Help! speeding ticket

[ElizK]

I'm so mad at myself I could SPIT!! I was doing 69 in a 55. Got pulled over, received a ticket, yada, yada, yada. I checked online to see what the fine would be ---- $177.00!!! Holy CRAP!!! We are in quite the financial bind right now. This truly couldn't have come at a worse time.

I haven't had a speeding ticket in nearly 20 years (I was 19 or 20 at the time, and I just paid it.) I know the best thing is not to simply pay the fine. Should I hire a lawyer to get it dismissed? Is it better to do defensive driving? If so, do I have to pay the fine AND the defensive driving fee, or just pay for the course.

Any help you can offer would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[mylilnikita]

If you did it, just pay it and get it over with. If you are in a financial bind I don't think the thing to do would pay a lawyer that possibly couldn't get it reduced.
It is a 50/50 you could go before the judge and not deny you were speeding and maybe he/she will take into consideration that you haven't had a ticket for years and dismiss or reduce, but you could also end up with court costs.

 

[vettechick99]

Fight it (without the lawyer). I fought a $300 accident fine. I was of course guilty (I rear-ended someone lightly, no big damage) but didn't feel the ticket was fair. We just called the cops as a precaution - didn't want them to sue me later and not have any documents. Anyway, I went to court and they dismissed it because the other family never showed. Obviously they didn't think it was a big deal! I was sure happy to save that money.

At the very least you could beg to take a defensive driving course which will be much cheaper online.

 

[Hercules10]

Contact your police dept. Foat Wuth is usually pretty cool about talking folks through this (it won't be the first time for them...). Or you can call a defensive driving school. They'll explain everything too.

 

[PrincessDana]

Well, you're probably not in a small town like I was....but when I got my first speeding ticket almost two years ago, I originally called the county clerk's office who quoted me $130+ dollars.

I then called the County Attorney's office and said (in an innocent voice), I just got my first speeding ticket and I'm not sure what to do.....??

She said, come on in and we will take care of it for you....which mean they "shelved" the ticket because I hadn't had a ticket in two years. I simply signed a piece of paper stating that I hadn't had a ticket in two years and it didn't go on my record or anything (of course, that meant I had to go another two years without getting another ticket).

But that was in KY and a smaller county....I'm pretty sure that that "putting the ticket on a shelf" isn't available everywhere.

 

[JC Drake]

If you consider that the ticket is $177 and then tack on however much your insurance will go up once they get wind of the ticket, it might be worth fighting it.

 

[Mickey~Mouse]

why were you doing 69 in a 55? Why would you fight something you are guilty of? chances of fighting is are not good, then you will have court costs.
Play & pay. oh ,,and let me guess, you had a seatbelt on? right?? hum, that proves MY point!

 

[DawnCt1]

Do NOT contact the police department. You wouldn't want to be misunderstood by trying to talk them out of it. You can't and you don't want another charge.
Check NOT GUILTY and send it in. In Ct. you get an opportunity to explain in writing why you are not guilty. Think of all of the reasons why you may not be. Tell them that you are concerned about the radar calibration, etc when you go to court. DS#2 wrote a letter and got his ticket dismissed through the mail. Sometimes if you write a nice letter, tell them that you have a clean driving record, etc. they may cut you a break. You don't usually need a lawyer for traffic court. With a little luck, if you do go to court, they will reduce your "speed" and your fine. Remember, a ticket is the "gift that keeps on giving". It isn't the fine, its the insurance rates that go up.

 

[Mickey~Mouse]

Do NOT contact the police department. You wouldn't want to be misunderstood by trying to talk them out of it. You can't and you don't want another charge.
Check NOT GUILTY and send it in. In Ct. you get an opportunity to explain in writing why you are not guilty. Think of all of the reasons why you may not be. Tell them that you are concerned about the radar calibration, etc when you go to court. DS#2 wrote a letter and got his ticket dismissed through the mail. Sometimes if you write a nice letter, tell them that you have a clean driving record, etc. they may cut you a break. You don't usually need a lawyer for traffic court. With a little luck, if you do go to court, they will reduce your "speed" and your fine. Remember, a ticket is the "gift that keeps on giving". It isn't the fine, its the insurance rates that go up.

nah, that does not work..very rarely, just pay it! you did it!
(oh, sorry, I date a state trooper, going by what he said!)

