Ticket Help!
May-30th-2003, 10:14 PM
#1
Protege Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: PA
Posts: 379
Ticket Help!
Today i got a speeding ticket...officer was generous and said i was doing 91 in a 65...anyway does anyone know the rules if they spell something wrong, such as my address what happens. Can i get this taken away and get off? It is Chambersburg Rd, and clearly on the ticket he wrote CHAMDERSBURG RD. Help me out asap. a $200 fine....
May-30th-2003, 10:43 PM
#2
Certified Sick Individual
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Houston, TX.
Posts: 1,141
Hmmmm which is more likely:
A. They are going to dismiss your ticket because he spelled the name of a city wrong.
B. They are going to make you pay the fine because you were obviously speeding waaaay in excess of the posted limits.
You should contest it since you can't take def. driving or get deferred adjudication (most likely, can't here but may be able to elsewhere) for that big of a speeding infraction. If you contest the worst you will get is the $200 fine, but the prosecutor may not show up or the officer not show up and the charges will be dropped. Don't pull any bullshit when you go up there unless you have a good reason to be driving that fast. You will just **** off the judge. Plus you might be able to work a deal with the prosecutor or the judge to take def. driving or something else even if the law does not allow you to.
BTW... How in the hell does this relate to 3rd gens?
A. They are going to dismiss your ticket because he spelled the name of a city wrong.
B. They are going to make you pay the fine because you were obviously speeding waaaay in excess of the posted limits.
You should contest it since you can't take def. driving or get deferred adjudication (most likely, can't here but may be able to elsewhere) for that big of a speeding infraction. If you contest the worst you will get is the $200 fine, but the prosecutor may not show up or the officer not show up and the charges will be dropped. Don't pull any bullshit when you go up there unless you have a good reason to be driving that fast. You will just **** off the judge. Plus you might be able to work a deal with the prosecutor or the judge to take def. driving or something else even if the law does not allow you to.
BTW... How in the hell does this relate to 3rd gens?
May-31st-2003, 12:25 PM
#6
Master of All Things :{D
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: southeast texas, near houston
Posts: 4,118
Personally.....go with the advice KC just gave you....contest it....but be fully prepared to either pay the fine or attempt to work out a deal.
Here in TX the max you can go over the limit and just go and take defensive driving is 25 over. HOWEVER, the judge can allow you to if HE decides he wants to let you.....you still pay a filing fee, and you pay the 25-30 bucks for the class...but its way cheeper then paying the fine and the increase in your insurance.
and who knows....you MIGHT get lucky and the officer won't show and the whole thing will get dropped.....
but more likely you need to be VERY sorry for what you did...know it was stupid...and ask the judge to allow you to take defensive driving to take the place of the fine.
Here in TX the max you can go over the limit and just go and take defensive driving is 25 over. HOWEVER, the judge can allow you to if HE decides he wants to let you.....you still pay a filing fee, and you pay the 25-30 bucks for the class...but its way cheeper then paying the fine and the increase in your insurance.
and who knows....you MIGHT get lucky and the officer won't show and the whole thing will get dropped.....
but more likely you need to be VERY sorry for what you did...know it was stupid...and ask the judge to allow you to take defensive driving to take the place of the fine.
May-31st-2003, 02:54 PM
#7
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Centennial, Colorado
Posts: 1,667
I don't know about everywhere else... but here in Colorado.. they don't give a two craps if they spelled something wrong, or wrote down some minor incorrect information like car color being grey, instead of white. Be careful next time, and if you're going to be speeding like that, be prepared to pay the cost if you get busted.
June-1st-2003, 11:28 AM
#8
Protege 5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Mass
Posts: 351
I'd fight it. It has worked for me two times in the past. Either you can mediate something you have to do (take a safe driving class), or just drop it (depending on your driving record). It is well worth it to try and get off the insurance premium you will have over the next bunch of years. Here in Mass, you will hold point for 6 years after fetting a citation. It ised to ne 5 but they raised it not long ago.
