tickets

[Richard Beels]

Yeah, but by just paying the ticket you're creating that record in the
first place!

Fight them all - even the FIRST one.  Don't wait until it's the one that
gives you 12 points or is a biggie.  Find out the local procedure from a
friend, co-worker, etc...  Go to the courthouse and ask a lawyer, clerk,
prosecutor, cop. Do a google search for your state ("traffic ticket
<state>).  Whatever...  Find out what the procedure is.  The go do it and
keep it off your record in the first place.

The whole thing is a money game and every court has been willing to take my
money, reduce my speeding ticket to a non-moving violation and let me
go.  The only time you're screwed is when you're out of town or out of
state.  Right now, I have 8 or 9 tickets from out of state (I don't travel
a lot, I travel a LOT) and have been unable to get out of any one.  They
know you're not going to make the court date and they always write you a
ticket.

But in state tickets?  Whole 'nuther ballgame....  Michigan used to do
"advisements", where the ticket would go into a 90/120/180 day limbo and if
you didn't get another ticket, it would disappear.  You paid a
limbo-enablement fee that was equal to the ticket's fine but no
points.  Insurance companies got pissed, so judges started amending the
tickets to "blocking traffic", a on-moving violation.  Same fine as the
written offence but no points.  Only time I got screwed was a week before I
left MI.  Cop showed, amended the ticket to the full offense and the judge
gave me about 15 seconds to state my case and interrupting me, said he
hated seeing people tie up his docket with "crap like this", declared me
guilty and called for the next case.  It makes you so glad to be an
American when the cops and prosecutors wink at each other and giggle when
this happens...  :-(



At 17:39 12/03/2001,  Huw Powell was inspired to say:

>Think, if you're worried about points, etc., you probably have a less
>than pristine record, and it may very well come up as evidence...
>disposing the judge to look at you as a repeat offending weasel who
>needs to be taught a lesson.
>
>I paid rather than risk catching hizonner (or heronner) on a bad day...
>
>Follow this procedure with a few years of careful driving and it all
>goes away.  Stay under 10 mph over the limit religiously, and take out
>your "need for speed" somewhere it is safe & legal, like local amateur
>track events, the drag strip, etc.


Cheers!