Traffic Ticket Questions/Stories

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Danoff

Danoff

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I noticed a few threads about individual speeding ticket circumstances in the rumble strip, but I had some other questions and an anecdote, so I thought this thread would be useful for everyone to discuss traffic violations.

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I recently got a ticket for doing 19 mph over the speed limit (marked down from 21mph - which is what the officer claimed was actually registered). I was out of state at the time in a rental car. The ticket represents 4 points on my license and $160. If paid within 20 days of the date of the incident, the number of points are reduced to 2.

I've gotten one other speeding ticket in my life, more than 10 years ago, and I took care of it by taking defensive driving. I highly recommend that option if it is available. I was wondering if the state I got my ticket in offered defensive driving and whether I needed to take it in that state, or in my home state (California). I was also wondering, if I was able to take it out of state, whether it would prevent me from taking it in CA were I to get a CA ticket soon after.

The answer was "no defensive driving allowed" in this particular county.

But here's where it gets interesting. The clerk at the court just told me not to pay within the 20 days. Apparently the court has little control over the ticket until a summons to appear is issued (after the 20 days). Once the summons is issued, the clerk told me that they would offer a plea bargain of a reduced fine and a reduction in points from 4 to 2, and they would change the category of the offense to non-moving violation.

The only problem with that is the following - if for some reason that offer is no longer on the table after the 20 days, I have to either plead guilty and take the 4 points on my license, or go back out of state to appear in court - which would cost me travel expenses and vacation time at work.

Still, I'm inclined to try it. Afterall, it's what the court clerk just told me to do. I imagine it would be tough to get into too much trouble by following their instructions.

Any thoughts? Am I risking more than I think? The worst possible outcome I could imagine is that I have to show up in court, pay the fee, and have more than 4 points put on my license because the officer retracts her original markdown. That would be really bad, but I seriously doubt that would happen. I think they'd at least let me plea guilty and take 4 points and the fee right up until the court date. So I think what I'm actually risking is 2 points.
 
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On my 24th birthday, I had one ticket to my credit (age 18). Now, I have three :grumpy:. Washington is one of the only states I've been in that actively enforces the speed limit--not just when the state needs some extra cash.

Today, shortly after I pulled on the freeway to come home, a white Cavalier sped by me, probably doing 75. A couple miles down the road, my radar detector went off, and I slowed from my cruise-controlled 64 to 61. The signal increased rapidly in strength, suggesting that the cop was coming the other direction. I didn't see the familiar Crown Vic...in fact I didn't see anything suspicious. The Ka alarm went away, and in my rear-view I saw an unmarked Impala (one of the bland, new models) dive across the grass median and hop into my lanes. He started coming up behind me very quickly. My blood pressure jumped quite a bit, but he pulled out to pass, flew by me at about 90, and flicked the lights on. About a mile down the road, he had the white Cavalier pulled over.

The moral of the story is that you're not safe anywhere around here. Cops are everywhere, driving everything, and coming from every direction. Valentine One = WIN.
 
I can say I've had one very bad experience by listening to the clerk of court; basically, she told me to just go to the next court date for traffic violations in that district (where I got the violation for speeding). It was over 30 days until the next hearing, which basically meant a warrant was out for my arrest; even though I'd signed up for a court date within the initial 30 days.

So guess whose happy butt gets socked with a $500 fine on top of the speeding ticket fine (which greatly reduced to $50). Not fun, and I almost landed in a jail 90 minutes from home; I was kept in the offices of the courthouse until the check cleared (about four hours later). I fought the $500 fine, and had $400 of it cut back during a second appearance at court. Oddly, you can't state your case during an initial hearing unless you take jail time (and/or have bond posted) instead of explaining the mess up front.

Moral of the story is don't get a ticket in a backwater town in Florida, where they like to make their own laws. And if you have any weirdness with overlapping laws, get a lawyer to represent you.
 
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Dan, I wouldn't risk it. Unless Kalifornia insurance regulations are different (though likely) the slight improvement of having the ticket be a non-moving violation isn't worth the risk of winding up with 4 points instead of 2. Especially with a clean record, your insurance company probably will not even care for a single ticket. I know I've gotten tickets occasionally (>3 years apart) and my rates have never gone up because of it.
 
Pupik
I can say I've had one very bad experience by listening to the clerk of court; basically, she told me to just go to the next court date for traffic violations in that district (where I got the violation for speeding). It was over 30 days until the next hearing, which basically mean a warrant was out for my arrest; even though I'd signed up for a court date within the initial 30 days.

