Got pulled over in california without a license?

Question

Hey everyone first of all my name is Mario,
Today I got pulled over without a license the only reason i went driving is because i had got a phone call saying my grandmother just had a really bad stroke. Well anyways im 17 years of age and was wondering about how much it is going to cost, and what penaltys are against me, And when i go to court what do i say if there is anyway on getting on the judges good side so that the pay will be less thanks you everyone

Ok lets say the juge calls me up what do i tell her no contest or what ever it is guilty because i want to tell her what happend at the time with my g-ma my mother was working graveyard and no one was home so what can i do in order to talk to the juge and tell my story

Answer 1

You are in some ways fortunate, since because you are 17 this will go to juvenile court, where the proceedings are somewhat less formal, and will be conducted by a juvenile traffic referee. You may have what in California is known as a defense of necessity. That is a public policy defense which says that even though you committed the offense, the conduct occurred in an emergency situation where the harm which would have resulted from NOT engaging in the conduct would have been greater than the harm the law seeks to prevent.

The question then is WHY you had to drive in response to your grandmother's stroke. Were you the only person available to take her to the hospital? Why couldn't the paramedics do it? Did you just want to be with her? Why couldn't you have a friend or relative with a license take you? Answers to these sorts of questions will be very important.

What you hope to avoid is the traffic referee making an order which will result in suspension of your ability to get a license for a year. Have proof of your grandmother's condition, an explanation of why you had to drive, and show up being both polite and contrite. Explain what happened and hope for the best.

And, by the way, don't look to find a fine on the back of the ticket. California does not do that.

Answer 2

The first thing you need to do is go & get a license. When you appear in court, plead guilty with a reason. You can show the judge that you corrected your error by getting the license just after the violation. There's not really any way you're going to get out of it, either you had a license when you were stopped or you didn't. It will also help to show the judge something that will verify your story about Grandma. Basically, you're going to throw yourself on the mercy of the court. As for fine or penalties; they could be anything. There are usually set fines for the vioaltions in California but I've seen judges reduce them on a regular basis.

Answer 3

It might depend on whether your parents were not willing to let you have a license. Here's what happened to a friend of mine: Her son was holding a party at which a girl snuck in some booze and drank it in the bathroom, getting looped. When she later said she was going to drive herself home in that intoxicated condition my friend's son took away her keys and called her parents who just told her to find a way home as they would not be picking her up (they were obviously furious with her). So my friend's son decided to drive her home (five miles away), even though his mother (my friend) had not allowed him to have a license even though he was of legal age and his dad had trained him to drive while on private property way out in the country and was by all reports a seriously-talented driver.

Of course he got pulled over. When my friend and her son went before an aritrator he fined him $450, (paid by the mom,) and told him that although he was an admirable young man for helping a friend, nonetheless the law said what he did was wrong. It could have been much worse, because the arbitrator told my friend that her reluctance to let him have a license was a primary cause of the infraction and the consequent reduction in the fine.

But I would have to think that the seriousness of your aunt's health may cause the judge to reduce it somewhat - after all, it's not like you were out joyriding.

Answer 4

If you have never been in trouble before it will be a fine and postponement of you getting your license until you are 18-minimum. Depends on the judge and you. If you have proof a family member had a stroke, you may want to provide that and MAYBE the judge will go easier on your fine, sentence or both!

Answer 5

Plea guilty and throw yourself at the mercy of the court, by telling them that you were not thinking straight at the time. Show remorse, and tell them this will not happen again.

Answer 6

if you can, go to a driving class. are you sure the cop gave you a citation? look at the back of it, it'll tell you what the fine is. call the courthouse and tell them you eant a hearing date, if that's an option. the back of your citation will tell you everything. hope grandma's doing better.

Answer 7

tell the truth is the best you can do
BUT dont lie

Answer 8

didnt the cop tell you anything??