Got my first speeding ticket. Should I fight it?

[jerichoholicninja]

I really don't care about the fine. Well I do, but I'm not worried about it. I'm worried that the points will effect my insurance. Here's what happened.

 

I was on my way home from work on I43 with my cruise set at 71, where I always have it. There is sporadic construction most of my way home so I have kind of become immune to it all. I come up to a part that is technically a construction zone. There are only orange barrels. No cars, trucks, people, equipment and any other signs of construction other than orange barrels. I'm still set at cruise when I notice a cop in the barreled off area and it hits me that I'm suppose to be going 55. I step on the brakes lightly to avoid being obvious that I was speeding but he got me already and pulls me over. As he gives me the ticket he says that because I have a clean driving record he's not going to double the fine. $200 and 4 points.

 

I really don't have any defense other than "I forgot" which I don't think will stand up in court but I'm wondering if because of my clean driving record and no criminal record if I could get the points reduced or if it will even matter on my insurance. I asked my friend who got a ticket last summer going 15 over if his insurance went up and he said it didn't so I'm not sure what to expect. I don't want to ask my insurance agent either because I could see them raising my rate once they know. Anyone have an answers?

[TooLiveBrew]

Try calling an insurance agent of the same company, but in a different office. Ask it as a prospective customer, like what their policies are about speeding tickets & hiking rates. Frame it as that you drive a lot for work or something.

 

I believe you can also show up in court to contest & go to a meeting with the D.A. (or whoever would handle that where you are). The answer will probably be that you can either take the ticket as-is, or pay a lot more now & avoid the 4 points on your license. But I'm definitely not a lawyer, only have my one personal speeding ticket (which was much smaller, got it in a 35 zone) as experience.

[logan82]

One ticket is unlikely to make any difference on your insurance although I can't guarantee that. I once got a ticket for 89 in a 65. I think it was 6 points and $400. I have had about 4 speeding tickets spaced out over about a 10 year period including that one. I believe I was down to only a few points at one point. I don't recall my insurance ever increasing. I think they mostly worry about people who get in accidents, get caught DUI or accumulate enough points to lose their license.

[temke]

if you have the time, go to your court date. i have went to dates in 3 or 4 different cities and they generally will do something for you just for showing up. they may make it a non-moving violation which would be helpful for insurance.

[Teatoe993]

Always fight your tickets no matter how blatantly guilty you are. You'll be surprised what you can get out of. Trust me. I've been pulled over 30+ times.

And yes your insurance company is always looking for any kind of reason to increase your premiums.

[endaround]

You'll get it down to 1-10 over and lose half the points most likely. Most places in Wisconsin the fine will stay same but you won;t see a big premium increase.

[jjkoestler]

Always, always, always go to court. Your fine and points will be reduced.

[pitchleague]

Always, always, always go to court. Your fine and points will be reduced.

yeah, but what do you do if you're on vacation in the middle of Wyoming and you get a ticket? I can't just take a day off of work to go out to Cheyenne to fight a traffic ticket.

 

This actually happened to me. Nothing happened with my insurance.

[RightFieldCoder]

That is why cops will pull over out of state plates. They are less likely to come to court and fight the ticket.

[1992casey]

Try calling an insurance agent of the same company, but in a different office.

 

I don't think you even have to go that far. Insurance agents want to keep your business; I don't think they'll go tattling. Ultimately, nobody's going to care unless there's a conviction. In that case, driving records are routinely checked anyway.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

Yes go to court or hire a lawyer. I'm sure you'll be getting letters. I hired a lawyer on mine, because it was cheaper to pay a lawyer than take an unpaid day off work. I received a defective speedometer...kept the fine the same and no points. It cost something like $65 to $75 for a lawyer.

[jerichoholicninja]

I'm hesitant to fight it because a friend of mine got a ticket a couple of years ago and tried to fight it and after a couple of court dates the fine and points never changed. Another friend of mine got a ticket last year and just paid it and it never effected his insurance.

[dadofandrew]

I'd be thankful I did not get it doubled and slow down in the future.

[pretendastronaut]

Here's a thread from awhile ago with lots of thoughts on this topic.

[logan82]

Unless you are a chronic offender I guess I just don't feel it is worth the time.(not that chronic guys, geez) I would call your insurance company and ask them but I would think they are more concerned with your credit rating that you having one speeding ticket. I f you are close to losing 12 points within the last year, you kind of have to show up and hope it gets reduced and probably take the traffic safety class.

