Speeding ticket, should I go to traffic court or just pay it?

[Mirielle]

I am amazed the great lengths people are willing to go to fight a speeding ticket. Pay it and be done!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I am amazed the great lengths people are willing to go to fight a speeding ticket. Pay it and be done!

It looks absolutely terrible on your driving record thats why.
I know someone that got 3 speeding tickets over the course of 15 years and just paid them without question and then when he applied for a trucking company they wouldn't hire him.
Had he gone to court and pleaded them down they wouldn't be on his record.
Not saying it was ok for him to speed in the first place but gosh 3 times being pulled over in 15 years and even though he worked for other trucking copanies in the past and had a great job experience he couldn't get hired.

 

[Moana of Motunui]

It looks absolutely terrible on your driving record thats why.
I know someone that got 3 speeding tickets over the course of 15 years and just paid them without question and then when he applied for a trucking company they wouldn't hire him.
Had he gone to court and pleaded them down they wouldn't be on his record.
Not saying it was ok for him to speed in the first place but gosh 3 times being pulled over in 15 years and even though he worked for other trucking copanies in the past and had a great job experience he couldn't get hired.

I completely agree. Your driving record plays a role in your sentencing guidelines. For example, if you keep getting DUIs, it will change to an UM to M1, and will increase your sentence.

 

[declansdad]

That's kind of a "well duh" but my point was admitting it generally ends up worse in the end.
If you go to court they lessen the charge generally.
BTW this is coming from someone that does not even drive so no I haven't gotten a bunch of speeding tickets in my life in case you were wondering lol.

If you speed you should be ready to pay the price.

 

[rigs32]

Go to court. If the police officer does not show up. The ticket is moot and no longer valid. At least that is the law in NY.

Not exactly. Many jurisdictions schedule traffic matters for "disposition" nights where you are often offered a reduction. If you refuse that and insist on a trial, then it will often be set for another court date for the trial itself.

As a tax payer, would you really want police officers to be paid to go to court for every traffic ticket? Especially when many unions require a minimum of 2 hours of overtime any time they appear outside their normal shift. Makes more sense to schedule the trials that would actually go for one day, but the court won't know that until you tell them you want a trial. Traffic court dates can have hundred of matters scheduled. I think 460 was the highest I ever personally saw.

ETA: I'm a prosecutor in NY that used to handle traffic matters back in the day and am still familiar with how it works in the town and village courts.

 

[mjkacmom]

I am amazed the great lengths people are willing to go to fight a speeding ticket. Pay it and be done!

But if you have points on your license, it could end up costing thousands in increased insurance premiums. I was pulled over once, I really didn't realize I was speeding because so many cars were passing me (NJ Turnpike). We were at a party 11/2 hours from home, and my mom called and told us to come home, the twins had fevers and were throwing up. I was let off with a warning, thank goodness, or else I'd have gone to court to try and get the points off.

 

[Cirlonde]

Just how fast did one have to go "many years ago" to get a $500 speeding ticket?

It was a small town speed trap where it drops quickly from 65 to 55 to 45 to 35 within just a few miles. It's been awhile, but I think he was doing 75 or 80 when he crossed into the 45. He was definitely speeding, but it was also one of those roads where there's nothing for miles and the entire route "feels" the same so it can be easy to overlook the one sign that tells you to slow down. Not that I'm making excuses for him; he was still going faster than 65!

 

[Shutterbug]

I know a couple places where the speed limits are set for monetary reasons not safety. They will easily let you plead down and take your cash because thats all they want in the first place.

 

[LISAMWDW]

I always always fight them. Usually, at the least it gets reduced, not 100% but the odds are good. Lol, sounds like I get them alot, I don't.

 

[bookgirl]

I got pulled over for speeding 2 weeks ago. The first time ever being pulled over, let alone getting a ticket. I was pretty much just going to pay it, but then many people are telling me I should go to traffic court and see if they will lessen it, since I have a good record. (I'm 51 years old, so I've been driving a while).

Anyone ever done this and have it work?

I am definitely guilty of speeding, I was being stupid! But, I do in some ways have a reason. The road I was on has passing lanes every 10 miles or so. There were 2 semis in front of me, I got past one, but was in the left lane (the passing lane) and it was ending soon, so I stepped on it to get past the 2nd semi. But, it was way too fast I know. 19 over the speed limit. I got a $200 ticket and 4 points off my license.

The traffic court is about an hour away from home (we were coming back from vacation at the time). Is it worth it to go and tell them I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I don't usually drive like that, etc.? I'm not even sure how traffic court works. It is a state patrol that pulled me over (a few people have mentioned that they rarely lower your ticket.)

Thanks for any advice!