-R
-R
June-1st-2003, 01:57 PM
#9
Protege Enthusiast
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Worcester, MA
Posts: 134
Don't just pay the ticket! Contest it and fight it in court!
These are the reasons:
1) Just by bringing the case to court, you are already reducing the value of the speeding ticket that the state gets (they have to spend money on judge, prosecutor, officer).
2) There is a chance that you can fight off the ticket and maintain a clean (or a cleaner) record. A police officer has access to your driving record in a matter of seconds. Next time you get pulled over, having a speeding ticket for 91mph in 65 can make a difference between a warning, a "generous" ticket or a full ticket.
3) Traffic tickets are a major source of income for states. A significant deal of traffic tickets are given in the name of $$$ and not safety. By fighting your traffic ticket, you fight this unfair system. (Yeah, I know it sounds like the "fight the system, kid!" kind of argument)
True, seems like you were speeding a lot, but I doubt that you were doing so in traffic or unsafely or were endangering anyone. None of this matters: you still need to fight the ticket.
I found a bunch of useful resources for fighting tickets up on this web site:
Resources on fighting your traffic ticket: Reasons to fight tickets, Fighting the typical radar ticket, and there's more (FAQs, etc).
I got my first speeding ticket 1.5 weeks into owning a car. I was passing another car on I-95 in Maine. In the spirit of keeping right, I speeded up to 85 to quickly pass on the left lane, and then I moved back into the right lane and began slowing down. An Audi passed me at 87-90 and moved in front of me. While we were both slowing down, a cop pulled us both over. I slowed down way more than the Audi, but he still considered both of us going 84 in 65. In reality, I was doing more like 75. He wrote me up for 79 in 65, but I'm going to fight it anyway.
I just joined the National Motorists Association, from www.motorists.org and they have all sorts of useful advice on the web site. I just got their "Guerilla Traffic Ticket Fighter" audio tape and been listening to it in my car. It's been full of great advice. I wish I knew this stuff when I got my ticket: I would've then asked the officer for the radar and its serial number, would've written down the VIN, year/model/make and license plate of the unmarked car, would've taken some photos of where I was pulled over (and I had a digital camera on me too), etc.
It sucks that the court house is going to be 3 hours away, but I'm determined to fight this ticket, because it's my first one, and if I fight it off, I remain with a clean record.
One of the things that the audio tape mentioned is that often by going to court, even if you don't dismiss or defeat the ticket, you can get a plea bargain. Sometimes, the court will accept you paying the ticket or more than the ticket, but they will not report the violation to the insurance company or the state.
So it's worth the effort.
BTW, for Massachusetts, NMA has an especially useful page: NMA MA chapter (stuff like illegal speed limits in MA, and other MA $ecrets).
These are the reasons:
1) Just by bringing the case to court, you are already reducing the value of the speeding ticket that the state gets (they have to spend money on judge, prosecutor, officer).
2) There is a chance that you can fight off the ticket and maintain a clean (or a cleaner) record. A police officer has access to your driving record in a matter of seconds. Next time you get pulled over, having a speeding ticket for 91mph in 65 can make a difference between a warning, a "generous" ticket or a full ticket.
3) Traffic tickets are a major source of income for states. A significant deal of traffic tickets are given in the name of $$$ and not safety. By fighting your traffic ticket, you fight this unfair system. (Yeah, I know it sounds like the "fight the system, kid!" kind of argument)
True, seems like you were speeding a lot, but I doubt that you were doing so in traffic or unsafely or were endangering anyone. None of this matters: you still need to fight the ticket.
I found a bunch of useful resources for fighting tickets up on this web site:
Resources on fighting your traffic ticket: Reasons to fight tickets, Fighting the typical radar ticket, and there's more (FAQs, etc).
I got my first speeding ticket 1.5 weeks into owning a car. I was passing another car on I-95 in Maine. In the spirit of keeping right, I speeded up to 85 to quickly pass on the left lane, and then I moved back into the right lane and began slowing down. An Audi passed me at 87-90 and moved in front of me. While we were both slowing down, a cop pulled us both over. I slowed down way more than the Audi, but he still considered both of us going 84 in 65. In reality, I was doing more like 75. He wrote me up for 79 in 65, but I'm going to fight it anyway.
