tips/advice appreciated: Traffic court coming up

[Kev07]

I Rolled through a stop sign at around 1-3 mph im estimating, got a ticket for 165 bucks
Does anybody have any tips/suggestions for me to get the ticket lowered?

I thought about saying that I'm saving up for college this fall but seems kinda meh

almost stopped, i was probably rolling along 1-3 mph


maybe i'll just say, plead guilty and ask if they could lower the ticket for me?



do you think i'll get any brownie points for saying "I have no excuse, I was wrong" when judge asks me why I did it?

 

[Bible_Belt]

No one will ask you why. They just want your money.

Every traffic court is a little different, but sometimes if you get there early you can talk to the prosecutor beforehand. Ask him or her if they have time to negotiate a guilty plea.

 

[backbreaker]

just pay the damn ticket

 

[Kev07]

165 bucks is almost 1/4 of my savings, and i won't have a job come this fall cause i'll be in college.

that is going to hurt.

(insert how i'm an idiot for running a stop sign etc etc here)

 

[Bonhomme]

I've always found it best to go to court.

By paying the ticket you have a 0% chance of avoiding the points, and the possibly much greater cost down the line for insurance.

In my city, the cops have bigger fish to fry, rarely show up, and the court usually dismisses minor tickets. Voila', off the hook!

I've had a good driving record, and when the officer did show up, I didn't argue or contest it, and they always either dismissed it and had me pay "court costs" (= the amount of the ticket) or reduced it to a zero point offense, which also meant no effect on insurance.

So the trips to court were time well spent because they may have saved thousands of dollars in insurance costs, allowing for cumulative effects of multiple tickets that were dismissed.

If you have a spotty or bad record, or it's a bigger offense, it pays to get an attorney. A good attorney is likely to save you their fee many times over when the insurance bills come due.

 

[blackbelt2k]

I'm in traffic court...monthly, yes its sad, but with a bike and a fast car, i get tickets at a stop...anyway, my record is HORRIBLE, 12pts currently, many suspensions...unless its something MAJOR, like diving under suspension, don't get a lawyer... just say the following to the judge as relaxed as you can, "Sir, I'd like to plead no contest with request for the court to withhold judification" ... thats it, they'll make u take a mandated 4 hour school, no points, and pay about 70 bucks.

 

[AllAmericanGuy]

all you have to do is go to court plead no contest pay the ticket, ZERO points on liscense

 

[Kev07]

Thanks for the responses!

Uhmm this is my FIRST ticket involving a car (i got a j-walking ticket like 4 years ago -_-)


I doubt that I will hire a lawyer for something so small, but Unless the cop doesn't show up I'm gonig to plead guilty and just be humble and sorry. I guess I'll just say whatever goes along.

Any other suggestions?

I'm going to wear a shirt and tie with slacks

I'm address the judge by "Your Honor" right?

hm.

 

[Deep Dish]

I don't know if this applies to running stop signs but whenever I get a ticket which is usually speeding or some other BS the cop decides to "charge" me with I hire a lawyer and it's cheaper too compared to the $165 fine OR maybe the school you MIGHT have to attend to take the points off your license that is IF you have to attend or IF you get the points.

I recently had to pay $1,500 for a defense lawyer and that was at his discounted price! That $1,500 was simply for him to do the paperwork and ensure procedure was followed. Unless someone actually knows a lawyer who will defend them pro bono, there's a less than snowball's chance in hell it will be cheaper than $165 plus traffic school.

 

[RedPill]

165 bucks is almost 1/4 of my savings, and i won't have a job come this fall cause i'll be in college.

that is going to hurt.

(insert how i'm an idiot for running a stop sign etc etc here)

Hey, sh1t happens, we all make mistakes. Pay the ticket and learn from the experience. That said. . .

Why can't you have a job when you're in college?

 

[penkitten]

Hey, sh1t happens, we all make mistakes. Pay the ticket and learn from the experience. That said. . .

Why can't you have a job when you're in college?

i agree with pay the ticket
and why can't you have a job while you are in college?
who is paying for this said college?
and will they pay for my college if i choose to quit my job too?

 

[Kev07]

i agree with pay the ticket
and why can't you have a job while you are in college?
who is paying for this said college?
and will they pay for my college if i choose to quit my job too?

Well I'll be living on campus and I'll be apply for jobs on campus, there are no gurarantees that I will get a job. I will have no car so I can't really work off campus. (don't wana take bus lol)

My college is being paid for partly by fafsa, partly by various small scholarships I have received (mostly essays that i've written), I get a fellowship for being in the honors program, and whatever is left, my mother pays for.

