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Speeding Ticket: Connecticut: Avoiding DMV Report
Hewn
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Guess who has a speeding ticket?
Well, yeah, I admit to it. I got caught not paying attention in a 30mph zone I cruise by hundreds of times and I guess I'm serving as an example to slow down the street. The fee is $156, which stings, but I'm willing to pay.
What I'm asking is if there is a way to avoid this ticket going onto my record. I've heard of such stories happening by folks on this very board! So in the state of Connecticut, is there a way for me attempt to pay the fee without seeing the DMV add this to my record. I'd like to keep it clean as I haven't had a ticket since I was 16-years-old.
The Connecticut government website says I can plea not guilty and have a court date, but I run a risk:
The fact is, I'm guilty. So how do I work this, as getting a court date appears to require one to plea NOT guilty?
CONVERSELY
If there is no way to avoid this going on my record, how much can I expect my insurance to hike? I'm 24 with this single violation.
Well, yeah, I admit to it. I got caught not paying attention in a 30mph zone I cruise by hundreds of times and I guess I'm serving as an example to slow down the street. The fee is $156, which stings, but I'm willing to pay.
What I'm asking is if there is a way to avoid this ticket going onto my record. I've heard of such stories happening by folks on this very board! So in the state of Connecticut, is there a way for me attempt to pay the fee without seeing the DMV add this to my record. I'd like to keep it clean as I haven't had a ticket since I was 16-years-old.
The Connecticut government website says I can plea not guilty and have a court date, but I run a risk:
If you go to court and you are found guilty, the total amount due will be more than the fine amount set by the judge or magistrate. For example, if you go to court on a charge of failing to obey a stop sign, and the judge finds you guilty, the total amount due will be the original $70.00 fine, plus $44.00 court costs and fees for a total of $114.00 due.
The fact is, I'm guilty. So how do I work this, as getting a court date appears to require one to plea NOT guilty?
CONVERSELY
If there is no way to avoid this going on my record, how much can I expect my insurance to hike? I'm 24 with this single violation.
Steam: hewn
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
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Ok, there are two different kinds of pleading. Did you submit the ticket itself with a plea of not guilty, or did you already do that and now are going to court and planning on pleading not guilty?
There is a huge difference.
In the first case, on the ticket it either lets you pay the amount, and admit guilt. Or it lets you plead not guilty and let your case be taken to court. This is not actual court, this is traffic court. 100s of people do this a day. Basically they have a junior attorney talk to the whole lot who show up, discuss what your options are, and you can plead to whatever they're offering.
In my case, they said they would let anyone who had a speeding ticket who was doing less than 20 over the limit plead down to the lowest type of moving violation. A $60 fine. Anyone over that could plead to the second highest type of moving violation (about $100 or so). Its really like an assembly line. It is up to the attorney that is there though, your experience could differ. Every single person I know has gotten the fine and charge reduced though.
If you haven't pleaded anything on the original ticket, always plead not guilty. It will reduce the fine, and charge, and in some cases, if they're really being nice that day, you could get off with just a donation to charity. That is really rare though.
The other option of being not guilty, meaning you go to traffic court and plead that...well...bad idea...
That is where you most likely will get screwed. It becomes an actual trial, and yes, you could get charged with something higher, have to pay court costs, etc...
Really, just take the reduced charge from traffic court.
Oh, I'm from CT, and I had to do this twice, and happened to be friends with a bunch of dumb assholes who loved to speed way too much. One of my friends had 7, another had 5, another had 4, and the rest had about 1 or 2 each. I've gotten pretty good about dealing with them.
I just received the ticket last night. Like you said, there are two options on the back: admit guilt and pay up or plead not guilty and get a court date. Sounds like I can plead not guilty and try to explain to the attorney that I'm willing to admit guilt on a lesser penalty - at least I'd hope there's some leniency here as this is my first time being pulled over in 8 years.
Are you aware how quickly is a court date usually set up?
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
Well, in my experience they never let anyone explain anything. It is really done to try to get as many people through there as possible. Like I said before, they just gave everyone the two choices, take the blanket plea that we're offering everyone or go to real court. (Like I said before, don't go to real court.) They then had the 100 or so people literally line up, and just walk by the desk they had set up. Once you get up there, you tell them what you want to do, they write it down, and either you write a check out right there, or you leave and they'll mail you the court date for real court. Literally 5 seconds of actual conversation with a person.
I've heard, in a few rare cases, of people actually getting to say a few things, so you may get lucky. I wouldn't count on it though.
A minor moving violation isn't really that bad though. My insurance didn't change, and I had two of them over a 3 year period. Under CT law though, 2 tickets means you need to go to driver retraining if you're under 25, 3 if you're over. Not a huge deal, just a 4 hour, boring as hell class.
I don't remember how long it takes to get the court date. I think it was a few weeks to get the notice, and then the actual date was about a month or two from that. If you're in Middlesex county, they almost always do traffic court on Tuesday mornings at the Middletown Courthouse.
Looks like that answers my question. Pay $150 fee and call it a day. Thanks for your help.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
It doesn't hurt to call them and ask your options. I assure you they'll know more then anyone on the forums. Also ask about taking a defensive driving course to remove points from your license.
Are you going to be permanently out of the state? You can always get court dates moved, or rescheduled. And like I said, I'm not 100% on the time frame. It could be quicker, or take longer.
I think getting the lesser charge on your record, and paying less is worth giving it a shot.
Try calling the court on Tuesday, and see what they say.
I will try calling though, to check on the chance I can get an appearance before then.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf