BG Legal: Court for speeding tickets

[RKenshin]

What/who would I be without overly long-winded posts about non-sense?

And yeah, I lurk more than anything lately I guess... Speeding is a fun topic though!

[Cyn]

It's not as fun as speeding though.

[RKenshin]

It's not as fun as speeding and not getting caught, though.

Key fix.

Speeding no fun when ticket got.

[Cyn]

Yeah I drive like grandma these days. My driving record is fucking shot, I'm pretty sure I have active PJC's on more or less every traffic violation at this point.

[miokomioko]

I got a speeding ticket many many moons ago and, upon receiving it in the mail, I kept putting it off, forgetting about it, etc. A year later or so, the cost had increased from like $140 to like $600. I decided to play stupid and contest it in traffic court, hoping the cop wouldn't show up and the whole thing might get dismissed.

I show up and when my name is finally called, I get up and the cop walked up too. Damnit, I was bummed, and instead of acting like I did nothing wrong at all and turning it into a cop vs me argument, I now had to just BS about never getting it in the mail and getting the late fees removed back down to $150. She read how much I owed, and right as I went to open my mouth about all my bullshit, she just says "$100, how's that?" and I went "Great."

That was that. Less than the original ticket was even for. I highly recommend going to traffic court for every moving violation you get. Even if everything is stacked against you, the least you can do is just ask for the fine to be reduced for whatever poor/student reason you might have.

[Nephlite]

"Personal" issues tend to get you out of court a lot especially if you're just looking for a continuance. Unless you're a man then you gotta come up with something good (Got gonorrhea and it hurts real bad).

Don't ever count on the cop not showing up because: 1. If they don't show up they can get a "No show" which can get you fired or arrested in some jurisdictions (The cop) 2. Overtime. Nuff said. 3. Forced adjustment for a scheduled "Court Date" which is (in my department) a day that is scheduled for a cop that is a predetermined day of the week specifically for court. Officers issuing tickets schedule court dates by what's convenient for their schedule and a continuance will prompt the court to just reschedule when it's convenient for the officer.

Playing the patsy can help you out in most situations (i.e. I wasn't aware that such and such date was my appointed date because the instructions on the citation are too vague) and 9 times out of 10 pleading out will get you a better judgment (especially if you have a good driving record.

From what I can tell from your situation Milks is your citation isn't a normal "Traffic Violation" and is cited for a "Criminal Offense". That would explain why you can't find the citation number on a website or phone because the paperwork hasn't been turned to the Traffic Division, it's been bumped to a sort of Offense Court. 15 MPH over is speeding (Between 1-15 over the posted) but excessive speeding is over 15 MPH and can carry hefty fines, penalties, even jail time. Depends on the jurisdiction.

[Milks]

Is there any way you can help me find a law that actually says 15 over is "Excessive speeding" in the state of Alabama? I've been told so many different things, and the fact that we have the world's largest constitution (seriously, 799 amendments) so honestly, I don't know a damn law in this state.

Also, that still doesn't make sense to me, because regardless of whether or not it was excessive speeding, it would still be considered a moving violation. The only ticket my brother has ever had was considered excessive speeding and reckless driving and his ticket showed up in the system within one week.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

https://pa.alacourt.com/frmDocketListSearch.aspx?Loc=1

Your state has a fucking terrible website. Maybe check this a few days before your court date to see if you're on the docket? My county has dockets posted well in advance, makes things so much easier.



In most cases the DA can continue a case as well, as far as I know. Pretty sure the cop would need to fail to show up several times to get out of it completely.

Your ability to obtain a continuance is severely limited, most judges won't give you one if you've done it 2-3 times already. However, having an attorney can net you more, because they can claim discoveries and shit. Court system is kind of fucked, honestly.

It could be different in his state, but in NC there's no duty for discovery in district court cases. If you want continuances just say you need time to get a lawyer blah blah. If you attempt the cop not showing up thing, be sure the DA won't just continue it and subpoena the cop to show up.

[Quixon]

In my area of NY it's fucking easy as hell to get adjournments as long as you follow the courts guidelines. We don't have any of this online shit yet though, most police stations around here JUST started using the computer printed tickets a few years ago.

Here's how it goes near me, in regards to tickets:

-Cop Gives you either a hand-written, or computer printed ticket depending on what town your in.

-On the back of the ticket is a court date, you must PLEAD by that court date. You can send your plea in by mail, or show up. Check guilty/not guilty and mail the shit it.

-If you plead Not Guilty, you will receive a letter in the mail with a date to appear. This can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the town. Once you get that letter, the court date is typically one month later.

-If you plead Guilty, they just send you a bill in the mail. It's never wise to just plead guilty.

-Now when you plead not guilty and get your date to appear... There's instructions on if you need to adjourn to another date. Every town I've gotten tickets in allow you adjourn up to 1 week prior to the court date, and you are only allowed 1 Adjournment.... although I have gotten a second in one case. I've used so many fucking excuses to adjourn it isn't even funny. I said I was away at college, in the coast guard, on vacation, etc. I always adjourn on the last possible day, and here is why.