The money i've saved up is going to be spending money, I won't have any sort of income (unless I get a job on campus) and I likely won't get any allowances.

 

[Master Bates]

Many traffic violations people are charged with are bullsh*t. Do you really deserve to give up $175 of your hard earned money (plus extra in insurance possibly) because you crept through a stop sign? F*ck that. Just plead guilty and they'll reduce the fine by a lot.

 

[penkitten]

Well I'll be living on campus and I'll be apply for jobs on campus, there are no gurarantees that I will get a job. I will have no car so I can't really work off campus. (don't wana take bus lol)

My college is being paid for partly by fafsa, partly by various small scholarships I have received (mostly essays that i've written), I get a fellowship for being in the honors program, and whatever is left, my mother pays for.

The money i've saved up is going to be spending money, I won't have any sort of income (unless I get a job on campus) and I likely won't get any allowances.

i see.

 

[RedPill]

Well I'll be living on campus and I'll be apply for jobs on campus, there are no gurarantees that I will get a job. I will have no car so I can't really work off campus. (don't wana take bus lol)

I highly recommend you get a job, if for any other reason to instill discipline in yourself for the future. If you really want one, you'll find one. Not only is it good for you to build a pad of cash, you can pay back fafsa early. Or, if you aren't going to work, take a ton of credit hours and get done 1-2 years early.

When you get to college, you're going to discover that most of the people there aren't there for any sort of purpose, but rather just going through the motions of society's expectations for them. A good share of them will drop out after the gen ed classes are done because they don't have the work ethic or desire to choose a major. You'll hear a lot of people use the motto "you're only young once" and "I live life to the fullest" as an excuse to live like adolescents for as long as possible. Wasted time is wasted life.

Believe it or not, being very focused and busy will be good for your game with women as well, as you won't have time to give a sh1t about all their petty dramas and contrivances. It will make you more attractive to them.

I'm not saying don't have a good time, I'm just saying go balls to the wall, make your education useful for you, get in, get out, and dive into "the real world" as soon as possible. You won't regret it. Discipline is the key, and one of the hardest parts of being successful in life, in my opinion, is ignoring all the jokers who don't have any.

(And don't ever talk to your mother like that again :nono: )

[/dad rant]

 

[Deep Dish]

What exactly did you do for him to charge you that much...? What was he fighting...? It's very true what you mentioned but see...it DEPENDS on what you did or how serious it was.

Oh, I wish it was reckless driving. It was a DUI.

 

[Kev07]

I highly recommend you get a job, if for any other reason to instill discipline in yourself for the future. If you really want one, you'll find one. Not only is it good for you to build a pad of cash, you can pay back fafsa early. Or, if you aren't going to work, take a ton of credit hours and get done 1-2 years early.

When you get to college, you're going to discover that most of the people there aren't there for any sort of purpose, but rather just going through the motions of society's expectations for them. A good share of them will drop out after the gen ed classes are done because they don't have the work ethic or desire to choose a major. You'll hear a lot of people use the motto "you're only young once" and "I live life to the fullest" as an excuse to live like adolescents for as long as possible. Wasted time is wasted life.

Believe it or not, being very focused and busy will be good for your game with women as well, as you won't have time to give a sh1t about all their petty dramas and contrivances. It will make you more attractive to them.

I'm not saying don't have a good time, I'm just saying go balls to the wall, make your education useful for you, get in, get out, and dive into "the real world" as soon as possible. You won't regret it. Discipline is the key, and one of the hardest parts of being successful in life, in my opinion, is ignoring all the jokers who don't have any.

(And don't ever talk to your mother like that again :nono: )

[/dad rant]

o_o

Yeah I currently work as an appointment generator at home depot, it's a job where experience is highly valued.

I was hoping I could find a job down in socal when I get there with the same job, but the only issue is I have no car.

 

[penkitten]

the bus actually does not suck as bad as you fear.
its like a buck something a day, which is like a third of the price of what parking in louisville is and then when you drive, you must purchase a vehicle, insurance and gasoline.
you can even read or listen to music or whatever while someone else does the driving.

 

[Kev07]

I didn't say it sucks.

I'm just a semi car enthusiast. (or a bike, been thinking of getting one)

Well i'm not completely knocking out the idea of taking a bus to work, but we'll see

 

[amoka]

At 1-3mph, you should go to court and tell the judge or the prosecutor that you noticed the stop sign and initiated the brake but could not stop before crossing the stop sign. Had you stopped, it would have been in the middle of traffic.