I am from out of state with out of state DL on a rental car. Got pulled over for speeding (62 on 35 mph, Farm road). My licence is a Tx licence and I was pulled over in New Jersey. Do I need a lawyer or I can fight that myself since this is my first ticket after seven years. I am not sure how the point system works on a different state licence. I never been to the court for speeding ticket and not sure how to approach it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
2006-09-12 06:44:06 · 14 answers · asked by Myco 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
Ask around and see if Texas and NJ share reciprocal points. If they don't just pay the fine. If you haven't had a ticket in 7 years the points shouldn't affect you too much.
Tip: the judges in NJ are hired by the towns and know the cops so you won't get off by challenging the police or the radar.
If you're back in taxas, even though the ticket say mandatory court appearance, just call the court and explain you are out of state and cannot return for the court date. Plead guilty and pay the fine, its cheaper then flying out here, losing and then having to pay the fine.
2006-09-12 07:17:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Check the ticket. It will usually tell you how to handle it and what your options are. If you can mail the fine in I would suggest doing so. 62 in a 35 is more than just "a little" over the limit. You would likely lose if you chose to fight it even when it's your first offense. If the ticket requires a court appearance, call the prosecutors office that you are supposed to appear in and explain the situation. They may allow you to make a guilty plea by mail. As far as points go, that is up to your home states Motor Vehicle Department. Most states do not apply points if you plead guilty and pay the fine, so long as you don't show a pattern of violations.
2006-09-12 06:57:10 · answer #2 · answered by Mike 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have three choices in this situation:
1. You were going almost twice the posted speed limit. Simply plead guilty, and pay the fine. You will be found guilty by the court and points will be accessed against your driving record by the state of New Jersey, however, they may or may not actually find their way onto your driving record in your home state of Texas.
2. Plead guilty and request to attend Traffic Violator School. There may be a small fee to attend the school. After completing the school,( which is usually just an 8 hour class), and filing the certificate with the court, the citation will be dismissed by the court, no points will be accessed against your driving record. You may or may not pay a token fine to reinberse the court for its time. It will be as if this had never happened.
3. Request a hearing before the court (fighting the ticket). You will appear once for your arraignment where you will be given a court date. An Attorney seldom is of any benefit to you in a minor traffic case. The Second appearance will be your trial. If the officer that issued your citation does NOT appear your case will be dismissed. (it does happen, but rarely) If the officer does appear he will testify, and present his evidence to the court. You will then testify and present your evidence (IE; I was driving twice the speed limit because....) The odds are about 99 out of 100 that you will be found guilty, pay a fine and have points accessed against your driving record.
2006-09-12 07:41:44 · answer #3 · answered by Peedlepup 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
A lawyer would be a waste of money for such a petty incident, since no accident was caused. Pay the fine and you are done with it!! It's the only way and the best thing to do if you want to move on. They may or may not even report it to TX. Even if they do, TX will not have any big penalty. You have to mess up pretty bad to lose a lot of points and your record is clear the past 7 years anyway.
2006-09-12 06:51:52 · answer #4 · answered by Cub6265 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would make more sense to pay the ticket. Why do you want to fight the ticket if you were speeding? You were going 27 miles over the limit so the judge is not going to allow you to challenge the ticket. The judge will award you a fine anyway.
If you go to court, you'll lose a day's pay, personal time, and if the court is busy, you may be rescheduled for another date. Since you are out of state, this will be a costly trip.
2006-09-12 06:53:44 · answer #5 · answered by ne11 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First maybe want to talk to a lawyer since 27 miles over the speed limit might be a harsh penalty,
next definitely go you will not get it thrown out but if this is your first ticket in seven years, then most likely the prosecutor will reduce the speed or charge, I fight mine all the time never gets thrown out but always reduced.
2006-09-12 09:11:21 · answer #6 · answered by goz1111 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most municipal courts in NJ will allow you to pay a larger fine so that you don't get any points. I had a speeding ticket went to court, I ended up paying $380.00 for the ticket but I got no points.
2006-09-12 07:53:19 · answer #7 · answered by evillyn 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
What do you mean "fight it?" You just admitted to doing it. Pay the fine and slow down. It doesn't matter if it is a country road or a city street. The limits are there for a reason.
2006-09-12 06:49:38 · answer #8 · answered by Spirit Walker 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i had the same thing happen to me one time, however i wasnt that much over the speed limit as you were.....i simply told the officer i was up from florida(which i was) on vacation in michigan and was "driving in unfamiliar territory" and i was very apologetic with him .... after he checked everything out.....he came back and actually let me go. I got lucky....this doesnt happen all the time but it fortunatly worked for me , hope this helps.
2006-09-12 12:14:47 · answer #9 · answered by steve m 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Find an Attorney
2006-09-12 07:14:57 · answer #10 · answered by kclarkhorses 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