I recently recieved a speeding ticket for $225! Should I go to court and protest it?

Question

I have heard that two thirds of all speeding tickets are dismissed if you go to court because the police officers often do not show up. Do you think I should try this? Also, what happens if the police officer DOES show up? Will I be expected to pay the fine immediately?

Answer 1

I'm not sure how other states do it, but in Florida the officer is subpoenaed to be in court. If the officer fails to appear he can be found in contempt. Additionally many agencies discipline officers that fail to show up in court.

Also I have read MANY books about how to win in traffic court. Many of them make me laugh. If you go to court and loose the judge can do many things. He can raise the fine (or lower it), and you will also be assessed court costs.

I am in traffic court almost every week and have only seen the judge reduce a fine a handful of times, and have only seen 2 cases dropped. If you are going to court just plead no contest and ask the judge to with-hold adjudication. That is my best advice.

Answer 2

This is a myth my man, and you have 3 options. Hurry before it's too late. First, being to pay the ticket and just wait three years and it will be gone(for insurance purposes). Second, attend driving school and pay the fee, and you're insurance won't go up. Third, file for financial hardship and the courts will alway you to make payments or do volunteer work(comunity service) to pay off the ticket. I really doubt you would be considerd for a dismissle because of the rate of speed. Your ticket is $225, not $ 50 bucks, or $35(min.) for just going a little too fast. So it's not a big deal man, we've all been there, just do what you gotta do, and slow down it's like giving away your money. G'luck and i wish you well.

Answer 3

Always contest a speeding ticket. You have a 50/50 chance of winning your case just by showing up. Court fees will not be high, and if you lose your case, the most you will pay on top of that $225 is an additional $50 for wasting ten minutes on the court calendar. If the officer shows up, tell them that your speedometer showed you going 20% over the speed limit (e.g. speed limit = 50 mph, you were going 60 mph). If found guilty, you pay a few extra bucks. But can you live with yourself, knowing you could have fought the system and won? i couldn't.

Answer 4

Definitely always go to court. You're playing the odds that the cop won't show, but even if he does they may reduce the amount of the ticket just because you showed up. If you can't pay the full amount, they'll make payment arrangements. Just be sure you pay them on time or they'll get your license! There's also the possibility of pleading PBJ- that's probation before judgment. The judge will ask if anyone wants to plead this way before he passes judgement. You pay a flat $50 fine and you have to watch yourself for a year. No other tickets or else you pay the full amount. I had this happen to me last year. I was speeding in a school zone and there was no way I was going to get it reduced. So I took the probation and now it's a year later and I'm clear. Good luck!

Answer 5

My advice to you is to not even waste your time. No one has gotten more speeding tickets than me.
The police officers are almost ALWAYS in court. There's a very slim chance that he won't show up.
If the police does show up, you won't have to pay immediately. You'll get approximately a month or so I think to pay it. They'll give you the remittance deadline.
If you have nothing else to do with your time, go ahead and go to court. But if you're a busy person, just pay it b/c it's not worth the time and aggravation.

Answer 6

Hi there, I'm not sure what State you are in but im in Texas and i have sat in on a lot of court violations , I have NEVER seen one dismissed ,lol, for real , these cops or HY patrol are needing there tally points , plus the City needs the money, the only frog hair chance is , Did he have a speed detector if so forget it , they dont care if your mama was dying, But, check into the deferred payment , its ok , i did it and it wont show up on insurance , here any way , here it cost about 30 bucks , just call the court , they will tell you , and good luck {Get a radar detector ok )

Answer 7

I would fight it if you think that you could win.

I don't know if it is the same where you live, but where I live you have a date where you go and find out what your fine will be in court persay. Then you are asked if you want to fight it or pay the fine. You fight it a court date is set. Pay the fine you are given a month before the first payment is due. Mine lets you make payments on it. I had to pay $50 per month until paid off. Also interest is charged on it also. It was very low. In the 5 months or so it took me to pay my fine I had about $3.00 in interest (wish I could get that at a bank).

Just tell them the truth cause if you get caught in a lie you could face even more problems.

Good luck at what ever choice you make.

Answer 8

If the speeding ticket was legit and you actually deserved it. Go ahead and pay it. You'll be wasting your time if you go to court.

If you feel you didnt deserve the ticket in the first place and you believe you can make an argument against receiving it, go to court.

Whereas it is true that tickets are occasionally thrown out when a cop doesn't show, I believe that would only happen in a minor offense. I've never had a $225.00 speeding ticket. Sounds more than minor to me.

Answer 9

ALL speeding tickets should be contested, fully half of them are dismissed because the officer doesn't show up

theres a cheap book you can get from amazon with ways to beat a speeding ticket its called "Beat the Cops" and lays out strategies for defending yourself in court

even if you were caught with radar or laser, you can ask them for calibration records, for tuning fork calibration records, for all sorts of other records and really make the whole thing a headache for the local d.a.

Answer 10

What you heard is a lie. Many may get reduced, but if you were doing any sort of excessive speeding, you will end up losing in the court battle. If you were only a few miles over the speed limit, then go ahead and fight it. If you were like 10 miles over, just pay it.