Need ticket fighting advice
03-28-2006, 05:29 PM
#1
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Need ticket fighting advice
I just got the notice from the courts in the mail today. I would normally pay for this as I do know it was my fault, but I am amazed by this one. The price is 395 bucks and its not eligible for traffic school.
I got pulled over in the deep outskirts of town... 55 mph zone, I was going 65. I was coming up a long hill, and when it finally flattened out there was a chp hiding behind a tree there. I stopped as soon as I saw him and pulled over, knew he was going to chase me since he was hiding. He flicked on the lights, took two trys at a 3 point turn just to straighten out to get to me, the whole time while I just waited on the side of the road for him, no chasing. Just a karma ticket or something... had not seen a car in 10 minutes prior to that, and a CHP that is extremely far away from anything resembling a highway. I just sat back and let him write me up, didn't say a word. It was my fault for thinking that I could go a little over since nobody was around. He asked if I had taken traffic school in the last 16 months, and I have not. The cop was really nice, didn't hassle me, told me just to take traffic school and it wouldn't impact me other than the fine. Explained that it was pretty cut and dry, 65 in a 55. I was under the impression that this would be traffic school eligible and I would just pay it and wipe it off, imagine my surprise when I get the notice.
Now to the question... is there any way they screwed this up? That fine is huge for a 10mph speeding violation. The VC is 223498, says Max Speed Limit. Its been awhile since I have had a ticket, only thing I have ever fought by mail was an intake citation I got in my old honda and won. Anyone have any advice or information to pass on to me to fight this? I know about ticket assassin, that site is pretty crappy in comparison to getting advice from someone else who has done the same process. I have always seen people talking about the road surveys for that area and using those to get out of a ticket... how do you go about that?
I got pulled over in the deep outskirts of town... 55 mph zone, I was going 65. I was coming up a long hill, and when it finally flattened out there was a chp hiding behind a tree there. I stopped as soon as I saw him and pulled over, knew he was going to chase me since he was hiding. He flicked on the lights, took two trys at a 3 point turn just to straighten out to get to me, the whole time while I just waited on the side of the road for him, no chasing. Just a karma ticket or something... had not seen a car in 10 minutes prior to that, and a CHP that is extremely far away from anything resembling a highway. I just sat back and let him write me up, didn't say a word. It was my fault for thinking that I could go a little over since nobody was around. He asked if I had taken traffic school in the last 16 months, and I have not. The cop was really nice, didn't hassle me, told me just to take traffic school and it wouldn't impact me other than the fine. Explained that it was pretty cut and dry, 65 in a 55. I was under the impression that this would be traffic school eligible and I would just pay it and wipe it off, imagine my surprise when I get the notice.
Now to the question... is there any way they screwed this up? That fine is huge for a 10mph speeding violation. The VC is 223498, says Max Speed Limit. Its been awhile since I have had a ticket, only thing I have ever fought by mail was an intake citation I got in my old honda and won. Anyone have any advice or information to pass on to me to fight this? I know about ticket assassin, that site is pretty crappy in comparison to getting advice from someone else who has done the same process. I have always seen people talking about the road surveys for that area and using those to get out of a ticket... how do you go about that?
03-28-2006, 05:56 PM
#2
Ticket Assassin will guide you Matt 
No other advise I can give you since the last speeding offense was just a warning, thank God 
Good luck, I know othoer will chime in that have had the same thing happen to them. Strikes me as odd that the ticket says you cannot go to Traffic School.
-Gio
No other advise I can give you since the last speeding offense was just a warning, thank God Good luck, I know othoer will chime in that have had the same thing happen to them. Strikes me as odd that the ticket says you cannot go to Traffic School.-Gio
03-28-2006, 06:01 PM
#3
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ya u should fight it by written declaration or whatever and if u lose try to get fine reduced and get traffic school. sounds like you should be able to because thats a REAL stiff fine for 10 over.
03-28-2006, 06:09 PM
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What county did this happen? I just paid for my ticket + request for traffic school which was $286. I got a ticket for going 82 in 65 in Marin County. When I requested for traffic school I was first denied because they thought I had more then 2 points on my record. He said if you have more then 2 points you were not eligible and luckily I had exactly 2 =/
03-28-2006, 06:12 PM
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This was in Sonoma County... way outskirts of Santa Rosa. The cop even told me that in the country roads that the speed limit is always 55 even if they are posted lower. He made this long speech about how I was fine with only being 10 over and its not that big of a deal, then I get this ticket for almost 400 bucks and no traffic school... irritating.
