Got First Speeding Ticket - General

It's due in a couple weeks. Is there anything I should know about? I do not know how much the fine is but I was going 51 in a 40 MPH zone. I knew I was speeding and do not plan on arguing the ticket. I'm in California.

You should pay it now instead of going to court. It'll save you money in court fees.

I did not plan on going to court. So I just show up at the local PD and bring the ticket?

If they have point based violations in your state it'll be worth it to fight the ticket and pay just a fine. Otherwise you should be able to pay online or at the courthouse in person.

At least get it down as much as you can. I have 2 speeding tickets in the last 2 years, one is about to clear off in a few months at least but it ramped my motorcycles full coverage from 1000 to 1500 a year.

Always fight tickets, even if you were in the wrong. If the officer asked plainly "do you know why I pulled you over?" and you respond "I think I may have been speeding a little" or something like that, you gave them an admission of guilt, which you can not really fight in court. The officer will make note of your admission, and that's an easy win. I don't know about a local PD, but the CHP gets paid to go to court, and usually get about $200 or something for representing the CHP in court, so they will likely be there if you are going to kick and scream. If you are smart, just contest the ticket. In court, you will be amongst a lot of other people contesting tickets. You will probably have a chance to listen to others fight about them, but what you are looking for is telling the judge that you can not afford "X" amount of dollars, and if there is anything they can do to help reduce the cost. Some judges will reduce it anyway just because you showed up, and there is no court fee I've ever seen for going to contest a ticket. Just be nice, dress appropriately, and state your case. The only thing is though, if the 51 was commited in some kind of school zone, or near a park, the judge will brign up the officer comments on a computer and he may not reduce anything if you were driving too dangerously near children or something. You must also remember California is a broad place, depending on the county the court will be different.

I know someone who went to fight a ticket for "improper lane change" and ended up getting handed a reckless driving ticket.

I don't get why you should fight tickets when you know that you did something illegal, I got a ticket for speeding in Norway once, I got photographed by one of those cameras along the road, I just got a bill home and I paid it instantly, I know that I did something illegal and I paid my due. I think it's abit hypocritical that people claim that rapists (as an example) should not get a trial and just get punished instantly, while they themselves try every method available to get out of a 200€ ticket, you did something wrong and you know it, just pay up.

[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;44389132]I did not plan on going to court. So I just show up at the local PD and bring the ticket?[/QUOTE] Doesn't it say on the ticket how to pay?

[QUOTE=FalcoLombardi;44389132]I did not plan on going to court. So I just show up at the local PD and bring the ticket?[/QUOTE] You can mail it too. Be careful mailing though, I mailed a traffic ticket in once and they claimed it never showed up... I kinda never followed up for a while, but a few months later it hit me if I get a failed to appear or failed to pay I'd be in deep shit. I called them up and something must had went wrong, because the clerk told me I was never issued a ticket. So someone didn't enter the ticket or something, but all charges were dropped. So fuck you officer, for pulling me over because I slid a bit on a patch of ice and managed to maintain control of my car instead of veering off the road. It wasn't an intentional drift its me having brains and a hint of driving skill.

Dude, what's up with all this terrible advice....? It's your first moving violation in California. Go to your court date. 90% of the time the cop doesn't show up and the ticket is dropped. If he shows up, [B]PLEAD GUILTY AND TAKE TRAFFIC SCHOOL[/B]. Since it's your first violation you are eligible for traffic school, which costs next to nothing (after the actual cost of the ticket - typically around 3-400) and removes the ticket from your record.

[QUOTE=Skusty;44392691]I don't get why you should fight tickets when you know that you did something illegal.[/QUOTE] Because they don't care you were speeding, they just want your money. thats why here they'll clear the points and just charge you a fine 99% of the time if you fight the ticket.

[QUOTE=Aetna;44393969]Dude, what's up with all this terrible advice....? It's your first moving violation in California. Go to your court date. 90% of the time the cop doesn't show up and the ticket is dropped. If he shows up, [B]PLEAD GUILTY AND TAKE TRAFFIC SCHOOL[/B]. Since it's your first violation you are eligible for traffic school, which costs next to nothing (after the actual cost of the ticket - typically around 3-400) and removes the ticket from your record.[/QUOTE] They still offer traffic school? Dang. If that's the case there's no reason not to go to the court date.

[QUOTE=Serj22;44396007]They still offer traffic school? Dang. If that's the case there's no reason not to go to the court date.[/QUOTE] In California, you may take traffic school once every 18 months for a single moving violation to have it removed from your record. Speeding tickets at his speed are typically around 400-450 dollars; they often charge you 500-550 to take the traffic school option. Then you just fine an online school, pay $30, and voila.

Have to pay $365 for my ticket + whatever the price for traffic school is. Definitely setting me back. Especially as a uni student. Originally it was $50 more. But the judge cut that $50 just for going to court. I was hoping the judge would cut the ticket by half (A couple of friends who got speeding tickets said they ended up only paying half just for going to court. But it was a different court, so I guess each judge is different.) At least it's still something.

I had my first ticket on a heavy delivery cube truck, i was going at 90kph in a 50kph area, the cop was hiding behind a huge rock so i couldnt see it, i slowed down to 65kph, and i was lucky to get a 65kph speed ticket instead.

I've had 4 speeding tickets in the past 7 years. NONE of them are on my record, well, not as speeding tickets. I've had 2 of them fixed, and 2 changed to a non-moving violation. Usually, you can ask the officer, and if he's nice, he will leave a note on it to change it to a non-moving violation. Other times, you can write a letter to the D.A.'s office and ask to get it changed to a non-moving violation. The big secret is to get it fixed or changed. Speeding, a moving violation, will bump up your insurance. Non-moving violations, on the other hand, will not bump up your insurance. Just explain that you're perfectly fine with paying the fine, but ask if they can help keep it off of your record by changing it. 99% of the time, if you don't get several tickets a year, they will change it so you still pay them the fine, but it stays off of your record.

Regardless, if he goes to the court date it's very unlikely the cop will show up. They have several court dates to attend and not a lot of time to do so.

Go to defensive driving school and get it removed from your record.....

[QUOTE=Skusty;44392691]I don't get why you should fight tickets when you know that you did something illegal, I got a ticket for speeding in Norway once, I got photographed by one of those cameras along the road, I just got a bill home and I paid it instantly, I know that I did something illegal and I paid my due. I think it's abit hypocritical that people claim that rapists (as an example) should not get a trial and just get punished instantly, while they themselves try every method available to get out of a 200€ ticket, you did something wrong and you know it, just pay up.[/QUOTE] Because your insurance rates will likely go up if you get a ticket on your record and the cost of an attorney to handle the ticket is generally less then the cost of your premium increase. Traffic Attorneys are worth every damn penny despite what you may think. It doesn't matter if you're guilty or not - the cost of the ticket is just the beginning. For example, my insurance will keep a violation on record for three years. If I get a speeding ticket -- say my rate goes up $20/month -- or $720 over the span of those three years. So if I had a $200 ticket, my total cost would be $920. And if it goes up $30-$40...???? I would rather pay the $50-$200 for the attorney or go to court and defend myself then just pay the fine outright.