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Hey, shmokes, small legal question for you....
DaveMMR:
--- Quote from: saint on February 04, 2012, 08:41:19 am ---Horrible advice. Fight the ticket if possible. You are under no moral obligation to pay the maximum fine, accept the point penalty, and possible increase in your insurance rates.
--- End quote ---
+1
Going to court has nothing to do with not being responsible for your actions. The best drivers can and do get pulled over for something as simple as going a few MPH over the speed limit. You are entitled to your day in court to address the charges - even if you know that you were guilty.
If you just accept the ticket and pay the fine, you'll also be paying higher premiums on your insurance for a long time. By going to court, even if you're admitting guilt, the judge will often review your record and save from receiving points, lower the fine, etc.
And you are NOT wasting the court's time or taxpayers money. This is the system we have in place to prevent abuse/corruption. It is well within your rights to use it and you'd be foolish not to.
OP, consult your local attorney. Often the lawyer's fee is less than the fine and insurance hike depending on the severity.
Nephasth:
--- Quote from: DaveMMR on February 04, 2012, 09:20:46 am ---By going to court, even if you're admitting guilt, the judge will often review your record and save from receiving points, lower the fine, etc.
--- End quote ---
Very true. All 4 judges I've stood in front of (3 traffic, 1 misdemeanor) admire honesty and ownership of guilt and usually reward it with a lesser punishment.
CheffoJeffo:
--- Quote from: saint on February 04, 2012, 08:41:19 am ---Horrible advice. Fight the ticket if possible. You are under no moral obligation to pay the maximum fine, accept the point penalty, and possible increase in your insurance rates.
--- End quote ---
This.
TopJimmyCooks:
Uh, hello guys -step back from the moral implications or big government concerns, and think about your time and wallet. Not only should you not pay the fine, you should get a lawyer. The reason why is to prevent points from being put on your insurance allowing insurers to drastically increase your liablity insurance rates, or even drop you and require you to be placed in an assigned risk pool. This is critical in states (ie north carolina) where you can't drive without liability insurance. Also, in NC, by law you can lose your license if convicted of speeding 20 mph over the limit. So if you were way over, you need professional help. I'ts not likely the judge would go for the jugular, but if they did, you'd be in a world of hurt.
I've gotten 3 tickets over 25 years of driving. after each, I get about 8 letters from lawyers offering representation for a fixed fee, plus fine and court costs. I select the most likely one, usually one that was a former assistant DA or whatever, sign the form, give them the credit card number and forget it. They make their back room deals in batches of 50 tickets at a time, and I get a letter from them after the court date saying that my case was dismissed. total cost $100 for the attorney and $100 court costs. An insurance bump could be $300 a year for 3 years.
So get smart and get a traffic experienced attorney. there's other strategy that you can research online. For example, if you get popped by a city motorcycle officer, you're cooked (without a lawyer) because all they do is traffic stops and they are real world technical experts on their equipment and how to convict speeders, and they always show up to court.
Now, if you get a parking ticket, pay it and move on.
lilshawn:
just take your ticket in and ask them to reduce the fine. tell them you can't really afford this. often they will lower it to the next lowest fine or simply make you pay the victims fee
if they won't budge (if applicable) ask to have them take the points off. easy to do and not a big deal.
if you did something REALLY stupid like drinking and driving (I certainly hope not) take your medicine and pay up. Learn form your stupidity.
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