03-28-2006, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Frestall
This was in Sonoma County... way outskirts of Santa Rosa. The cop even told me that in the country roads that the speed limit is always 55 even if they are posted lower. He made this long speech about how I was fine with only being 10 over and its not that big of a deal, then I get this ticket for almost 400 bucks and no traffic school... irritating.
Have you taken traffic school before? I thought it had to be 18+ months. You should go and talk to the office clerk about it.
03-28-2006, 06:41 PM
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thats pretty high for a +10 speeding ticket.
if you havent been to traffic school in the last 18 months you sould be eligible for traffic school.
if all else fails go to court, pay the fine and try to get traffic school to keep it off your record.
if you havent been to traffic school in the last 18 months you sould be eligible for traffic school.
if all else fails go to court, pay the fine and try to get traffic school to keep it off your record.
03-28-2006, 09:20 PM
#9
damn bro sorry to hear about that.. i just got a ticket for 55mph on a 35mph two weeks ago but my ticket was $219 and i can take traffic school so i really think there is something wrong about yours.
this is my first ticket so i cannot give u any advise but u should be able to fight it in court and ask for traffic school as yours is only 10mph violation.
this is my first ticket so i cannot give u any advise but u should be able to fight it in court and ask for traffic school as yours is only 10mph violation.
03-28-2006, 10:29 PM
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Seriously... I keep seeing these people with 20 mph tickets only paying like 200's, something is weird about this. I am gonna call up the courts tomorrow and find out why this is so high.
03-29-2006, 07:41 AM
#12
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Go to court. Your ticket is outrageous, or you were in some sort of double fine zone.
You can ask the judge to reduce your fine, and allow you to take traffic school. He should do it, since it's only 10 over. I'm surprised you even pulled over... for 10 over, i'd have let off the gas until i hit 55mph, and then kept driving.
If the cop had come after me, it have taken him a long time based on what you said. Then I'd want to know if there was radar. If no radar, then obviously he wasn't pacing you, so how did he determine your speed? If that's the case, then you should be able to take it to court and win because the officer wrote you a ticket for a speed he has no way of verifying.
-Gagan
You can ask the judge to reduce your fine, and allow you to take traffic school. He should do it, since it's only 10 over. I'm surprised you even pulled over... for 10 over, i'd have let off the gas until i hit 55mph, and then kept driving.
If the cop had come after me, it have taken him a long time based on what you said. Then I'd want to know if there was radar. If no radar, then obviously he wasn't pacing you, so how did he determine your speed? If that's the case, then you should be able to take it to court and win because the officer wrote you a ticket for a speed he has no way of verifying.
-Gagan
03-29-2006, 10:17 AM
#13
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Originally Posted by joltdudeuc
Go to court. Your ticket is outrageous, or you were in some sort of double fine zone.
You can ask the judge to reduce your fine, and allow you to take traffic school. He should do it, since it's only 10 over. I'm surprised you even pulled over... for 10 over, i'd have let off the gas until i hit 55mph, and then kept driving.
If the cop had come after me, it have taken him a long time based on what you said. Then I'd want to know if there was radar. If no radar, then obviously he wasn't pacing you, so how did he determine your speed? If that's the case, then you should be able to take it to court and win because the officer wrote you a ticket for a speed he has no way of verifying.
-Gagan
You can ask the judge to reduce your fine, and allow you to take traffic school. He should do it, since it's only 10 over. I'm surprised you even pulled over... for 10 over, i'd have let off the gas until i hit 55mph, and then kept driving.
If the cop had come after me, it have taken him a long time based on what you said. Then I'd want to know if there was radar. If no radar, then obviously he wasn't pacing you, so how did he determine your speed? If that's the case, then you should be able to take it to court and win because the officer wrote you a ticket for a speed he has no way of verifying.
-Gagan
03-29-2006, 10:24 AM
#14
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Wait till like the last day on your ticket and go request a court date. They'll ask if you want to wave your right to a speedy trial, say you would like to and youre schedule is pretty full untill June. Then 2 weeks before the trial and have it pushed back a couple more months. If they ask tell them youre still working on getting the amount and working on your defense. Then when the court days rolls around (and you cant push it back anymore) the cop most likely wont show up. I've done this with 5 tickets and all have been dismissed. Only 1 time the cop showed up, but he couldnt recall the ticket so it was thrown out. Good luck.
03-29-2006, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Frestall
There was no radar, he told me that "I estimated your speed to be 65 with my judgement." Great line. Isn't there an amount of space they need to estimate your speed with points on the road? It was like 75-100 feet from when I came over the hill to where he was, I don't even think he had the time to count the seconds to estimate my speed. I'm gonna call the courts today to find out why it is so high, then most likely I am going to contest it in writing.
-Gagan