The court purposely schedules court dates so the cop doesn't get paid OT to just see 1 traffic case. Once you adjourn that date, it gets shuffled into a pile and they stick you wherever there is space. On 1 ticket I adjourned, my new date was almost 18 months after I got pulled over originally lol. Now if the cop that pulled you over is an out of town cop..... that mother fucker isn't showing up for 1 or 2 cases. If you are lucky enough for that to happen, you get away scott free. If the cop shows up, you gotta go through everything just like anyone else.

-I used to adjourn EVERY speeding ticket I got when I was 17-18 years old. I would say out of 15 tickets, the cop didn't show up to 10 of them and it was dropped. The 5 that did appear, I would requested a continuance/adjournment at the court... saying I needed a lawyer. I'd call my Uncle the next day and have him call the officer that issued me the ticket and have it taken care of.


Because of the difference in local traffic laws and the way they process this shit...... your situation is more than likely going to be completely different. Figured I would just post that up here there in case your situation is similar.


One thing is common though...... you will be completely RAPED on the court surcharge. The last time I was in court, the guy got his ticket dropped to a non-moving violation (Parking on Pavement). The fine was $50, the Court Surcharge was $150 lol.

[Haruk]

In my area of NY it's fucking easy as hell to get adjournments as long as you follow the courts guidelines. We don't have any of this online shit yet though, most police stations around here JUST started using the computer printed tickets a few years ago.

Here's how it goes near me, in regards to tickets:

-Cop Gives you either a hand-written, or computer printed ticket depending on what town your in.

-On the back of the ticket is a court date, you must PLEAD by that court date. You can send your plea in by mail, or show up. Check guilty/not guilty and mail the shit it.

-If you plead Not Guilty, you will receive a letter in the mail with a date to appear. This can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the town. Once you get that letter, the court date is typically one month later.

-If you plead Guilty, they just send you a bill in the mail. It's never wise to just plead guilty.

-Now when you plead not guilty and get your date to appear... There's instructions on if you need to adjourn to another date. Every town I've gotten tickets in allow you adjourn up to 1 week prior to the court date, and you are only allowed 1 Adjournment.... although I have gotten a second in one case. I've used so many fucking excuses to adjourn it isn't even funny. I said I was away at college, in the coast guard, on vacation, etc. I always adjourn on the last possible day, and here is why.

The court purposely schedules court dates so the cop doesn't get paid OT to just see 1 traffic case. Once you adjourn that date, it gets shuffled into a pile and they stick you wherever there is space. On 1 ticket I adjourned, my new date was almost 18 months after I got pulled over originally lol. Now if the cop that pulled you over is an out of town cop..... that mother fucker isn't showing up for 1 or 2 cases. If you are lucky enough for that to happen, you get away scott free. If the cop shows up, you gotta go through everything just like anyone else.

-I used to adjourn EVERY speeding ticket I got when I was 17-18 years old. I would say out of 15 tickets, the cop didn't show up to 10 of them and it was dropped. The 5 that did appear, I would requested a continuance/adjournment at the court... saying I needed a lawyer. I'd call my Uncle the next day and have him call the officer that issued me the ticket and have it taken care of.


Because of the difference in local traffic laws and the way they process this shit...... your situation is more than likely going to be completely different. Figured I would just post that up here there in case your situation is similar.


One thing is common though...... you will be completely RAPED on the court surcharge. The last time I was in court, the guy got his ticket dropped to a non-moving violation (Parking on Pavement). The fine was $50, the Court Surcharge was $150 lol.

thanks man that helped a lot!
guess I'm gonna contest my ticket and just hope the cop doesn't show up after I get it rescheduled.
If he does though then I'm pretty much screwed, but who knows..

[Norellicus]

It's worth mentioning that, at least in VA, even if your charge is dismissed you are responsible for the court fees.

The one and only time I have received a ticket I was going to contest it on the grounds of VADOT construction concealing signs that caused me to end up going the wrong direction and the only method of detour was to enter an HOV-2 only area. The minimum fine (which is what you pay when pleading guilty) was like $200, the court costs would have been $250, and the judge in any traffic violation case is free to fine you as much as he deems prudent if you lose in court.

I wasn't going to chance $450+, and even if it was dismissed I would have paid more than the fine, so I said fuck it and phoned a guilty w/ payment. Total cost to me: $212, no marks on record. Not even insurance bump.

[Quixon]

Wow that's fucking ridiculous that you are forced to pay the court fee even if your case is dismissed.

I don't know how the fuck they can get away with that shit.

[Quixon]

thanks man that helped a lot!
guess I'm gonna contest my ticket and just hope the cop doesn't show up after I get it rescheduled.
If he does though then I'm pretty much screwed, but who knows..

Just remember your situation may be a bit different since ur in CT.

