I received a ticket for speeding for going 12 MPH above limit in early August and I chose to go to court. I got the appointment for the hearing for next week. What should I say?
2006-09-20 03:34:43 · 11 answers · asked by beli50 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
I did the same thing in Dec because I had no prior tickets. No one in traffic court had an attorney. The judge will just ask if you have anything to say about it. I plead no contest and just had to pay court costs which was $50 and I got the ticket deleted off my record. I work in insurance and since then I have pulled my MVR (motor vehicle report) and it doesnt even show up on it. If you had any prior tickets more than likely the judge will just tell you to go to drivers education class and then he will still remove it off your record. Almost everyone I was in class with plead no contest and got away with just paying court costs and taking the class unless you had a completely clean record. My ticket was for 23 mph over the speed limit. I live in FL.
Hope this helps!
2006-09-20 03:39:11 · answer #1 · answered by darcilynn83 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
99.9% of people who try to defend themselves end up looking stupid by citing things their "friends" told them would work in court and get convicted anyway. Usually getting a worse punishment than if they had just paid the fine.
Keep in mind that the officer who wrote you the ticket likely has years of experience, is probably well trained in the identification and apprehension of speeders, and probably has a state certification in the proper use of RADAR or LIDAR if that was used to determine your speed.
Most judges will take the word of an officer over that of a violator every time, unless the officer has a bad reputation with that judge or fails to produce the proper documents relating to the case which almost never happens. The way the rules are now you will almost certainly be found guilty if the officer appears in court and is prepared to proceed.
The smart course would have been to get a "Ticket:" attorney who has the experience to exploit every possible legal avenue to get you out of the ticket, usually for a nominal fee, and who usually will provide a money back guarantee that you won't get points in the event you are found guilty.
They probably won't change the outcome if the officer did his job correctly but they will make sure that all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted before judgment is passed and will argue for and gain the most lenient sentence possible in your circumstances.
In all my experience, I developed a respect and friendship with most of the attorney's that opposed me over the years because they made me a better and more professional officer by exploiting and exposing my mistakes. Toward the end of my career I was virtually invincible in court.
Let me leave you with some good advice for the future which was passed on to me by a Georgia State Trooper and pretty much adopted by me as my motto also:
"Nine your fine....Ten your mine"!
"Bucky" (everyone in Georgia knows who I'm talkin' about).
2006-09-20 12:35:26 · answer #2 · answered by JOHN 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the cop who gave you the ticket is not in court then plead not guilty and they usually throw it out. If he is there they plead no contest and they might give you court supervision. Which means that you it will not go on your record if you do not receive another ticket in the next year. I do want you to know that even though tickets do not appear on your record your insurance company still counts them against you.
2006-09-20 10:45:12 · answer #3 · answered by Jeni_Li 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You will have to pay court cost, mine was $120 (I live in Texas) and then go to a class (around $40). So even if you are not guilty you will still be out money. This is how the county makes the money. Right or wrong it is how it is done.
2006-09-20 11:59:01 · answer #4 · answered by CharKaye 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I feel you do not need to hire an attorney for this matter unless your drivers license is in jeopardy here.
Usually when you contest a traffic ticket in court they just lower the infraction and the fine.
Good luck!
2006-09-20 10:42:33 · answer #5 · answered by chunkydunk 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Presumably if you are contesting the ticket, you must plead not guilty, and produce evidence that you did not commit the offence, or that proper procedures were not followed when the ticket was issued.
2006-09-20 10:38:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Delay the hearing. The police officers schedule all their hearings at once. If you throw a wrench into the schedule, you have a chance he/she doesn't show up and you have a chance to have the case thrown out.
2006-09-20 16:25:21 · answer #7 · answered by RAR24 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that you plead NO contest pay the fine and go home minus 130 bucks, or you can hire an attorney he will plead no contest for you you pay him/her 500 bucks and you go home you were speeding any mitigating circumstances you make no mention of any
2006-09-20 10:38:55 · answer #8 · answered by aldo 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First off you should have paid the ticket off it may just end up costing you more than it would have if you woulld paid the ticket.
Good luck you will need lots of it.
2006-09-20 10:38:50 · answer #9 · answered by Tom Sawyer 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
plead not guilty
2006-09-21 14:29:52 · answer #10 · answered by Seth 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