Speeding Ticket Advice

[spikrleft]

I recently got a speeding ticket in California; 80 in a 65. I have a completely clean driving record; no infractions or accidents whatsoever.

My options right now are:
a) pay the fine, take the points
b) pay the fine, pay for traffic school, get the points removed (assuming I don't get an infraction in the next 12 months)
c) contest the ticket

I'm just curious if it would be worth my time, effort and money to get my driver's records from each state I've lived in, take them to court and ask the judge to throw some leniency my way and have the ticket dismissed.

Anyone have any experience with tickets in California, specifically with California Highway Patrol and San Diego?

Thanks,
Spike

 

[Swanee]

Were you doing 80 in a 65? On what grounds would you contest it?

 

[fc2spyguy]

Really? Pay the fine, bfd no one cares about a speeding ticket. Unless you're 'super speeding' doing 100+, then it becomes a little different . . .

 

[picklesuit]

Who cares? Own up to your mistakes, or prove they were wrong. If you weren't speeding, then it is worth the effort....if you were speeding, then you are just trying to weasel out of a justified ticket. Why are you wasting our time with this? What does it have to do with Aviation?

Pickle

 

[JonDW7]

Good luck if you contest it. From my understanding, all that needs to be proven is that you were driving the car, and then the cop's word is sufficient for the rest. The cop is viewed as an "officer of the court," so basically anything he says is taken as Gospel.

I went to court, fought my ticket, and lost. I asked for documentation that the cop had calibrated his radar gun, and the documentation could not be provided. The judge said that the cop's word was enough, so no official documentation was necessary to uphold the ticket. I was also on a four-lane highway on a holiday weekend. I was allegedly gunned from over 1000 feet away. I asked what the beam spread was at that distance, and basically it was more than enough to have gunned another vehicle, or at least have some interference. The cop was asked who he gunned, and he said it was me, so once again, the judge relied on his testimony as an "officer of the court."

Good luck with your ticket if you fight it.

 

[BusyBee604]

No Brainer

Helloooo: ***Option B*** that way no points on your record. California isn't gonna let you off the hook...We're BANKRUPT!:icon_trou
And you'll still have your virgin driving record!
BzB

 

[C420sailor]

Some municipalities will allow you to "negotiate" with the DA prior to going before the judge. They'll make you an offer with a lesser charge or two. One of my buddies went in with a 15 over speeding ticket and walked out with a seat belt violation and failure to signal. He ended up paying around the same, but he was stuck with far fewer points.

 

[spikrleft]

Helloooo: ***Option B*** that way no points on your record. California isn't gonna let you off the hook...We're BANKRUPT!:icon_trou
And you'll still have your virgin driving record!
BzB

Yea that's a damn good point. Thanks fellas. I was going get my driver's records and show I've been a safe and responsible driver and plead leniency. Had a friend do the same and they at least cut his fine in half.

And it's naval aviation in that it's one naval aviator asking other naval aviators for advice... and my sincerest apologies for making you waste your time and give a worthless response...

 

[spikrleft]

Some municipalities will allow you to "negotiate" with the DA prior to going before the judge. They'll make you an offer with a lesser charge or two. One of my buddies went in with a 15 over speeding ticket and walked out with a seat belt violation and failure to signal. He ended up paying around the same, but he was stuck with far fewer points.

Any idea how to do this?

 

[C420sailor]

Any idea how to do this?

Where I'm from it's standard procedure if you initially plead not guilty (when you mail the ticket back in). On your court date you go into a room with a representative from the prosecution and they offer you a plea bargain. You plead guilty to the lesser charge and continue on your way. Otherwise, you continue into the courtroom to fight the original charge.

Some places do this and some don't. I'd ask around.

 

[Spekkio]

Always go to court for your traffic tickets.

The worst that happens is you pay an extra $30 in court fees. The best that can happen is that you get the ticket thrown out because the officer decides not to show up or screwed up some other law in the process. Additionally, the court may plea bargain with you...I got a ticket for doing 80 in a 65 on the NY thruway in my freshman year of college that was knocked down to a 74 in a 65 just because I showed up that day. In my home area, they would plea bargain speeding violations into failure to yield...same ticket cost, more points, but insurance doesn't go up for failure to yield violations. Personally, I've had quite a few "broken headlights." While there's no guarantee that CA courts will do this, it's worth the couple hours of your time.

 

[Spekkio]

Any idea how to do this?

The plea bargaining process, if offered, happens automatically when you show up to your court date. They will have everyone wait in a big room and the DA (or DA's working that day) will call people up 1 by 1 to offer them deals. You can take the deal or request a trial. Since your chances of winning the trial essentially hinge on the officer not showing up (and in many municipalities, they get paid overtime for doing so), take the deal.

 

[PerDiem]

Plead "No Contest". The last time I did that, the cop said I was cooperative throughout the whole process and recommended that the judge withhold adjudication of guilt. With that, I just paid the ticket and court fees, but no points on my license.This was in Florida and I'm not sure if the same procedures are in place for California.

 

[Picaroon]

I once did traffic school in CA for, IIRC, 82 in a 65. It went smoothly and got taken off my record. So basically for you it's a decision as to whether it's worth the money to get it taken off your record or not. Online traffic school was a breeze and they handled all the stuff for me.

 

[zippy]

I recently got a speeding ticket in California; 80 in a 65. I have a completely clean driving record; no infractions or accidents whatsoever.
Spike

Easy, pay fine and pay for traffic school to get the points removed.