Speeding Ticket advice please...calling legal DUer's

[SheepyMcSheepster]

so i got a ticket on thanksgiving going 87 in a 65 (i don't usually drive that fast but i was driving my gf's car with no cruise control :P)

what is the best way for me to handle this.

i obviously want to get it reduced so i guess i will have to get a lawyer, does the lawyer have to be local to the area you got the ticket in or can a lawyer be from your home town?

also can someone give an idea of when it is appropriate to use prayer for judgement?

i got the ticket in NC.

thanks!

[bryant69]

1. Maybe you should just pay the ticket

Bite the bullet, since you admit you were breaking the law, pay your debt to society, and move on with your life.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Truman01]

2. Don't get an attorney....

Most states, look up your law, have a minimum amount of speed above the speed limit at which a ticket will be recorded against your license. For example here in GA 15 miles an hour or less over the speed limit and you get no points.

So, call the county solicitor in NC and just tell him/her you are from out of town and would like to have the ticket reduced to x number of miles an hour over the speed limit and then you would be happy to pay it.

They should give you no problem at all.

TC

[lectrobyte]

5. 22 over in NC is definitely points, I'd suggest a lawyer. They are

going to know what works in your area and what doesn't. If you had been like 10 or 12 over, you might get it reduced to 9 and get that "prayer for adjudication" deal, but not for an 87 in a 65.

[Truman01]

7. Again, I am a lawyer, while I'm not barred in NC....

I go there a lot and I have gottn several tickets reduced. Try not giving legal advice. Besides, if you try my advice and it fails you can still go the more expensive path and get an attorney.

As to some of the other comments, NO, an attorney will not make your ticket disappear so it will not see the inside of a court room. That's called ticket fixing and could cost an attorney his bar license.

The easiest way to deal with a ticket is to call the solicitor and offer to pay the fine if he/she will reduce the speed.

But what do I know, I'm just a trial attorney who speeds like a bat out of hell.

TC

[SheepyMcSheepster]

14. thanks for the advice

i am happy to pay the fine, i just would prefer to get it reduced.

[northzax]

28. how many times have you said, in the last 24 hours

"I'm a lawyer, while I'm not barred in...."? followed by some version of "free advice isworth what you pay for it, so don't listen to me"?

jsut wondering, do you have that on a Macro or something?

I understand the full disclosure thing, it just amuses me.

[huskerlaw]

33. I believe he's said that

about as many times as has been required by people asking legal advice from people not qualified to give it.

[lectrobyte]

32. I'm not a lawyer, and didn't offer legal advice. I merely suggested the

OP talk to a lawyer, as I've had my share of speeding tickets, and think that at 22 over, he's not gonna want to try to do it himself. Your experiences may be different. The "system" works differently in different counties, too.

[Liberaltarian]

8. what are "points" anyway?

i've heard the term used by people from other states- I'm in illinois, and we don't have a 'point' system...

[SheepyMcSheepster]

25. here you go

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/driver_services/drivershandbook/chapter3/points.html

[Liberaltarian]

9. maybe, maybe not...

with federal monies being cut back, a lot more local municipalities are taking a harder line on all sources of revenue.

that being said- i got a ticket up in grand marais MN a few years back(i'm in IL), ignored it for a while, got some letters, eventually i sent them a check for about 75% of the amount of the ticket, and it was the last i heard of it.

[Truman01]

10. I would suggest doing that,......

Here in GA if you did that they would take the money and suspend your license.

Reducing the speed doesn't reduce the fine. They make you pay the fine based upon the original speed.

TC

[MemphisTiger]

3. Do have any lawyer friends?

Often, they have pretty good professional relationships that can get your ticket taken off the court docket and thrown away so it never sees a court room.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

17. no lawyer friends

[sam sarrha]

4. call a local Driving School, yellow pages.. talk to them ASAP. they know

the local judges and how to deal with them, the proper steps to take, what to say, not to say.

you may need to get permission to take the class to get the ticket removed from your record.. actually before your insurance sees it. they will be able to tell you what the process involves.. if you should pay it or go and get the order from the court .. which sometimes is necessary to go to driving school.. mine only cost $25, and was really fun.. the answers are highlighted on the test. we got free Pizza too. it was also dating central.

