Fighting a Speeding Ticket

Zyre

Has anyone attempted to fight a speeding ticket before? I would love some details and advice on how this goes down. I don't remember where I read or heard this before - but I recall if you contest the ticket, your chances of winning are very high as the issuing officer is very unlikely to show up to your court date. I don't know if that's true or not, thus why I am asking. Another question I have; What evidence will the court use against me other than the fact the ticket was issued - what do they have to prove it was me? What evidence can I use against them?

I've never gotten a speeding ticket my entire driving life, 16 to 24, until now. Driving home from work the other day, literally 5 miles away from home and I got pulled over for doing 72 in a 60 on the highway. "Keep it under 70" was the advice the cop gave me, and said he reduced my fine (it's only a measly $81).

The reason I want to fight this, is because I've been striving to keep a clean record for 3 years, I just got 1 year under my belt (I was involved in a fender bender a year ago - the only mark on my otherwise flawless 9 year driving record) because I would like to look into getting a career that involves me driving a vehicle and I can't do that unless I have 3-year clear driving record.

Hewn

Advice will fluctuate greatly depending upon the state you are in.

From the sounds of things, your ticket is very simple and you're not going to get out of it. You were speeding, you were caught, the judge is going to believe the officer. However, and this depends upon your state court proceedings, it may be possible to not have the ticket go on your record.

I don't know the details, but I have heard of this happening. Hopefully somebody will elaborate.

Scooter

Considering you didn't deny that you were speeding yourself, well, the law got you and there you are. I suppose the best you could do is hope the cop doesn't show up, and if he does, just hope you get seriously lucky and the judge lets you keep it off your record so you can get a job.

I don't think you can go up there and say "It wasn't me!" if the cop is sitting right there going "Uh, yea, it was."

zerg rush

Advice probably varies greatly by state. In California for example, you can get rid of most minor traffic infractions just by going to "driving school" (literally, pay 80 dollars and click through a test you're allowed to retake as many times you want until you pass). As long as you keep your record clean for a certain period of time, the infraction gets erased.

Raggaholic

Zyre wrote: »

The reason I want to fight this, is because I've been striving to keep a clean record for 3 years, I just got 1 year under my belt (I was involved in a fender bender a year ago - the only mark on my otherwise flawless 9 year driving record) because I would like to look into getting a career that involves me driving a vehicle and I can't do that unless I have 3-year clear driving record.

What you can probably do is contact the prosecutors/da's office and find out who's handling the ticket. Talk to them and see if they're willing to amend it to a non-moving violation. We do it all the time for people who have CDL's and need to keep their record clean.

The ticket will be amended to littering or something like that, and the fine will be the same or a few dollars more. Then again, the only time I've seen this done is when the person has/is a lawyer.

Or you could see if they have a defensive driving course you can take or a deferral program that you can do. Most people don't know they have a ton of options when it comes to tickets.

Preacher

If you are in washington state contesting a ticket is very difficult, the officer doesn't have to show up, they write a statement and the court takes that instead. Though Doc on the last topic mentioned how in the Wash you can get one ticket deffered? Something you can do like once every 5 years or something?

NexusSix

Zyre wrote: »

I recall if you contest the ticket, your chances of winning are very high as the issuing officer is very unlikely to show up to your court date.

This is likely, but you're essentially making a crap shoot. If he shows up, you loose anyway. A friend of mine contested a speeding ticket and the officer never showed up, but I've always just paid the fine.

Thanatos

This is totally going to depend on what state you're in.

wunderbar

"I was speeding, got caught. Can I get out of it?" - you sound like a 7 year old with your hand in the cookie jar.

It sucks that it could fuck you up in trying to get a job. And depending on what state you live in, it's totally possible to get the ticket off your record. Examine the laws, ask questions at a vehicle registry near you, they should know that kind of stuff. Heck, call a police officer, one in a good mood might be willing to at least tell you your chances. I don't know how police works where you live(that sounds really weird), but in my city in Canada, there is one officer who is assigned to be the "general cop" for your area. Find out who that is, if one exists, and give him a call and explain the situation. If he's a nice guy he'll at least give you some advice. I know the cop for our neighborhood is awesome, and he will give you an honest opinion without being a dick and power tripping.

But seriously, you want a job where you need to drive, and yet you risk screwing yourself over by speeding. If I was trying to get a job where I needed a clean driving record, I wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize that chance, even if it means it takes 5 minutes longer to get from A to B. Hopefully you learn something from this.

Zyre

wunderbar wrote: »

"I was speeding, got caught. Can I get out of it?" - you sound like a 7 year old with your hand in the cookie jar.

But seriously, you want a job where you need to drive, and yet you risk screwing yourself over by speeding. If I was trying to get a job where I needed a clean driving record, I wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize that chance, even if it means it takes 5 minutes longer to get from A to B. Hopefully you learn something from this.

I don't conciously speed. I don't think I would have gone 9 years clean if I was speeding all the time. I tend to 'zone out' when I drive, I think about other things than the fact that I am driving, keeping only an awareness to whats in front of me. This particular morning I was zoned out and was just keeping a distance with the car in front of me. The car in front of me must have been speeding as well if I got tagged and he didn't.

I live in Washington state. Thanks for the advice, I will look into getting it defferred off my record so I can get my CDL in a few years.

Fats

Zyre wrote: »

I don't conciously speed. I don't think I would have gone 9 years clean if I was speeding all the time. I tend to 'zone out' when I drive, I think about other things than the fact that I am driving, keeping only an awareness to whats in front of me. This particular morning I was zoned out and was just keeping a distance with the car in front of me.

No offense, but that's horrifying.

Anyway, I was going to suggest traffic school as a way to have your ticket dismissed, but I'm unsure if that hides it from your DMV when considering CDL eligibility.