I just joined the National Motorists Association, from www.motorists.org and they have all sorts of useful advice on the web site. I just got their "Guerilla Traffic Ticket Fighter" audio tape and been listening to it in my car. It's been full of great advice. I wish I knew this stuff when I got my ticket: I would've then asked the officer for the radar and its serial number, would've written down the VIN, year/model/make and license plate of the unmarked car, would've taken some photos of where I was pulled over (and I had a digital camera on me too), etc.
It sucks that the court house is going to be 3 hours away, but I'm determined to fight this ticket, because it's my first one, and if I fight it off, I remain with a clean record.
One of the things that the audio tape mentioned is that often by going to court, even if you don't dismiss or defeat the ticket, you can get a plea bargain. Sometimes, the court will accept you paying the ticket or more than the ticket, but they will not report the violation to the insurance company or the state.
So it's worth the effort.
BTW, for Massachusetts, NMA has an especially useful page: NMA MA chapter (stuff like illegal speed limits in MA, and other MA $ecrets).
June-1st-2003, 03:48 PM
#10
Recreational Gynocolist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 568
i read all about this stuff too...after i had paid my first ticket. You want to get as much info about the patrol car and radar/laser gun they used on you. Why? Because these things ALL have to be calibrated or certified to be legal. Not only this but the officer must go through very specific checklist before it is legal for him to beleive the speed on the radar gun. Even if you were pulled over and the radar gun was legit and up to certification, but the speedo on the cop car hadn't been upgraded in months, you may even be able to say that the patrol car was in no capacity to be on city streets. There is just so much stuff. All the info about every peice of equiptment the police use should be in public records. So if the history of the radar gun is missing, then the state has no proof the gun was reading the correct speed and you win. Sooooo fight the ticket but read through the articles posted they help alot.
June-2nd-2003, 05:43 AM
#11
Protege Newbie
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Mission Viejo, Orange County, California
Posts: 31
i just thought that i would note that in north carolina (where my car is registered even though i live in southern california) if you get caught going more than 15mph over you can lose your licence and even be charged with a felony...and anything over 90 is considered deadly speed so your lucky he didnt arrest you on the spot and charge you with endangering the public or wreckless driving or some other crap...you really are lucky all he gave you was a ticket...but just show up for court and see if you have too work out a deal...maybe youll get lucky and the cop wont show up but if you dont you wont end up any worse than before
June-2nd-2003, 10:22 AM
#12
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Virginia and Brooklyn, NYC
Posts: 602
I can't believe this. I wish I was more educated on knowing how to fight tickets and the advantages of taking it to court. I've been paying so many tickets off to the point where my record isn't that good now when it comes to speeding. 
At times I've been caught where they clocked me on some bullshit reading. So the points on my license have build up. But yea the links that you gave are very informative. Wish I knew this before my record started.
At times I've been caught where they clocked me on some bullshit reading. So the points on my license have build up. But yea the links that you gave are very informative. Wish I knew this before my record started.
June-5th-2003, 03:35 PM
#13
Protege Enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Salem
Posts: 147
I'm enrolled in a number of criminal justice classes and to my knowledge the spelling of the street address would not be important especially if it's that obvious what street he was trying to write. There are curtain parts to a citation that it is not correct the citation will be dropped but those things include things such as time, date, license plate number etc.
June-5th-2003, 07:51 PM
#14
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: So Cal
Posts: 114
Here in California, if you contest the ticket and lose, you can't take drivers school and you have to pay off the whole ticket. I agree with those who say pay off the ticket, or just take drivers school (if you can in TX). In cali, if you take drivers school, the ticket won't show up on your insurance so your rates don't go up. I really don't think that they'll let you off the hook just because the officer mispelled something. Even if they did consider it, they would look at how fast you were going and they wouldn't give you any slack. Good Luck!