i got a ticket a couple weeks back and ive been trying to decide what to do about it. my buddys car snapped 2 axles at the track and we had to tow it home. he used his truck and a big tow rope and i follwed behind in my car with the flashers so no one bothered him and incase the rope snapped. so we are leaving the track and we slowly roll thru the stop sign (on track property)as to not put some extra stress on the rope. mind u this isnt a main road but a back road we are pulling onto. a car was coming the other way so i rolled out behind him (with plenty of room) so as to stay behind him. well a cop down the road saw it and pulled me over for rolling a stop sign. i havent had a ticket in almost 5 years and i dont think i should have one for something as stupid as this. anyone have any ideas?

 

you have a 50/50 chance of fighting the ticket and beating it. Pretty much depends on the mood of the judge on that day. as far as teh cost to it, their may be a $35 fee, but I am not sure... tha tis a pretty minor thing for not having a ticket in 5 years. more then likely they will let that one slide.

wish I haven't had a ticket in awhile, hell I get pulled over once a week. The messed up part is the cops usually wait for me to get my food and then keep me parked for an hour so that my food I just boughtis wasted! DAmn Cape cops

 

sorry guess i didnt clarify. i meant to get a lawyer to do it. i dont for one second think i could beat it just by going to court for it. plus im not going to drive to imm to fight it.

 

hmm, that you would have to call.... but it probally wouldn't be worth it then.

 

unless your rates are going to skyrocket I wouldn't bother. Yuo could always show up to court and if the officer doesn't show up you are free and clear. Most of the time the judge will ask the cop the story and that will be the end and you really won't be able to talk. If you get a lawer involved you would be looking 1000+ most likely. That sucks- helping someone out and you get the ticket.

Who ever you were helping out have them pay the ticket, it can't be that much.

 

Regardless of the price OR chance, I'd fight a ticket I knew I didn't deserve.

 

can't you just take the class? if you havent gotten one in five years seems like you could it still sucks that happened

 

do they have the defferal program down here?

 

1000+ for a lawyer? thats a lil steep. I used a lawyer one time and he was very good. Got me and several of my friends of with practically nothing for some decently bad stuff and he only charged us 250$. But i do agree that it wouldnt be worth getting a lawyer for this ticket. You could prolly get off or at least get it reduced by just showing up at court.

 

I ALWAYS take the ticket to court. I got another speeding ticket recently and went to court, the judge said "you have a remarkably good driving record, only two moving violations since 1973!"

WELL, thats because I always go to court.

About 80% of the time the cop doesn't show. Case dismissed.

Even if you are found guilty, the judge will almost always with-hold adjudication. That means no points! Same as not guilty!

As for the driving school thing. Your insurance company still finds out about the ticket. Just no points on your license. Then you have to listen to some boring cop tell war stories for three hours.

As for the attorney. I got a letter from one that said $65 flat rate for each court appearance. I will probably take a lawyer when I go for the hearing. in miami they intimidate you by making you go to arrainment first then trial. That sounds scarey!!!!!!!! TRIAL. Damn, thats serious sht. No, not really.

well its nothing. First of all, the judge has seen everything. Drivers with 6 kids in the car and no child-restrainsts in an accident. People with no license and repeated accidents. Damn no-speaky-englee types with no insurance and multiple accidents.

My point is that almost certainly the judge will be on your side if you are just towing a broken car, trying to be a good friend. I would definately take that one to court. Thats why the cops don't show,the judges are usually lenient!

By the way, the two moving violations on my record. One was for going over 100mph through an indian reservation over 200 miles away. Didn't bother to go to court. The cop only wrote me for 85. That was 1976.

Second violation- street racing/speeding in 1974. Judge only sent me to driving school.

Good luck to you. The ticket clinic is also a good option. Usually cheap and good service. I've used them a few times. He got me off once because the cop wrote the wrong statute number on the ticket. i was sited for taking down a mile of fencing alonside I-95 when I fell asleep. Cop wrote the statute number for "hitting attended property". Case dismissed. Lawyer was about $100.