I got my first ticket (speeding) in like 2.5 decades last month and I chose to look at Driving School (online) to get it expunged. Mostly just because I want my record clear. It didn't really lessen the amount. I still had to pay for court costs $100+ and the online school fee $25. I think I might have saved $40 bucks over just paying the ticket outright. I did think about just paying it but I would not have wasted time going to court just to pay less because the actual fine is not huge it's the court costs that is the bulk of a single ticket case. My state does not do a points system that I know of but my insurance might have gone up if they ran my record or if for some reason I get stopped for something little if I don't have the ticket on my record I might just get a warning.

By the way same for me I was going 14 miles over the limit so I was totally guilty. I figure I deserved the cost of the ticket, but I also figure if I'm willing to pay and to do the safety course I also deserve to get it taken off my record.

 

[wonder whisper]

But what would have happened if you went to court by yourself? I'm guessing you would have had the sentence reduced, meaning the lawyer probably didn't do much for you.

Based on my experience, I don't think your guess would have been right.

I learned that the moment I walked into the traffic court with the attorney I had retained to represent me. It became instantly clear he was a known quantity to the judge (which I would not have been) and did a stellar job at negotiating in advance of our court appearance with the very difficult county trooper who had ticketed me. Got the latter to grudgingly admit in testimony that the speed limit he stated I exceeded was not legally posted in the area where he ticketed me, which got the judge to throw out the entire speeding charge. No way I could have accomplished that by myself (saw people in advance of my appearance trying to represent themselves; judge was tough and condescending with all of them and the testifying police were almost as merciless).

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Here in NJ, you can go and plead guilty to the prosecutor, have your fine increased, but points lowered or removed. Dd21 got a speeding ticket, $250, 2 points, ended up paying $500, no points.

LMAO so New Jersey has this points system which i suppose if you get too many, it proves you're a bad driver and you lose your license aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, they in effect have established a system of bribes for people to get out of their points. That state is so bent corruption is institutionalized. I don't blame your daughter for getting her points removed. I blame NJ for allowing it so they can collect more money.

 

[Hikergirl]

My dh always goes to court and gets it reduced to avoid points, except the last time he still ended up getting points because he was going way over the speed limit. It was still worth it to go though since they were reduced to 1/3 of the points he would have gotten if he plead guilty.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I would look at my options to see if there was anything that will keep my insurance from going up. I'm not in a state that has points or an option for driving classes, so the only option is to show up at court. The one time I did, I was offered a plea to a non-moving violation which, in my state, can't impact insurance (or that was the case at the time).

 

[HarperLeigh]

I completely agree. Your driving record plays a role in your sentencing guidelines. For example, if you keep getting DUIs, it will change to an UM to M1, and will increase your sentence.

If you keep getting DUI's, then your *** should be thrown in jail, as you are obviously a danger to everyone else on the road.

You're guilty of speeding, pay the fine and be done with it.

 

[Nancyg56]

It looks absolutely terrible on your driving record thats why.
I know someone that got 3 speeding tickets over the course of 15 years and just paid them without question and then when he applied for a trucking company they wouldn't hire him.
Had he gone to court and pleaded them down they wouldn't be on his record.
Not saying it was ok for him to speed in the first place but gosh 3 times being pulled over in 15 years and even though he worked for other trucking copanies in the past and had a great job experience he couldn't get hired.

Exactly. My husband is a truck driver and has to be very careful with his driving record. The insurance company can determine that a driver is a high risk and then Boom! Out of a job!

For me, I did not care that I would pay the full amount of the fine, I did not want any points on my license. I had none before that infraction, and I wanted to keep it that way.

 

[mjkacmom]

LMAO so New Jersey has this points system which i suppose if you get too many, it proves you're a bad driver and you lose your license aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, they in effect have established a system of bribes for people to get out of their points. That state is so bent corruption is institutionalized. I don't blame your daughter for getting her points removed. I blame NJ for allowing it so they can collect more money.

Yep, but I think the increase in the fine is less than

LMAO so New Jersey has this points system which i suppose if you get too many, it proves you're a bad driver and you lose your license aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, they in effect have established a system of bribes for people to get out of their points. That state is so bent corruption is institutionalized. I don't blame your daughter for getting her points removed. I blame NJ for allowing it so they can collect more money.

And she does have a PBA card from a higher up officer, but she forgot about it.

 

[wonder whisper]

LMAO so New Jersey has this points system which i suppose if you get too many, it proves you're a bad driver and you lose your license aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, they in effect have established a system of bribes for people to get out of their points. That state is so bent corruption is institutionalized. I don't blame your daughter for getting her points removed. I blame NJ for allowing it so they can collect more money.

As Bruce Springsteen brilliantly described New Jersey in his anthem "Born to Run," "we've got to get out while we're young"....

 

[ols386]

I'd pay for the ticket, and be done with it.

 

[traces7]

I've pretty much decided that I'm going to pay the ticket. It doesn't seem worth it to me to drive an hour and still pay the same fine. I am guilty of speeding. I'll just pay the fine and learn my lesson!