[DHonks]

The one ticket I got, they doubled the fine but cut the points in half. The frustrating part was that it became $310 and 2 points for simply going 11 over. Damn you Elkhorn speedtrap...why didn't you catch the red pickup truck that was passing me!!! Can you tell I'm still bitter, a mere 13 years later!

[JimH5]

Pay the fine, take your lumps and don't drive so fast.

[Patrick425]

logan3825[/b]]One ticket is unlikely to make any difference on your insurance although I can't guarantee that. I once got a ticket for 89 in a 65. I think it was 6 points and $400. I have had about 4 speeding tickets spaced out over about a 10 year period including that one. I believe I was down to only a few points at one point. I don't recall my insurance ever increasing. I think they mostly worry about people who get in accidents, get caught DUI or accumulate enough points to lose their license.

You are somewhat lucky that your insurance never went up. I was down to about 2 points at one time also (this was about 20 years ago). I guess the big difference is that all my tickets came within about a 3 or 4 year period. I actually got taken off of American Family and got put onto something called American Standard. I think I was paying something like $600 per quarter (back around 1990). There was a period of about 3 years where I always went exactly the speed limit because I was so scared to lose my final points (had a lot of drivers angry at me...even in the slow lane)

 

I doubt that this one ticket will do a whole lot to your insurance if anything at all, but like others, I recommend going to the court date just to save some money on the fine and possibly some points.

 

 

 

[nodakfan17]

If you're keeping a tally of responses in this thread, my vote would be Yes, Attend Your Scheduled Court Appearance.

You do not need to "fight it." Explain the context of your situation to the judge and apologize. Say that this one incident is not characteristic of your behavior as a driver and politely ask the prosecutor to consider mitigating the charges. Unless the nature of your work imposes substantial time costs on your appearance, it could be worth your while.

I am 24 years old. I have been driving for 8 years. I received one speeding ticket in 2007. This was the first time that I had ever been pulled over (and still is). I was issued a ticket for driving 20 mph over the speed limit (75 mph in a 55 mph zone). I was afraid that traveling at such a gross speed would not only put me at risk for insurance premium increases, but also become cause for losing my automobile insurance coverage all-together. I attended my court appearance in a suit and tie, explained that this one incident was uncharacteristic of my driving behavior, apologized, and politely asked the prosecutor to consider mitigating the charges. He agreed to reduce the offense from 20 mph to 11 mph over the limit based on my previously clean driving record. As a result, I lost 4 points instead of 6 and had my fine reduced by a small amount. In the end, my insurance premiums still increased (yes, increased with a single 11 mph over ticket), but I was thankful to still have coverage after driving so irresponsibly.

Obviously, the details of your situation differ from mine (so does the county where your appearance in scheduled), but from my own experience, I can tell you that is was definitely worth my time to attend my scheduled court appearance.

Somewhat Humorous Side Note: Even though I pass through the county where I received my speeding ticket at least a dozen times each year, I refuse to spend money there. I will not buy gas there, I will not stop and eat there, and I will not pay to attend any event that is held there. I am still bitter about not receiving a warning for my first offense. Yes, I was in the wrong, but if they want my $200 fine so badly, they can keep it. I will not spend money in their county ever again.

[TracyThom]

Somewhat Humorous Side Note: Even though I pass through the county where I received my speeding ticket at least a dozen times each year, I refuse to spend money there. I will not buy gas there, I will not stop and eat there, and I will not pay to attend any event that is held there. I am still bitter about not receiving a warning for my first offense. Yes, I was in the wrong, but if they want my $200 fine so badly, they can keep it. I will not spend money in their county ever again.

Wow, bitter much? You will be hard pressed to find ANY officer who will cut you a break for 20 over, clean record or not. Besides, there is no way for the officer who stopped you to know if you had been given 5 warnings prior to your stop. You were doing 20 over the posted limit. In some states (Virginia being one), you would have been physically arrested and taken to jail for reckless driving.

 

Back to the original topic. It never hurts for you to show up to court, it can only help. There are no guarantees that the judge will reduce the fine or point amount. Some judges will reduce them in exchange for community service. Did you get an instructional pamphlet with your citation? If so, see if you can plead not guilty via mail. You will then be contacted by the prosecuting attorney for what is called a pre-trial conference. That's where you can wheel and deal about dollar amounts and fines.

