Got my first ticket on my bike last week, and what really sucks is I was about 2 months away from having a clean driving record again. I won't go into the details too much, but I was busted for 65 in a 55. But on the ticket the officer wrote that it was on a 6 lane highway, when it was really just a 4 lane with a turn lane in the middle. I've heard that tickets sometimes get dimissed in court over technicalities. Does anyone have any experience with anything like this? Is it worth my time to take off work to go to court?

 

Some times, but I dont think they will over that one. If you were speeding just man up and pay it.

 

No, you are not going to win on a technicality as asinine as that. Still, you should definately go to the court date. Most of the time, simply showing up will be enough for the court to reduce the charge and possibly eliminate points. This has worked for me many times, including my last ticket 3 years ago. The fine was the same, but no points were assessed and it was filed as a lesser charge.

What most people don't know is that if every single person plead "not-guilty" to traffic tickets, the court system would be f***ed. Unfortunately, everybody pays. No attorney wants to waste their time fighting you on your speeding ticket, and that's why they will usually give you a good deal instead of wasting time with you.

 

How many lanes were there? How much traffic was on the road? If there was traffic how can the cop be sure he radared you?

 

Good questions all Nauree....These are the questions you need to find the answers to bassJAM, and present an argument to the judge or prosecutor.

As I have learned in the past though, cops lie. Of course, in the judge's eye on a traffic violation case, the cop is God.

 

ahh yes i remember the good ol' days when I started driving and was told "if the cop doesn't show up, ticket gets thrown out"... well this worked for my 1st ticket when I was 16... but then I got a ticket when I was 19 in Bu-Fu, IL just outside of Danville and went down to court hoping I wouldn't have to pay it and despite NO cops there at all, EVERYONE was pretty much "forced" to plead guilty as the "judge"(some schmuck w/ a comb-over and a sloppy button down shirt) told me if I decided to plead not-guilty that they could just re-schedule and get the cop in to testify... so instead of fighting I just took the hit...

another example is a ticket I got in Bu-Fu, IN where I went hoping the cop wouldn't show up but pretty much figured he would since it was a b.s. 65 in a 55 ticket w/ NO OTHER TRAFFIC on a 4-lane highway at 2am when I was heading back to school after going home for the weekend... I even tried to read the "how to beat a speeding ticket" crap online and the cop must've read it too since he pretty much spouted off ad-nauseum everything it says on there that cops forget to mention that could help you get off on technicalities...

thankfully after a rough first few yrs(about 6tickets... only 2 that went on my record) I am glad to say I've been ticket free for over 4yrs now!!!

 

It can't hurt to go to court, they CAN'T make it worse. I had a ticket where i was going almost 60 in a 30 on a back road cause i was wicked pissed off at someone and i drove the road EVERYDAY so i knew it pretty well. Got pulled over and instead of writing the speed on the ticket the officer wrote "traveling too fast for conditions" didn't hardly write anything else on it. 2 months later i got a letter saying don't bother coming in, it got thrown out.

It can't hurt

 

I personally know of cops who sometimes intentionally don't show up to court...sometimes they get mandated to write a certain amount of tickets, but sometimes even they realize how stupid the ticket is and don't show. That's why it's so important that you always show up.

 

Like everyone else, I say show up. If it doesn't get thrown out, you'll still get a reduced fine and a little break just by being there.

About twoyears ago, I got busted for over 100 in a 65. Cop could have busted me right there, impounded my bike, and jacked up my world. He took some time to see what my deal was, and I just told him I was uncomfortable with the amount of semi's around (there were two in front of me in fast lane and one beside me in the slow lane) and merging traffic all at once, so I gunned it to get into some open space.

Unless the judge is a douche and angry at the world, I've found that if you just give it straight (or make up a reasonable excuse) they won't bust your ***** too bad. Or like in my case, admitingthe obvious guilt even though I had a reasonand aplogizing for the inconvenience, they usually respond better to that than bull****.

Good luck.

 

Cops dont have to show up around here. Its all based on the Judge.

Why not defer it (If you have that were youre from)? Defer, pay $100, and go one year withoutbeing found guilty of another ticket and its gone. Insurance never even knows.