $3,000 more in insurance from the price going up. Dude, go to traffic school. It is so much easier than dealing with all of that other junk. But if you think you have some kind of argument that will convince a judge (who is definitely used to being lied to all the time and very skeptical), then go to court. You can go to the arraignment (the initial court appearance), plead guilty, and then spill your soul out to the judge about how bad you had to piss and didn't want to go in the car or how your roommate was threating suicide and how it is your first ticket and what a safe driver you actually are. If you do that, you are risking a stubborn jerk judge who doesn't want to hear anything. I had a very important story to tell a judge one time, and he told me to stop talking because he was hung over. A lot of them are like that. Another thing you can do is go to the arraignment, plead not guilty, and have a trial date posted for way into the future. Then you can show up for the trial and change your plea to guilty. That will give you time to come up with the ticket money, but it won't help your insurance. The only rock solid option for saving insurance money is to go to traffic school. Not all states have that option for saving on insurance, but if California does, I would say do that.

[tyrantt23]

Hey, thanks a bunch from the advice Universal Mind! They do give the opportunity to take traffic school, even over the internet, so I'll probably be doing that. I talked to someone at work who recently got a speeding citation. He said he still had to pay for the ticket, but his record was clean after the driving school, plus he took it over the internet and it only took him 4 hours and $19.00. I guess I'll still go to court and please guilty and hopefully the judge is easy on me... I've never been pulled over before after all. I also remember reading/hearing that if the cop doesn't show up to court, then I automatically win... I'll see how it goes. By the way... Another thing you can do is go to the arraignment, plead not guilty, and have a trial date posted for way into the future. Then you can show up for the trial and change your plea to guilty. That will give you time to come up with the ticket money This made me lol. Great idea!

[IZ]

Well just do something about it. Ignoring it will just add more tickets in the future to that one. Get more than enough and its the slamer for you but only for a couple of days. This is in fact the chipest way for paying your tickets. Unless you miss work and also the uncomfortable situations that you find in prison. SO DO SOMETHING, If ignoring it crosses your mind, DONT. If your tough enough for jail. Thats your buisness. Trust me I know.

[Neruo]

Speeding tickets suck. But at least it isn't cancer.

[tyrantt23]

Speeding tickets suck. But at least it isn't cancer. that single comment actually just made me feel a lot less upset about the fact that I got the speeding ticket.

[ShYne123]

Im 17, i got a ticket for going 63 in a 45 (It was only 75$ :-p) And i also totaled my first car. In July i will findout how much i get raped by insurance when its reinstated.

[Seeker]

Radar detectors are a waste. I had one before and the damn thing never saved me from a ticket. I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you on that one. I've had one for about 6 years now and been saved many times. Like other things in life, it's all in how you use it. Instant on radar is the biggest threat. Blammo, your hit out of the blue, however, you can avoid this by always keeping a car in front of you, about 100 meters. I've done this a lot, in fact I was following a car through Virginia one time, we were both doing about 75, he was a quarter mile in front of me. He got the ticket Speaking of tickets, they have just installed camera's at some intersections where I live. I had a light change from yellow to red while I was in the intersection three weeks ago. 100 frickin dollars! for running a red light. Man am I pithed!!!!

[27]

I'm not a good driver but I've been very lucky and avoided geting any tickets in the past couple years I've been driving. *Knocks on wood*.

[Tavasion]

that sucks, Seeker. we have those cameras here, too. just means you have to be more careful. ive only got one ticket, and that was for rolling my dads special-edition Trailblazer, only six of them in Jeff City. it was two right turns from my house, and it was completely my fault. but it was only a 75 dollar ticket, and i got out of it with 20 hours of community service at the Samaritan Center. easy.

[vee]

I had to go to court once and contest a ticket. The cop got his tinker toys all messed up. I passed a semi and the cop was on the inside lane about three car lengths in front of the semi. The semi was going about 35 mph. There was a stop light ahead and I got back in the right hand lane in front of the semi. I passed the cop who was going 40 mph. I was doing 50. The speed limit was 55. As soon as I passed him I started slowing down for the stop light and he got in behind me and whipped his lights on. He had the nerve to come tell me I was going 70 mph. 20 over. I told him I looked at my speedometer before I past him and I was only doing 50. He said he was doing 55. I told him bullshit I know what you were doing, you were only going 40 mph. I said, "How stupid do you think I am, do you think I just like pissing off the cops blowing by them at 70 mph. Are you nuts?" He wrote me the ticket anyway. But I knew there was something wrong. I sketched the whole scene out on a poster and took it to court. The judge asked me what the cop had told me. I told him that the cop had told me maybe my speedometer was off a little. I told the judge "Look your honor, I just got one little itty bitty speedometer in my car to rely on and theres nothing wrong with it. "INSPECTOR GADGET OVER HERE HAS ALL KINDS OF CR*P IN HIS CAR AND STILL CANT GET IT RIGHT!!!" The judge started laughing and let me off. I didnt have to pay the ticket. Good Luck to ya though. Vee

[Universal Mind]

I told him bullshit I know what you were doing, you were only going 40 mph. I said, "How stupid do you think I am, do you think I just like pissing off the cops blowing by them at 70 mph. Are you nuts?" He wrote me the ticket anyway. I told the judge "Look your honor, I just got one little itty bitty speedometer in my car to rely on and theres nothing wrong with it. "INSPECTOR GADGET OVER HERE HAS ALL KINDS OF CR*P IN HIS CAR AND STILL CANT GET IT RIGHT!!!" The judge started laughing and let me off. I didnt have to pay the ticket. You got very lucky there. One thing I know from dealing with cops and judges is that respect very often goes a long way, and disrespect will make you an instant enemy. I have been driving for 20 years, and in my early days I drove like Steve McQueen. I have been pulled over A LOT, but I haven't had that many tickets. That's because of the way I talk to cops. If you look a cop in the eyes and act like you genuinely respect him and the job he does (without acting fake... Don't act like Eddie Haskell on Leave It To Beaver.), your chances of not getting a ticket are pretty good. If you disrespect the cop with your tone or words or at all imply that the cop is out of line in any way whatsoever, you are close to 100% guaranteed to get a ticket.

[vee]

Shoot, I generally respect cops I really do. Plus that is the only ticket I have ever gotten. Plus I knew he had screwed up. What he did was catch the simi's speed and my speed we were so close together and lumped them into one speed. Ending up with me going 30 miles over what I was really going. Since I was watching the speedometer on my vehicle when I passed both the semi and then him, and my speedometer absolutely was not in error. I knew he had been screwing around with his switches and stuff and wasnt looking at his own speedometer but at what his radar was saying. For that one I was so mad. Hell I knew he was a rookie. I didn't cuss him out too much and didn't argue with him too long but I sure did know he had screwed something up. Thank God the Judge knew who "Inspector Gaget" was. A lot of people dont. Vee