 

[nodakfan17]

Somewhat Humorous Side Note: Even though I pass through the county where I received my speeding ticket at least a dozen times each year, I refuse to spend money there. I will not buy gas there, I will not stop and eat there, and I will not pay to attend any event that is held there. I am still bitter about not receiving a warning for my first offense. Yes, I was in the wrong, but if they want my $200 fine so badly, they can keep it. I will not spend money in their county ever again.

Wow, bitter much? You will be hard pressed to find ANY officer who will cut you a break for 20 over, clean record or not. Besides, there is no way for the officer who stopped you to know if you had been given 5 warnings prior to your stop. You were doing 20 over the posted limit. In some states (Virginia being one), you would have been physically arrested and taken to jail for reckless driving.

Wow, bitter much?

 

Haha, yep. That's just my style. I know for certain that I was not going any faster than 20 mph over. She couldn't have issued me a ticket for 19 mph over so that I could have fallen in the far less severe 11-19 mph range? After all, it was my first (and only) offense. The original poster was given some leniency by the issuing officer as a result of being a first time offender. What sounds more dangerous to you- driving 20 mph over the speed limit with no other cars on the road or driving 16 mph over in a construction zone? Where is the consistency?

 

I am somewhat surprised that a few posters have suggested that the original poster simply pay the fine and slow down. Have they never made a mistake? When I set my cruise control it is usually at 2 mph over the speed limit. However, one day, when I was 20 years-old, I forgot to glance down at my speedometer while I was driving a clear stretch of highway. I was in the wrong. I went to court, owned up to my mistake, and apologized. A reasonable judge and prosecutor agreed to reduce a significant speeding violation to a much less severe offense. I pay a very reasonable car insurance rate as a result of this decision. Again, unless your time costs prevent you from attending your scheduled court appearance, I don't see why you would not show up. As a few other posters have suggested- doing so can only improve your current situation.

[Patrick425]

nodakfan17[/b]]

 

I was issued a ticket for driving 20 mph over the speed limit (75 mph in a 55 mph zone). I was afraid that traveling at such a gross speed would not only put me at risk for insurance premium increases, but also become cause for losing my automobile insurance coverage all-together.

Obviously, the details of your situation differ from mine (so does the county where your appearance in scheduled), but from my own experience, I can tell you that is was definitely worth my time to attend my scheduled court appearance.

"Gross speed"? That's not that bad. If you do any driving during rush hour (and traffic is not too backed up), the left lane often moves at speeds of 20 mph over the speed limit between Milwaukee and Waukesha.

 

Although, I guess on a 2 lane highway, 20 mph over would probably not be very common.

[thebruce44]

Wow, bitter much?

 

Haha, yep. That's just my style. I know for certain that I was not going any faster than 20 mph over. She couldn't have issued me a ticket for 19 mph over so that I could have fallen in the far less severe 11-19 mph range? .

You know you can ask to see the radar gun reading, right? They have to indicate how they calculated your speed, and 90% of the time it is with a radar or laser. If they do it with some type of counting/distance method you can almost always fight that, especially if there is traffic around you. So the point is that if the ticket said you were going more than 20 over, you were.

 

I don't fight tickets anymore even though I am a traffic engineer and could often be my own expert witness. I figure the amount of time I need to take off work to fight the fine is just time lost at my job where I would make up the money anyway and lose vacation. When I was unemployed though I got out of 2 tickets pretty easy though with some simple math and thanks to the ineptness of most cops.

(edit: enlarged the font --1992)

[MadScientist]

Fill and send forms to say you will fight it. The initial date will not be a trial, but you will get a quick plea from the DA, likely reduced one level below the level of the ticket. Just take it, it's not worth trying to take it all the way to a trial.

[bani1717]

I don't fight tickets anymore even though I am a traffic engineer and could often be my own expert witness. I figure the amount of time I need to take off work to fight the fine is just time lost at my job where I would make up the money anyway and lose vacation. When I was unemployed though I got out of 2 tickets pretty easy though with some simple math and thanks to the ineptness of most cops.

Could you elaborate on this? I'm just wondering, it sounds kind of interesting what you did to get off.

 

 

(edit: enlarged the font in quote --1992)