Fighting tickets

[TucsonBird]

What actually happens in the courtroom? What's the kind of diaogue that goes on?

My court date is tomorrow and I'm still trying to decide to go or not.

Now I know I am guilty of the two violations on this ticket, but the cop has absolutely no proof. The ticket was written totally based on what someone called in. The cop was waiting for us around the corner on a mountain and he didn't see anything. We were actually doing the speed limit when he saw us.

Now I don't want to go to court and lie. Will it matter at all that all the proof they had was someone calling in?

FYI the ticket is for passing in a no passing. One of the times I passed, I was passing a van doing 15 in a 35 (it was doing it the whole way up) but I didn't see the stop sign it was slowing down for just then until I had passed it. So that earned me a failure to obey traffic signal too.

I don't want any flames, I got what was coming to me and I know that. I just want to hear from some of you that have been in a traffic court before.
Thanks!

[Big Tymer]

just lie :)

cop wont show up to court for a stupid ticket like that anyways... so ul go scott free

[TucsonBird]

Another thing. People always talk about how cops usually dont show up to court. Is that just wishful thinking or not? I'm assuming the area he "patrols" is just the mountain and he probably doesn't hand out many tickets there. And if he lives up there, it's a pretty long drive in to the courtroom anyways, and if there is any chance at all he's going to be a no-show then I want to be there. The insurance rates that will come from this ticket are pretty much the difference between me getting a T/A or something similar in the next year or not.

[Pathogen]

1) Cops show up or there's hell to pa
2) Cops get paid to show up for court
3) Someone called in? Then there's evidence depending on the identifying info given by the caller.

... how's your driving record?

[shenanigans]

ypur driving record will be affected...

by the way if you set a court date and don't show up doesn't your license get suspended.

better off going and plea guilty then not going at all if its what I understand.


as for cop not showing up...

I fought to BS tickets,

following too close(6 car lengths behind a semi-truck, when I was going 85, cop says I needed 8.5 lengths)

Cop showed up to that, but judge ruled in my favor, but I was polite curtious, well dressed, and it was in a small town I showed up early, helped some old dude unlock the front doors(I was first of the day), and the old dude ended up being the judge.


2nd time got wreckless driving, was speeding at worse, got it form a campus cop but they have full police jurisdiction, the cop didn't showup.

[TucsonBird]

Originally posted by Pathogen:
1) Cops show up or there's hell to pa
2) Cops get paid to show up for court
3) Someone called in? Then there's evidence depending on the identifying info given by the caller.

... how's your driving record?

Spotless other than a speeding ticket I went to traffic school for. Traffic school here gets the tickets off the record. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[TucsonBird]

Originally posted by shenanigans:
ypur driving record will be affected...

by the way if you set a court date and don't show up doesn't your license get suspended.

better off going and plea guilty then not going at all if its what I understand.


as for cop not showing up...

I fought to BS tickets,

following too close(6 car lengths behind a semi-truck, when I was going 85, cop says I needed 8.5 lengths)

Cop showed up to that, but judge ruled in my favor, but I was polite curtious, well dressed, and it was in a small town I showed up early, helped some old dude unlock the front doors(I was first of the day), and the old dude ended up being the judge.


2nd time got wreckless driving, was speeding at worse, got it form a campus cop but they have full police jurisdiction, the cop didn't showup.

I think here if you just pay the ticket and don't show up you're fine. I still need to call up and find out exactly how much it is, because I don't really understand the pamphlet the cop gave me. :D

[Mogobs30th]

Why don't people just pay the damn tickets anymore?

[mjparme]

Originally posted by Mogobs30th:
Why don't people just pay the damn tickets anymore?

Because not everyone is always guilty.

[Red]

I got a speeding ticket that totalled over 200 bucks, went to court (with about 120 other people) and waited, had to stand up when called, judge read read charges, asked my version and then cut the fine in half. If you even contest here, they lower the fine by up to half i believe.

If they dont have any evidence in your case other then a call in you could get off. Even if a cop testified, what would he say? That it was called in. For all they know it could be someone from school setting you up or an ex girlfriend trying to screw you over. Unless you told the cop you did it they have no proof, so if you want to just say you didnt do it.

When i got pulled over i just told the truth. Asked me if i knew how fast i was going (slowed from 115 down to about 85 when he got me) and i said yeah i was just winding it up to see how it was. He ended up giving me a 10 mph over ticket (he said he had radared me at about 95) so i lucked out. I told the judge the truth about my other ticket and got it reduced anyway, even though i said i did speed.

You wanna see ins. go up, get a couple speeding tix in less than 6 months. fun fun.

[Th3 RiCk]

I didn't think an officer could ticket you if they didn't actually witness the offense. It seems like there could so many loop holes in your situation.

[98Camaro3.8]

Best way to fight tickets: slow the **** down.