SonTon2003

What actually happens when you go to traffic court? Do you make your plea and the judge sends you home with a reduced sentence or to do have a chance to saw a few words?

jmc1971

What happens depends on where you live. If you haven't, post this in your regional forum since someone there has probably been to traffic court in OH.

Kronos

In TN they weed out the people who are eligible for traffic school (ie speeding < 20mph over limit, no other citations in 2+ years) first.

There were over 400 cases the day I went, people had to stand out in the hall. Judge calls your name, states the facts of the case bla,bla,bla "How do you plead?" Me..."guilty". "Would you like to go to traffic school?" Me "yes sir". "Thank you please see the clerk".

This all happened while I was trying to make my way from the back of the room only 20 feet away to the podium. Needless to say it was over before I even got there. It a breeze...go to traffic school if you can.

Scot

i went a couple of times when I knew the cops wouldn't be there. I was ticketed in Ocean City, MD during the summer..... the cops aren't even around in fall or winter when i scheduled my hearing.

"not guilty"

There was a dumbshit who still pleaded "guilty with a reason" even though the cop wasn't there....."my car is red, and i was trying to catch up to my girlfriend"..ahahaha...all he had to say was "not guilty"... duh. the District Justice was still nice enough to reduce his fine to no points.....

anarky

The Death Penalty is usually meted out for miscreants.

Seriously, as previous posts state..plead not guilty if you are going to court. Personally, I would seek counsel (lawyer) unless it is a small charge (at which point I would have just paid the ticket or gotten in a "diversion" program).

DUI....ALWAYS GET A LAWYER.

Best advise..say yes sir no sir three bags full sir and don't admit to anything.

vader1

Definately show up, and dress like a normal human. A tie does not hurt things. As a previous post said, they will give you the choice to plead not guilty, guilty or "guilty with an explanation". "Guilty with an explanation" was invented to trick morons into pleading guilty. With or without an explanation you are still saying you did it but some fools think the judge will think their explanation is a good one and they will get off, but they still just pleaded guilty.

Hope the cop does not show up, if he does not you are off scott free, you have a right to question your accuser. If he does, try a plea bargain. Ask to talk to the prosecutor before trial and request a solution to keep it off your record. For speeding a one year continuance for dismissal is standard if your record is clean. That means they hold the ticket for one year (sometimes you can get a six month) and you pay the fine but it does not go on your record. At the end of that year they check your record and if you have another violation, the first one is then put onto your record as well, accepting the continuance is an automatic guilty plea to the first charge IF you get another you can NOT go back and contest the first one. If you stayed clean, they tear up the ticket and your insurance never knows. They usually do not give a rats behind about your record, it is the fine money they are after. If you have tickets already, they usually will not offer this.

If that fails, radar cases are easy to beat, laser cases are tougher. There are websites with info on how to beat them. But if the cop show up ask for a continuance, which is a postponement and have a good reason, the cop may not show up the second time and they will usually give you one, but be prepared anyway in case they don't. And if you are going to end up with and actual trial and the cop is present, have something intelligent to say and make a case. To go through all of that and say "It was not me your Honor" will not get you anything.

Traffic court is not like regular court, no matter what anyone tells you, you are presumed guilty and they want cash, so a plea is the best scenario if the cop is present. Pay the cash, fines are cheaper than insurance, and stay clean for a year.


Over the last 15 years I am five wins and zero losses for speed infractions. But it may be only a matter of time.

SgtSaunders

Last time I went I realized that the BEST part is listening to some of the WHOPPERS that these 16 yr olds come up with.

Kid got busted doin 60 in a residential area (25mph)...he tells judge his friend wanted to see if "air intake" needed adjusting . Kid is DEAD serious. Courtroom is just waiting for judge to throw gavel at him. No lawyer, just a kid and his furious mother.

Low-cost entertainment at its best.

VisualEchos

1. Call the Clerk of Court and ask him/her if it's a common practice to give people a 30-90 day probation, if it is, do that (they'll tell you how).
2. In the event #1 doesn't work, go to court early and ask the Clerk of Court who the D.A. is and ask him politely if he'll accept double the fine to reduce it to a non-moving violation.
3. In the event #2 doesn't work, call a few local attorneys and ask them if they have had any luck with getting tickets reduced, hopefully they'll say "yes" and get it done for you for about $75.
4. In the event the answer is "no", go to court and request a bench-trial. It's where you, the judge, the officer and the D.A. talk about things and you can plead your case.

Good luck (it doesn't take much, I've done it umpteen times and won).

yellafeva

Been to traffic courts a few times; won a few, lost a few, but I never pleaded to get a reduced amount.

ICEMAN666

As stated above, traffic court differs from state to state (and often from municipality to municipality). . . However, its always worth going.

A better question: Who here HAS NOT been to traffic court. . .