So guess whose happy butt gets socked with a $500 fine on top of the speeding ticket fine (which greatly reduced to $50). Not fun, and I almost landed in a jail 90 minutes from home; I was kept in the offices of the courthouse until the check cleared (about four hours later). I fought the $500 fine, and had $400 of it cut back during a second appearance at court. Oddly, you can't state your case during an initial hearing unless you take jail time (and/or have bond posted) instead of explaining the mess up front.

Moral of the story is don't get a ticket in a backwater town in Florida, where they like to make their own laws. And if you have any weirdness with overlapping laws, get a lawyer to represent you.
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You didn't happen to get the ticket in Waldo, Fl did you?
 
Duke
Dan, I wouldn't risk it. Unless Kalifornia insurance regulations are different (though likely) the slight improvement of having the ticket be a non-moving violation isn't worth the risk of winding up with 4 points instead of 2. Especially with a clean record, your insurance company probably will not even care for a single ticket. I know I've gotten tickets occasionally (>3 years apart) and my rates have never gone up because of it.
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Apparently a non-moving violation means it doesn't show up on the driving record. I don't know what the difference is between 4 points and 2 in terms of insurance. Perhaps I should talk to an insurance company (not my own) and find out how they adjust their rates.

Edit: After talking to one insurance company, the ticket will cost me approximately $500 in the first year. They seem to think that all tickets out of state are 1 point on the california license, so it's unclear to me whether there's a difference between a 4 point ticket and a 2 point ticket.

Edit2: Apparently California treats all speeding tickets less than 100 mph as 1 point. So regardless of how this gets interpreted out of state, my CA license will have 1 point on it unless it gets reduced to a non-moving violation. I see almost no risk at this point for waiting to pay the ticket and trying to plea bargain.
 
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CDailey
You didn't happen to get the ticket in Waldo, Fl did you?
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No, Belle Glade.

At least Waldo has the "courtesy" of multiple near-billboard-sized signs warning you to slow down. If you get a speeding ticket in Waldo, you're just not paying attention, no matter how crooked they are with doling out town revenue: A posted 35 mph means you should go 32 to cover up any baked-in 5mph error that some cops employ.

A border town in Florida called Boulogue had it's town/city charter revoked because it refused to pay the state a portion of the speeding ticket fees. And Lawtey is even worse, at least Waldo has some buildings and residences, so slowing down is a courtesy. Lawtey has about four buildings and a stop light.

Even the AAA, which deplores speeding, has it out for those towns; supposedly, they will not suggest trips through those towns unless your stop is on/along US 301.
 
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I'm a great catch apparently for cops needing their quota...

Anyway, I looked back for the last ticket I got and it was five months ago I believe. I'm pretty much screwed on this one I take it? I will get points on my record and my insurance will go up? right.

:rolleyes:
 
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Danoff
Apparently a non-moving violation means it doesn't show up on the driving record. I don't know what the difference is between 4 points and 2 in terms of insurance. Perhaps I should talk to an insurance company (not my own) and find out how they adjust their rates.

Edit: After talking to one insurance company, the ticket will cost me approximately $500 in the first year. They seem to think that all tickets out of state are 1 point on the california license, so it's unclear to me whether there's a difference between a 4 point ticket and a 2 point ticket.

Edit2: Apparently California treats all speeding tickets less than 100 mph as 1 point. So regardless of how this gets interpreted out of state, my CA license will have 1 point on it unless it gets reduced to a non-moving violation. I see almost no risk at this point for waiting to pay the ticket and trying to plea bargain.
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Follow-up

It seems to have worked. I got a 4-point $160 speeding ticket for going 86 in a 65 reduced to a 2-point $120 non-moving violation by plea bargaining from out-of-state.

Granted, this might not work everywhere, maybe it doesn't work anywhere else, and I still find defensive driving to be a preferable course of action for getting rid of tickets.

Here's how it worked:

The ticket says "pay within 20 days or it becomes a summons to appear in court". After 20ish days the ticket shows up in the court system - at which point the court can mail you a plea bargain offer (if you request one). You agree to the plea bargain and mail it back.

Done. You don't need to show up in court or contest the ticket.

Just something to keep in the back of your minds the next time you get a ticket.
 
Just one little point:
Danoff
...And have more than 4 points put on my license because the officer retracts her original markdown.
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If the officer writes you a ticket for 19 over and attempts to retract that markdown in court, it would mean that the officer falsified an offence. I'm not sure if the California or other states court systems work in a way to allow this on traffic fines, but logically that's very, very illegal.