I'd contest it, and if the cop shows up ask for a continuance in order to seek representation. Then just get a lawyer, the lawyer will more than likely be cheaper than the fine/surcharge depending on what you get a ticket for.

[Melena]

In CA you have to pay it as well but the court fee is something dumb like 15 dollars. That was about 10 years ago for me, so shit may have changed.

[Raineer]

Keep speeding, just be smarter about it.

I had 6 tickets within a year and a half of getting my license, had to do driver re-training, etc. Sucked. Now I've had 0 in close to 3 years and just the other day I was doing 110ish coming home after class.

Don't speed in areas you aren't familiar with.
Don't speed between 10am-3pm, cops have nothing better to do during this time.
Don't speed for excessive amounts of time.
Leapfrog.

I don't drive as wildly as I used to since a Scion TC is no Lexus IS and crashing does/will happen and will take the wind out of your sails hard, but I still push it up occasionally when I know it's safe to.

Getting tickets for doing 80 in a 50 and shit is dumb, really. If you're getting ticketed for anything under 95 you're driving like an idiot. Do some basic math and you'll see that the not-getting-pulled-over 70mph is making the entire length of your trip less than 1-2 minutes longer than the pulled-over-80mph is, usually.

Unless you spend 95% of your drive on the highway, for large amounts of time, and near zero time on city streets or side streets, there really is no excuse for doing 80 over 70 or 75. It's silly and it's not the benefit you think it is.

Ex: Traveling 20 miles at 80mph will get you to your destination just under 3 minutes faster than traveling at 70mph. In a 55-60mph zone won't get you pulled over 99.9% of the time and 80mph will almost 100% of the time if a cop is there. 3 minutes worth it? Nope.

Edit: Seriously though, thinking about it I've never gotten a ticket for going over 95mph since any time I do I am thoroughly anal about taking precautions. I've gotten up to 147 without incident, but have gotten nailed repeatedly in the past for just cruising at 80-85. You just get complacent after a while and don't realize you're actually breaking the law, lol.

This is a wonderful summary about what to do. I drive between 45-60k miles/year, of course almost all highway. I speed almost constantly, everywhere...but I know how to do it.

The main hint is to not speed (at all, or at least <5 over the limit) when you don't have visibility to where a cop could be hiding. On the freeway this means you can speed down hills or behind people all day long, but take your foot off the gas as you're coasting up hills. This results in better mileage as well.

Also, if you really do a lot of highway driving, buy a Valentine One and learn to use it. The best detector in the world won't prevent a ticket if you drive like a moron...but like Sath I spend tons of time at 85-90+ (like..hours at a time) and simple driving smarts will prevent tickets.

[Milks]

So, my court date was this morning, so I went up there only to be sent home.
My name wasn't on any of the 3 dockets, so they sent me to the back to see a clerk, who took my ticket and began typing things in to search for my ticket (or so I hope, hopefully she wasn't putting it in the system). She said it wasn't in the system, she signed her name on my ticket saying that I attempted to appear in court. She told me I would be notified by mail if my ticket is ever put in the system.

Anyone got an ideas if I should just forget about the ticket or is it going to end up in the system?

[*Shinzon*]

So, my court date was this morning, so I went up there only to be sent home.
My name wasn't on any of the 3 dockets, so they sent me to the back to see a clerk, who took my ticket and began typing things in to search for my ticket (or so I hope, hopefully she wasn't putting it in the system). She said it wasn't in the system, she signed her name on my ticket saying that I attempted to appear in court. She told me I would be notified by mail if my ticket is ever put in the system.

Anyone got an ideas if I should just forget about the ticket or is it going to end up in the system?

Forget about it until they send you the paperwork because you've done everything that was required of you up until that point.

[Cyn]

Forget about it until they send you the paperwork because you've done everything that was required of you up until that point.

^

If anything further is required of you they should notify you by mail.

[Amele]

So, my court date was this morning, so I went up there only to be sent home.
My name wasn't on any of the 3 dockets, so they sent me to the back to see a clerk, who took my ticket and began typing things in to search for my ticket (or so I hope, hopefully she wasn't putting it in the system). She said it wasn't in the system, she signed her name on my ticket saying that I attempted to appear in court. She told me I would be notified by mail if my ticket is ever put in the system.

Anyone got an ideas if I should just forget about the ticket or is it going to end up in the system?

put the ticket in a filebox where you'll be able to find it if they ever send you paperwork, and forget about it until they do. you've done your part.

if they do eventually file it chances are pretty good you won't need to pay, by the way.

[jmc]

Police auto investigators (the person who officers submit traffic tickets to, who in turn submit them to the court) sometimes submit tickets in batches, and usually not right when they actually recieve them.

The bath might not have actually been submitted to the court yet, the officer could have never submitted the ticket to the auto investigator, or its lost in the auto investigators desk.

So, hope the officer didn't submit the ticket....... but hold onto it anyways, just incase of the the other two scenarios.