Posted by joec32033:
Solace, plead not guilty. Go to court.If this is your first violation, they will probably plead you down to a non-moving violation(radio too loud, no seatbelt). You'll get a fine and traffic school more than likely but if it goes that route, no points on your license(I think).
Just because he clocked you doesn't mean your cooked(sometimes they just say that, if there are other cars around you can say he clocked them). Also, sometimes-especially if it's your first ticket, they'll be sympathetic to the "I didn't know there was a sign" argument because you have no history of speeding.
Good luck.
Thanks for the advice. The problem with fighting it, is if I lose, it's points. The other way I can approach it would cost a lot but is no points. I'm more concerned about the points than anything else, since that's more $$ in the long run. You are right that I have a good reputation, but at the same time, I'm a NY driver in NJ, and I don't think that's going to get me any sympathy with the court. From what I understand about this area, they're just looking to get extra money for the police department, and I was oblivious to what speed *that* street was... which is probably a common thing, which is why the cops were hiding right there. So, other than paying the extra $250 to get no points, and making this a quite expensive ticket, I'm not sure what the alternative is.
If I can avoid this problem in the future, which is possible if I take Silver's advice and buy a house in a different area (when I'm ready to start looking), then I can groan right now, but in the long run, $500 *once* isn't too terrible. It's just how the area is. I've driven for five years in Long Island, which also has speed traps in various places and is looking to collect money, and not once did I get a ticket. I've driven in Essex County for 5 months and I already got a ticket. Silver is right, it's just the area. They're trying to collect money the easy way instead of watching the dangerous areas and actually trying to protect people. So, it is what it is, I guess. I'm not going to win in court with a case like that. *At best*, I could talk them down to a 2 or 3 point ticket, but like I said, I don't want the risk of getting points.
Anyway, I appreciate the advice.
[Edited by - Solace on Jan 26 2007 08:54 AM]Wishing everyone well. I enjoyed posting here for a while, but as I matured I realized this forum isn't for me. We all evolve. Thanks for the memories everyone.
1/25/2007 10:22 AM