I got a ticket in California and lived in Nevada.. i took a mail order class from california [yellow pages from a phone book in the library and they took care of it.. but u have computers now.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

19. thanks for the advice

[Liberaltarian]

6. a lawyer???

what the hell for?
it's bound to cost more than the ticket.

if you were guilty, why not step up and pay the fine?

[SheepyMcSheepster]

15. i don't mind paying the fine, i would just like to reduce the speed

so i don't get so many points.

[Liberaltarian]

18. if you want to reduce the speed...

take your foot off the gas.

how do 'points' work anyway? my state doesn't use such a system.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

20. thanks so much you are very helpful

and i am forever in dept to you for your fantastic advice.

[underseasurveyor]

11. Advice?

Look at the speedometer and slow down :P You were going more than 20 mph over the speed limit fer goodness sakes :eyes: and on a holiday too no less with heavier traffic and it's common knowledge and well advertised there are extra patrols on the streets just looking for speeders....

[SheepyMcSheepster]

16. thanks

[underseasurveyor]

22. Hard ass ain't I

:evilgrin:

I do wish ya luck though :-)

[tx_dem41]

12. Take personal responsibility for your actions....

and pay the fine, as long as you know you were going the speed.

[rbnyc]

37. I agree.

Sorry, but what you did is pretty much the equivellent of waving a loaded gun around in a crowded room. You should be concerned about it not because you can get a fine and points on your licence, but because you could have killed someone, killed someone's child, someone's spouse, crippled someone, etc.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

39. thanks for your concern

i believe you are a bit extreme in saying that by driving over the speed limit on a straight interestate i am being as dangerous as waving a loaded gun around in a crowded room. everytime i drive i run the possiblity of killing someone, it does not matter what speed i am going what matters is that i am in control of the vehicle.

one could argue that i am in more control of a vehicle going excessive speeds than an elderly person going the speed limit.

i was not out of control.

and again, this was not on purpose, i am not usually a speeder, i was not driving my own vehicle and it did not have cruise control, i looked down noticed i was going pretty fast and that is when i saw the cop. i honestly did not realise how fast i was going and the speed limit had just dropped from 70 to 65.

i am fine with paying the fine for the ticket, want i am weary about is my insurance rates going way up. I am not rich and simply can't afford to see much money go out the door.

let me ask you this, are people driving on the autobahn doing pretty much the equivellent of waving a loaded gun around in a crowded room?

[rbnyc]

41. Check your inbox (nt)

[SheepyMcSheepster]

46. now you check yours

:hi: :pals:

[rbnyc]

47. Thanks so much!

:loveya:

[SheepyMcSheepster]

13. thanks for the replies everyone

[Carolinian]

21. Consult an attorney. In NC it's easy to have your tickets

reduced if you have a clean driving record. That way you won't get any points on your driving record and your insurance will not be impacted. Cost $300-$500 probably.

[lectrobyte]

35. That's the "prayer for judgement" thing, it's basically probation. I

sort of got the impression the OP was passing through from out of state, and I was thinking that they didn't deal as nicely on that revenue source... Oh yeah, once you use the "prayer for judgement", drive carefully, it's really like probation. I suggested a lawyer since I thought that would be cheaper than coming back etc. to deal with it.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

36. thanks for the replies, i am actually a resident of the state

i live in NC, where i got the ticket is about a hour and a half from where i live.

[AP]

23. Call the court and ask if you can plea down if you go to school.

[JVS]

24. Donate money to the FOP so you have a sticker

I hear that if you have the Fraternal Order of Police sticker on your car, they'll let you speed within reason

[Kitka]

26. Watch out though – that could backfire.

Locally, there is another police union, the Metropolitan Alliance of Police. They have about half of the area police. If you’re in a MAP area with a FOP sticker (they’re big rivals) that could backfire. Just FYI.