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I don't know how it works in TX, but if it's anything like NC... DO NOT PAY the ticket! In NC about two days after you get a ticket you get a pile of soliciting letters from lawyers in the mail -all from the county in which your ticket was written. They will offer to represent you (no presence required, only your signature) for the cost of the ticket, court costs, plus a fee of $50-$75. So in your case you'd end up paying around $250.

Why would you do that? That lawyer will get the charges reduced to something like improper equipment, or perhaps a PJC -something that does not carry insurance points. This will SAVE YOU THOUSANDS of dollars in insurance premiums over the next few years.

You won't be getting off the hook (at least the way it works in NC). You'll still pay your fine, court costs, and a fee. But there is no sense in unnecessarily paying thousands of dollars to an insurance company. Isn't $250 enough suffering and penance?

With a clean driving record you should be fine -easy to represent. It will probably be helpful to contact your insurance rep for advice on how to proceed if you have questions. Believe it or not, they are interested in helping you keep your rates low.

Now cheer up and have a good week-end! Oh... and slow down. Your next ticket may not be so easy to take care of.

 

[ElizK]

why were you doing 69 in a 55? Why would you fight something you are guilty of? chances of fighting is are not good, then you will have court costs.
Play & pay. oh ,,and let me guess, you had a seatbelt on? right?? hum, that proves MY point!

Sorry, I must be the only person that ever speeds.

Actually, I was just moving along with the other traffic. In fact, there was someone in front of me who was obviously going as fast as I was. Didn't realize my exact speed until I saw the cop, then looked at the spedometer.

Why fight it? Because I don't want the fine, and I don't want my insurance to go up.

Not even sure what you mean about the seatbelt comment. I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt, thank you very much.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

nah, that does not work..very rarely, just pay it! you did it!
(oh, sorry, I date a state trooper, going by what he said!)

"Just pay it" is dandy for the ticket itself, but its a terrfying thing to be at the mercy of an insurance company. The ticket fee and the court costs are all the justice system is interested in exacting from speeders.

 

[LadyyRedd]

I'm so mad at myself I could SPIT!! I was doing 69 in a 55. Got pulled over, received a ticket, yada, yada, yada. I checked online to see what the fine would be ---- $177.00!!! Holy CRAP!!! We are in quite the financial bind right now. This truly couldn't have come at a worse time.

I haven't had a speeding ticket in nearly 20 years (I was 19 or 20 at the time, and I just paid it.) I know the best thing is not to simply pay the fine. Should I hire a lawyer to get it dismissed? Is it better to do defensive driving? If so, do I have to pay the fine AND the defensive driving fee, or just pay for the course.

Any help you can offer would be appreciated. Thanks!

Didn't the actual ticket have the fine written on it? I find it odd that it didn't. How would they expect you to know how much to pay if it's not on the ticket?

Kimya

 

[BabyPiglet]

Fight it. =)

 

[ElizK]

Didn't the actual ticket have the fine written on it? I find it odd that it didn't. How would they expect you to know how much to pay if it's not on the ticket?

Kimya

Nope, it references a web site and a telephone number to find that info.

 

[Hercules10]

You can contact your PD. They're not the gestapo. Ask them how taking defensive driving would affect your ticket. They might even recommend a good defensive driving school.

 

[DawnCt1]

nah, that does not work..very rarely, just pay it! you did it!
(oh, sorry, I date a state trooper, going by what he said!)

Your boyfriend is wrong. No one in their right mind would pay a ticket if they pay for their own insurance.

 

[Melissa_E]

You can contact your PD. They're not the gestapo. Ask them how taking defensive driving would affect your ticket. They might even recommend a good defensive driving school.

I agree, I'd do this!!!

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I would fight the ticket and go to court. Chances are you'll meet with the local town DA during their once a month night court. Explain that you have a good driving record, yada yada, and chances are they will reduce the fine, so that would be good. I don't know about lying and saying you weren't speeding, but they may reduce the ticket.

 

[ElizK]

I wouldn't even try lying. I know I was speeding.