Is it true that if you have to go to court for a speeding ticket you won't have pay anything if the officer who wrote the ticket does not show up. I got the ticket in Atlanta two weeks ago. Any idea how this works? I have never gone to court before and I haven't received a ticket in 16 years. Any help would be appreciated.
2007-11-06 05:24:27 · 16 answers · asked by Mamamia1215 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
It is up to the court to dismiss or continue the case.
However, most officers get overtime for court and a suspension for not showing up (unless they are sick, or detained by police work of major importance), so your chances of the officer not showing up are very slim.
2007-11-06 05:29:09 · answer #1 · answered by CGIV76 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Basically this is the ups and downs if you just pay the ticket then you don't go to court but it is on ur record. However your insurance wont know until it comes time to run it again and they do that every 3 years and that is how long a ticket stays on for. You can go to court and fight it most the time the judge won't drop it just reduce it. Or maybe give you driving school and that will take it off your record. Since you have a good driving record he will prolly just reduce it. As for the officer not showing up I guess every state and court district is differ however I know both times I went for a ticket in Va there was one times he called about 15 people up to the front and then told them all that there officer could not make it in and they were all free to go with no charges. So from the times I have been to court they let you go if the officer does not show. But the chances of the officer not showing are very slim. I personally would just pay the ticket and not go to court unless you got a good case and think you can win. The time I decided to go to court because I thought I had a good case...he got me for running a red light...I was past the line when it was yellow then turned red. I was in a stick shift that I was just learning how to drive and was pregnant so did not want to slam on the breaks, on my ticket he put the wrong car make year etc the wrong court date, wrong color hair and eyes, and he messed up on something else...anyways I went in and I did a plea of no contest (thinking that was where I got to say what happen) well no he did not even let me say anything asked how I plea and as soon as I said it told me he was drop ticket from 80 to 35. So I got to pay less but I did not get to say anything so it does not always go the way you think it will. Good Luck.
2007-11-06 12:03:06 · answer #2 · answered by jennie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, down here in good ol' FL, when you get a ticket for speeding or other traffic infractions/ violations, you have 3 choices: 1) pay the charged fine, 2) fight it in court and then pay the citation fee AND the court fee, and 3) go to driving school for $25 and have the citation discounted and points removed from records.
I have no idea how GA systems work. I also am clueless as to how long any points stay on the records for options 1 and 2, in FL. I think it is 3 years, but it could be up to 7 years.
2007-11-06 06:28:31 · answer #3 · answered by jdp12122000 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A lot of people on here will tell you to go to court and contest the ticket. If the officer no-shows, the ticket will be dismissed. Well, last week someone posted a question (actually a statement in the form of a question) stating how they had there fined jacked up for going to court. Other people have complained that their court date was just changed to another date. Some people have said that their tickets were indeed dismissed.
Know this, every town, county and state court is different. Whether the laws are different or it's because of the judge. But if you contest a ticket you are taking the chance of having your ticket dismissed or having the fine increased. I don't know about Georgia law but in NJ I've seen pissed off judges maxing out fines and adding surcharges to people.
Don't make any decisions based on what idiots will tell you here, be smart, consult an attorney.
2007-11-06 05:34:10 · answer #4 · answered by Matt 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
"Is it true that if you have to go to court for a speeding ticket you won't have pay anything if the officer who wrote the ticket does not show up.?" - Nope. Used to be that way, not any more. If you want the officer there you need to subpoena him. You can bet he will be there if you do.
If you have a clean record you can ask the judge to defer the ticket. If the judge does and you don't get another ticket for 6 months or a year, the ticket goes away. If you get stopped during that time you get hit with both.
2007-11-06 05:29:23 · answer #5 · answered by davidmi711 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes depending on the state you live in. In my state, if the officer does not show up- u don't have to pay! Many times... the judge sides with the officer because they use a radar to measure the speed you were going and then says that u pay the ticket with no points on ur record. **I hate going to court with these things. The judge is usually in a bad mood and things go too fast.
2007-11-06 05:43:57 · answer #6 · answered by ~~Peace~ ~ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suggest going to court for everybody at least once in their life, it is an education that matlock will not provide.
Nope, he doesn't have any need to be there. His documentation is on the ticket and the radar guns are considered infallable unless u PROVE otherwise, which is next to impossible, the days of the 90 mph trees are gone.
2007-11-06 05:35:29 · answer #7 · answered by paigespirate 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have the right to confront your accuser in court, and the burden in on the prosecution.
You need not mount a defense at all if the prosecution is poor.
I did this once when the cop testified by rote memory based on his reading of the charge. Too bad for him he must have read the wrong ticket :)
All the other cops there that day were laughing out loud - he probably never lived it down!
2007-11-06 05:36:01 · answer #8 · answered by Barry C 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is not the case if the officer can't show up for whatever reason they will just set another court date. My advise to you is don't fight it in court if you were speeding go to the traffic school so it doesn't go on your record.
2007-11-06 05:57:33 · answer #9 · answered by Steven C 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I remember seeing a book with some tips on how to get out of a ticket. You can ask them for evidence of when the radar equipment was last calibrated, but they have a process for that and I don't think it works anymore.
I have gotten a lot of tickets in my day and while I got out of some, I deserved them all. Throw yourself on the mercy of the court and slow down, my kids might be playing in the street.
Good Luck.
2007-11-06 05:36:22 · answer #10 · answered by DeeDee Cortez 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
There could be a cop rep. there. He may make you come back again if he is unable to get you to admit. in front of the Clerk Magistrate. The fact you haven't had a ticket in 16 years puts you on decent ground.
2007-11-06 05:32:08 · answer #11 · answered by Waas up 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