(Not to say that marking down a ticket isn't illegal - Technically, it is. But if the officer retracts it I think it'd be very easy for them to get burned for it).
 
I think it's still better, if you get a ticket, to find out the 'off' days of the cop who gave you the ticket, and then ask for a change of revenue in traffic court to one of his off days. Since he wont be there, the ticket is usually dismissed, so long you don't say you violated the law to the traffic court judge.

Better still, never get a ticket in the first place by collecting some police 'business' cards from any cop you meet. They usually give you one if you ask for one. Give it to a cop who pulls you over and say something like, "He's my brother-in-law." The cop will usually let you off with a verbal warning. (This works for me, since I have a lot of friends in law enforcement and have a lot of their cards.)
 
Solid Lifters
I think it's still better, if you get a ticket, to find out the 'off' days of the cop who gave you the ticket, and then ask for a change of revenue in traffic court to one of his off days. Since he wont be there, the ticket is usually dismissed, so long you don't say you violated the law to the traffic court judge.
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What I did was much much easier than this. Especially considering the ticket was out-of-state and I'd have had to travel to Colorado to pull this off - and there's a chance of it not working. But I suppose with your method if it doesn't work you can theoretically still take defensive driving (as with mine). Actually I think you could combine all of the above if each step doesn't work.

1) Try to convince the cop that your brother-in-law whatever is a cop.
2) Check out plea bargain options
3) Show up in court to try to fight the ticket
4) Defensive driving

Numbers 3 and 4 were not options in my case.
 
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Perhaps this isn't the case in the States, but here in Canuckia an officer is paid overtime to go to court, regardless of whether they're on shift or not. Financially, it's worth it for them.
 
Bits 'n' pieces...

My only speeding offence in the UK was for 42mph in a 30 zone in 1992.

I was chased down and stopped by an officer in 1999, but since he was on his own, and it was in Scotland, and he was without recording equipment, he was unable to charge me. I'm not going to say how fast I was going, but I got from Dunblane to Grangemouth before he caught me.

In the UK, traffic officers cannot "upgrade" a motoring offence, even after subsequent investigation. Hence they will charge you with the most severe offence that can apply, which you can bargain down in court. When I crashed the Subaru, I was charged with Dangerous Driving, but bargained it to Careless Driving.

I was done for speeding in France in October. 126Km/h in a 90 zone. Paid the €90 fine and went on my way. If you're driving quickly on foreign plates in France, carry cash, or they can impound your vehicle.
 
Yes. They're sections of the Road Traffic Act:
1. Causing Death by Dangerous Driving (it's off to the big hoose with ya, fine)
2. Dangerous Driving (criminal record, banned for at least a year, half-day driving exam to get your license back, fine)
3. Careless Driving (points and/or ban, fine)

I got a 6 month ban, £150 fine, no points.
 
Sounds like negligent driving vs. reckless driving over here. The first gets you a huge ticket and a lecture from the officer; the other gets you arrested, your car impounded, and your license suspended. There's a very fine line between the two, so you'd better hope that your record isn't too bad, and the cop is in a good mood.
 
Aren't cops usually always in a bad mood though? I've only met a few nice cops like ever, one was my neighbor, and the others are the school campus cops that ride around in the golfcarts.


EDIT: Also to keep on topic a little bit. I've never had a ticket, I have gotten a paper warning which I had to show to my parents for not wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle.
I have also talked my way out of a ticket for supposedly running two red lights which I never did. CHP officer said I did though and tried to ticket me for it. Told him he couldn't possibly have seen me run the lights as he was about 7 cars back. And on my merry way I went. He said he'd keep watching that road for me to be doing something wrong, but I never saw him again.
 
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You guys get off lightly ive got 3 tickets so far, one was from a camera car parked in the bushes, i was doing 111kph on the motorway (100kph limit) the cameras have a 10kph tolerance so for doing that 1kph it was $80. First one I got I got off lightly 75kph in a 50kph got knocked down 10kph because it was my first offence worse part was some people i knew from school passing me again $80 and 10 demerit points (100 and your licence is suspended) my latest was doing 80 in a 50 one more Kph and my licence would of been suspended for 6 months that one was $230 and 35 demerits and ive been driving just over 18 months.
 
^ I've been driving for 16 years and only have one ticket. Three in 18 months? Figured you would have learned by now. :rolleyes:
 

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