Traffic Infraction?

Question

I am seventeen years old, and I'm sure with that said (I automatically qualify as being irresponisble). I was recently pulled over by a state police officer and ticketed for running 70 m.p.h. in a 55.

Now my problem comes in - I (honestly) was not running 70 m.p.h.
I'm not a speeder because I'm never in much of a hurry over anything -even things I should be.

I didn't speak up and say anything at the time of the stop because I was petrified of the officer, so I kept my mouth shut and took my ticket.

What can I do now?


I've had my license for a little over a year 1/2 now.
That was my first citation.

Answer 1

pay the ticket, you were speeding.

and to the radar detector answer. THEY DON'T WORK IF THE OFFICER IS TRYING. here is why. I work radar. I simply wait until they go by and use my rear radar. unless you have 2 radar detectors, it won't work. or, I use laser. since the laser detector sits in your window, and at a range of 1000 feet the laser beam is about 4 feet wide, I shoot for your passenger side headlight. and, since laser travels at the speed of light, I have you locked before you start to slow down. but then I get to tell the judge you have a radar/laser detector. and the burden of proving you guilty just went to 0. also, the radar detector is usually only good for K and Ka band. we have old units that are X band. I put one of those in and again, the detector doesn't work. I have written over 4500 speeding tickets in 9 years on the road. If I want you, I can get you. there is also a speeding ticket called "reasonable and prudent". I just tell the judge you were passing traffic and traffic was running the speed limit. you slowed when I activated my radar, and you had a detector. boom....guilty.

Answer 2

At 15 over you MIGHT be able to get a deferred disposition and/or traffic school.

First, you will not beat a speeding ticket. The officer had you on radar. You have NO witnesses. It is your word against his and he is more credible.

Now, the beat it by asking for a jury trial defense:
1. A prosecutor will not drop a case he knows he will win just because it will cost the court money. The DA does not pay the jury expenses.
2. Not all states allow jury trials for traffic violations (as opposed to traffic offenses, which are criminal cases).

To head of the next comments, not all states require the officer to attend the trial unless you subpoena the officer.

Answer 3

Plead guilty and pay the fine. Not a popular answer but hear me out. I am assuming he wrote you only one ticket? If so, most states don't require a court appearance. He should have provided you with information on how to apply for court supervision. I don't forsee you being denied supervision. No tickets in 6 months and this ticket never happened. Try and stay away from the "I can beat this ticket" run around. Most judges don't have the time or patience to hear it. Keep in mind, in my state (Illinois), speeding is a $75 ticket. Go to court for that ticket and your fine jumps to almost $300.

Answer 4

Here are two strategies:

If you ticket was issued by a municipality that has 1,000 or more citizens or is located on an interstate you can beat this one.

Number one- ALWAYS PLEAD NOT GUILTY! Even if you know you are guilty. All burden of proof is on the prosecution. By pleading not guilty you will have the right to speak with a city attorney prior to speaking with the judge. At this point you can negotiate a lowered price, probation with no classes etc.. or even have it reduced to a parking ticket. Profess your innocence and politely suggest, not threatening, that you would like jury trial if it goes any farther because you are innocent.

The attorney will not want to go through the hassle and expenses of a jury trial. Plus, even if they did and you were found guilty you would be paying the same amount as the original fine plus a small jury fee. So why wouldn't you plead NOT GUILTY.



The next strategy is arround prevention:

Remember the traffic cop is out for revenue not safety.

Get a good radar/laser detector. Don't let anyone here tell you they do not work. Here is why and how they work and strategies you can use to outsmart the cops.

First, there are three basic kinds of "radar" and they fall into two categories: Laser and basic radar emissions.

Radar Emissions- Cops have two kinds of this radar in various bands. Constant on radar is when the cop car has a dash mounted radar type that constantly emits a signal. This how a cop that is driving can tell how fast you were going even with out stopping to use the "gun".

You detector will detect this type of radar nearly 100% of the time before you even see the cop. This is because the radar signal bounces over other cars, hills, etc... This type of radar is also mostly found in all Sheriff type vehicles, and smaller city or county cops. You will always defeat them with a radar detector.

The second type of "radar" is pop-radar. This type of radar emits a signal only when the cop pulls the trigger. That being said, your detector will pick this up well before you come into range of the gun. And since the cop is constantly selecting and "popping" targets, your detector will go off even if the gun is not pointed at you because the signals bounce off other vehicles. This is more commonly used by Highway patrol, larger city police, and sheriffs departments. So your detector will also defeat this.

The third type, laser, is a little more tricky but can also be defeated. Laser emits a light beam at your vehicle that is bounced straight back to the gun. In order for laser to be picked up by your detector the "light" beam must hit your detector. Since the beam bounces nearly straight back there's a good chance if your detector picks it up, its because you have just been "popped". The good news here is that the light does sometimes fragment in other directions and is picked up by your detector. The strategy here is, cops many times use a combination of radar and laser, especially when they set up predatory wolf packs. So if your detector goes off for radar, you can bet a laser is not far down the road.

You can also get devices that emit a "laser" beam back to the gun and gives a false or inconsistent reading. These can help you because it gives you time to slow down and turn it off. When the cop pops again you will be ok because his reading will be within limit.

Poke the pork before it pokes you.

Answer 5

just pay the ticket. it's not worth fighting it. you'll end up paying more than the ticket itself with court fees. i've been in the same boat. i fought my ticket twice and the stupid judge found me guilty even when i had proof. instead of paying a $75 ticket, i ended up paying $150.