Don't forget that every judge used to be an attorney. He will respect you for hiring the guy. But for this case, I think that you can beat it without the lawyer.

If found guilty, you say: "your honor, I respectfully ask that you with-hold adjudication." (thats what all the lawyers say, I memorized that while waiting my turn.) It worked!

Go for it!

 

Oops, I reread your orig post. The stop sign running thing.

Tell the judge that you stopped twice. Once back further, and saw the oncoming car then rolled forward, hesitated and rolled through. The cop must not have been able to see you from his vantage point, when you stopped fully the first time.

Thats the story I usually use, for the rolling the stop sign ticket. Damn, I hate that ticket.

Hopefully your county will let you just get the ticket over with in one session.
(no arrainment b.s.).

You high-perf hobbyists need to protect your license at every chance you get. Always go for court. Take your chances, usually the cop doesn't show. Ask for a with-hold of adjudication, I have never seen a judge deny the request.

It is definately worth the trouble. The fact that you have thought about it, you waited these two weeks. Go to court.

once you get the court experience, you will get your confidence to do it again. Keep the low insurance rate. You should even go to court when you are blatently guilty....just to get the with-hold.

I am sure that you dread the thought of all those cops and serious faces, but after its over you will be glad you did it. its nothing really. Actually the judge sees so many really menacing drivers with long records, accidents, no insurance, etc etc. You will seem like an angel!

 

i went once before and the cop showed. he asked for the certificate of the radar gun and said guilty. didnt ask anything. im gonna keep looking into a lawyer.

 

I don't know where your at, but in the ft lauderdale area lawyers are only ~$70 and usually get you off.

 

Yeah, I've heard the FL average is $90 for a traffic lawyer.

 

Always get a lawer. And you should always fight the ticket unless the officer has already cut you a break by giving a no points ticket, If you get a ticket with no points take it and pay it, it will not show up on your insurance, it has to be a points violation in order to get to the insurance company's.

 

Go to court. I was just recently in court. You dont need a lawyer. Explain what happened to the judge, and also explain you havent had a ticket in 5 years. That will help you out a lot and the judge will probably let you off with barely anything. Wear a suit and tie when you go too.

 

For something like this I’m not even certain that you need a lawyer to fight it. I just fought a ticket about two weeks ago (Driving too fast for conditions. The officer who showed up when my newly acquired Camaro was wrecked in the storm a few months back was kind enough to write me a ticket while I stared in shock at the state of my beloved new car). Then again, I left the lawyer at home that day because I didn’t really think I needed one in order to argue my case, and I was proven right.

You said that it was still on track property, if that’s the case then in most states the officer doesn’t have the authority to write you a ticket for things like running private stop signs on private property. But then again, if you were rolling through a sign on the way out of the private property that’s probably a bit different. Either way I’d say that your chances are decent provided you just show the proper courtesy. Show up dressed nicely (button-up shirt, slacks, sans piercings, etc.), greet the judge (or, as in my case, court official who prejudges the cases in order to see if it’s even worth wasting the judge’s time) politely and remain friendly but polite the entire time and you should be reasonably OK.

When I was at court I was surrounded by people dressed in baggy, messy clothes, faces full of piercings, talking like gutter trash (Yo! The pig was being a dick! This is discrimination!), and were generally there for offenses that started at driving on suspended licenses and only got worse form there. If you come in looking like a clean-cut professional person, treat the court officials respectfully, and show that you have an overall minor offense which is your first actual offense in years, then they’re going to be predisposed to view you as being a more favorable person than the other’s that they’ve been dealing with all day, and are thus more likely to let you slide.

If you still need a lawyer I’m afraid that I can’t tell you how much it will run you. I only have a lawyer because I took advantage of the prepaid legal service offered by my company (one of the only real benefits we get ), but I don’t see it costing you more than a hundred dollars if you just make some phone calls. Either way, good luck.