Never had a speeding ticket before, caught doing 59 in a 35, what do I do?

Question

The ticket was issued in Arkansas and I was trying to make it to my friend's house while she was still home for her lunch hour so I could feed and change my 2 week old son. I was polite, nicely dressed, wearing my seatbelt and accepted the fact that I was speeding when the ticket was issued. I've been driving since I was 16 and never had a ticket. I don't know how the system works. What do I do, to possibly get the speed lessened or perhaps thrown out altogether? What is the best way to handle this responsibly?

Oh, also the amount the ticket is, isn't actually written on the ticket. When I asked how much it would be, he didn't tell me. Any ideas?

Answer 1

You're not going to get the citation thrown out by any means. 24 mph over the limit is not only excessive, but dangerous. Get to court early, and see what your options are, if any. Your clean driving record may help, but you do not have a defense.

Answer 2

Call the county court house, ask how much the ticket will be. Then you can decide to pay it or go to court on the court date to try to work out a payment plan.
In Arkansas 24 over is considered "reckless driving, and it should be. You are probably facing a pretty stiff fine. Since you were speeding with a child in the car the judge will not be as likely to cut you a break.
I hope some of this info helps. It does sound like you have learned your lesson on speeding though.

Answer 3

Instructions for how to respond should be written on the back of the ticket. You can either pay the fine or request a hearing in front of a judge. Only a judge has the power to reduce the amount of the fine, but you'll have to convince him why he should. Since the amount is not on the ticket , are you sure it is a ticket and not a summons. Either way it's a legal document. All the information you need should be written on it so read everything front and back. If you don't understand any of it then talk to someone who does. Advice from a lawyer would be a good idea.

Answer 4

Not trying to come down hard on you, hon, but being nicely dressed, polite, and wearing your seat belt really doesn't excuse driving almost 60 in a 35 mph zone, especially with your two week old son in the car with you. They have speed zones for a reason.

Frankly, I would just pay the fine and learn from the lesson. Especially with the excessive speed in the zone you were driving, I wouldn't cause friction. Not trying to scare you, but I think there is a set mph over the speed limit where it makes it more serious. So, just pay your fine and move on.

You COULD try to fight the ticket, but your excuse really won't hold water. You have to have a serious reason such as a dying friend/family member or some other emergency with documented proof of that fact.

They won't let you off because you had to change your sons diaper, in their eyes, you could've easily waited until you got home or stopped at a gas station or somewhere safe like that.

I can't preach too much at you for speeding because I've had 3 tickets in my life. But I haven't had one in over 7 years.

MAYBE - with it being your first ticket, they may offer to let you take a drivers safety course and upon completion, turn in a completion form and get your fine either dropped completely and the ticket taken off your record or just get your fine reduced considerably. I know my first ticket I took the course - which was really only about 8 hours in an old courthouse with a police officer giving demonstrations, talking, giving us quizzes and making us watch driver safety videos. After that, my ticket was dropped completely.

Just go into court, be as respectful and helpful and nice and polite as possible. Try not to argue with the judge about your excuse and if he/she is in a good mood and having a good day, they may take it easy on you. But expect to probably get a lecture since your infant was in the car with you.

Answer 5

The best way to handle this responsibly is to pay the fine and then act responsible in your every day life as well! You where way fastest than the speed limit! You say you have never had a ticket before. Did you mean that you have never been caught before?. You had your 2 weeks old son in the car with you, driving like that because 'you where in a rush feed him' could have easily meant you didn't have a son to feed. Pay up, shut up and drive more responsibly in future!

Answer 6

59 in a 35?? That's 24 mph OVER the speed limit! I believe in Ohio, that's not just speeding but a reckless op for which fines/penalties are much more severe. The best way to handle this responsibility is to pay the fine, show up to court if it has been ordered. Own up to the fact that you were speeding and pay for it, rather than trying to get it lessened or thrown out.

Yes, I speed, but not 59 in a 35...more than likely you got caught in town and/or a residential neighborhood. I keep my speeding to the interstates - where you have to keep up with the traffic or get run over.

Answer 7

There should be something on the ticket that explains how much your fine is or where you can go to find out what your fine is. If I were you, I would pay the fine and move on. If any points were assessed and you're hoping to get out of that, you can go to court and hope the judge will show a little mercy since it's your first offense and reduce the number of points. It's worth looking into at any rate. Good luck and slow down, especially with the little one in the car. That's precious cargo!

Answer 8

You have two options!

Pay the fine which you can find out the amount by telephoning the court clerks office in the jurisdiction of where the offense occurred.

You could appear in court to determine if attending a state recognized drivers safety course will help reduce the fine and/or dismiss the case!

Being your first ticket, I can understand your anxiety. However, the best bet is to slow down and remember you share the roads with other drivers!

Answer 9

Sistah,

You un have your baby wit you doin that fast? Not smart! you better go and get yourself a Lawyer and quick. I am not able to suggest which one there in LA however there are several there that will still be cheaper than the fine will be. Plus here are some other things to look at: The Points that will be assessed to your license that will create your Insurance Premiums to increase, the cost that it will take you to hire a Taxi or other Transportation while your License is Suspended or revoked for the Speed you were doing, and if CPS gets involved for Neglect of your child or Child Endangerment, whew! I still believe that it will be cheaper to hire an Atty. than it would be to try to handle all of the other possibilities that you are looking at.

And yes, going that speed w/ a newborn in the auto with you is Child Endangerment in many states. Slow Down!

Answer 10

You agree you were speeding...Pay the ticket. However, you can appear in court and plead no contest. They may or may not show mercy on you if you ask for the ticket to be reduced. Dropping the ticket is probably not going to happen.

Fine: 24 over in my area is $236.40 and 6 points (out of 12 a year).

Answer 11

In a few weeks you will get a letter that tells you how much the "bail" is, that is the fine. You can also pay a little more, usually about $30 and go to traffic school so your insurance does not find out and raise your rates. There is no way to get the fine lowered. If you go to court, pretty much the only way it will get dropped is if the cop doesn't show up and they get overtime to be there, so there are pretty much ALWAYS there. Just pay it when it comes and go to traffic school.