Is fighting this speeding ticket even worth it?

Question

Pulled over on a major highway for 71 in a 60. My FIRST speeding ticket ever, been driving 5 years. 21 year old male. My excuse: i merged on to the highway only to be behind a 18wheeler who was throwing rocks on my expensive paint job, so i used the passing lane for exactly what it was put in for, i downshifted passed the trucker then put my blinker on and got back in the right hand lane, then slowed back down to around 63, within 30 seconds a cop car came flying up behind me, he gave me an a ticket and allowed me no time to explain. Is this worth fighting? any help or advice appreciated

Answer 1

Although I can appreciate your expensive paint job....one has to ask....couldn't you have protected your paint job by slowing down instead of exceeding the speed limit?!

In response to those who say "fight it ... the cop has to appear in court too..." ...what's your point ... I'm there everytime!

I suggest you pay the fine and be done with it. Maybe next time you can handle the problem a bit differently!

Best wishes.

Answer 2

Well, there's a first time for everything.

Slow down. Why is it that whenever we need help we call the police and whenever the police do their job.. people are curious on how to fight it or seek to inconvenience the officer by appearing in court? People! Take a step back, you cannot have it your way.. an Officer has a duty to uphold the law.. and we as citizens want them to do that. If by chance we are caught breaking the law.. own up to it. Sincerely thank them for doing their job and go about your business.

If you truly think you are INCONVENIENCING the officer by taking it to court.. you are not. First of all Court is part of their job, therefore they are getting paid to go and I would venture to guess you are not... Secondly, why would you have the gall to think that after you've broken the law that you would appear more credible than a Law Enforcement Officer?

Not all cops are saints; however citizens that only want cops to do their jobs when it does not interfere with them.. need to grow up.

Slow down.. pay the fine and remember to Thank Your Local Law Enforcement. Also do not fumble around in your car when you get pulled over.. place both hands on the steering wheel or put one hand on the outside mirror and the other hand on top of it. Make sure your passengers are in line too..

I wish you well!

Answer 3

Hell yeah you should fight it. I fought everyone I every got. The only reason I did was I didnt care about the fine, you get that no matter what. I was concerned about the points and didnt want my insurance going up. Put on a professional face, ask the court for forgiveness. You can plead your case as I am sorry for breaking the law and would like to ask for the courts forgiveness so that I do not get points with my insurance company. Laws may differ state to state, but every ticket I got was reduced to 5mph over the posted speed limit so I didnt get any points and only had to pay a lower fine.

Another thing, make sure you say yes sir no sir or yes ma'am no ma'am depending on who it is and refer to and when adressing the judge do so as yes your honor no your honor. Dont speak unless spoken to.

Knock on wood, I have been pulled over twice. One time it was 15 over and another time it was 90mph in a 50mph zone. Both times were reduced to 5 over no points, lower fine.

Answer 4

Fighting it might be futile, but instead of just paying it, you might want to appear at the pre-trial thing they have - you should have an appearance date on the ticket. A lot of traffic courts nowadays don't have an interest in giving you points - they just want you to pay a fine.

The last 2 I went to, they were knocking minor tickets down to 0 point infractions, with only a $120 fine to pay. It's cheaper than having your insurance go up, especially at your age. The worst that can happen is that you lost some time, but the upside of at least making an appearance can be huge.

Answer 5

Your best hope is that the officer doesn't even show up. You will when the case and be 100 percent clean.

If the officer does show up then you can still make an agreement and plead no contest. Once you do that then you will only still have to pay court fees and take a defensive driving class, but it will not go on record which will keep your insurance fees WAY down.

Answer 6

While I understand why you broke the law, as far as the officer is concerned, it really doesn't matter. You broke the speed limit to pass the truck in a non emergency situation. You are guilty. Passing lanes do not allow you to exceed the speed limit. You haven't provided a valid reason for breaking the law, so just pay it. Only folks who can get out of tickets (sometimes) are folks like Doctors rushing to ER to do emergency surgery.

Answer 7

Were you speeding? YES. Do the cops care about your paint job? NO. Will the DA care about your paint job? NO. Don't bother fighting it. Pay the fine and get a different car.

Answer 8

No, its not worth fighting, but see if the courts offer some sort of driving course to keep the points off your license.

Answer 9

You should have backed off instead of recklessly passing by breaking the law.

And to answer the question... you have no legal standing to fight it.

EDIT:
To those who say to fight it, because the officer has to show up...
They DO show up.
They're paid the same, either way, so why not show up at the courthouse instead of risking their lives for a couple of hours?

You would lose.

Answer 10

I would fight it,especially if its going to make your insurance payments go up as well as the cost of the ticket.You might lose but at least you tried.I heard most cops don't even show up for tickets they give out,and if he doesn't show,you win.Worth a try.