[King Coal]

27. I live in NM and I will never just pay the ticket.

Too many better things will probably happen. You can get probation and the ticket will be dismissed if you don't get another one for 3 months and you pay the court costs. You can go to 3 different driving classes if you don't mind screwing up a Saturday and paying the court costs and $25 dollars for the class. I've been several times. :smoke: I've also won in court a couple of times by asking about how the radar is calibrated and once by proving that a I couldn't have seen the speed limit sign because a truck was in my way. The latter was in a notorious speed trap between Albuquerque and Cuba. The local government gets all of the money if you just pay the court costs, and if you pay the fine it all goes to Santa Fe. So, they are usually willing to give you probation. Remember this is New Mexico, and it is based on Spanish law, not English law. You usually just go in and talk to the judge in his/her office at your hearing.

[eyesroll]

29. I got a ticket for going 48 in a 25

(I don't believe I was going 48 in the 25 -- I do know I was speeding, and that I was quite likely going 48 in the 40 before it suddenly dropped at a speed trap.)

Anyhow -- I went to court (represented myself) and because I a clean prior record, they reduced it to a general speeding ticket (0-9 over instead of 20-25 over); 3 points instead of 6. The fine stayed the same, though -- the city attorney really didn't seem to care about the points or the nature of the ticket, so long as it was revenue neutral. If you don't care about reducing the fine, you can probably get points reduced pretty easily.

[drunkdriver-in-chief]

30. 87 mph? I'll never understand why dems do that

We criticise the repugs for their gun recklessness but they we go out and kill people right and left with reckless driving.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

31. it was not intentional

i was driving an unfamiliar car, one of those new echoes where the speedometer is in the center of the dash instead of directly in front of the driver.

the speed limit was 70 and then dropped to 65, the officer happened to clock me going down a hill.

i tend to drive the speed limit, this was just one of those days.

last time i checked i didn't kill anyone. a little over reaction maybe?

[King Coal]

34. I know how you feel Sheepy, everyone speeds here.

It's a way of life. Long straight roads, very little traffic. Now, on the interstate I set the cruise control or I would tend to go to fast too.

[Baclava]

44. I haven't had a ticket in 30 years.

But, I don't rely on luck anymore...now, I never go anywhere without my radar detector.

It even came with a warranty - they would pay your speeding tickets for a year if you got caught. It worked too well - never had to use that option. It's portable too - all's you need is a working cig lighter. Best $200 I ever spent on my vehicle.

There must be quite a few peple with active jamming systems out there too.

We're paying for technology - I say use it.

[Liberaltarian]

45. ummmm...he didn't kill anybody.

and speeding isn't necessarily "reckless".
in fact- on a lot of interstates, it's more "reckless" to be going too slow, especially in any but the far right lane.
on the highways around the chicago area, 75-80 mph is very often the "speed of traffic"- if you're going slower than that, you're getting passed left and right, and gumming it up for everyone else.

[Dorian Gray]

38. An attorney

will cost more than the ticket. Just pay the ticket.

I think that the points transferred from out of state will be less than if you were to get a ticket within the state of residence. (That was the case when I got my last speeding ticket in 1994, but that may have changed by now.)

[SheepyMcSheepster]

40. what i am worried about is my insurance rate going sky high

[gtp1976]

42. radar detector? n/t

[seemunkee]

43. Do they block out court dates for your police

Generally the courts give a cop one day for all their tickets so he/she only has to spend one day in court for X tickets. If you defer the court date one or two times then the likelyhood of the cop showing up is lower since the cop doesn't want to show up for just your one ticket.
Here in MD you can plead guilty with an explanation which normally gets you a lower fine and less points. If you have no other tickets or accidents it's a lot easier also.

And get a Valentine One, best radar detector on the market.