K so I got a speeding ticket and 2 fix it tickets back in July, the total is $432, and that is including traffic school. Now my original intention was to just pay the ticket, and do traffic school, but now I would like to reduce the fine if that is at all possible. I've been hearing some conflicting things. If I show up to my arraignment date and plead guilty and say possibly get my price reduced, do I still have the option of going to traffic school(I've never attended traffic school before) so that my insurance doesn't go up? Or will me showing up to court not allow me to go to traffic school? Anyone knoooww? I'm not down to pay $432....my court date is Oct. 2nd, but I'm thinking about getting an extension. Thanks!

 

I have a court date 2 weeks from today (24th?) for 84 in a 55 (4 points) and I'm nervous as hell about it. I don't care about paying a bigger fine (only $189 right now) but I just don't want the points.

 

Yeah I was originally going too fast to qualify for traffic school but the cop dropped it down so that I could. I just heard that if you show up to court and try to lower it, you can't go to traffic school? I'm hoping this is not true.

 

what were the tickets exactly? is it a local cop or a highpo?

 

It was highway patrol, 53 in a 35, and window tint and no front plate.

 

speed = NOT guilty... never guilty
window tint... go to your tinter and ask for a paper stating it's legal...
front license plate = no moving so no points... take pic of your plate on...

 

well the fix it's can be dropped with proof obviously. for the tint just go to a tint shop and ahve them write you a receipt for changing the tint (i did that with my exhaust like a bajillion times). the speeding though, if you went in and pled not quilty. don't EVER plead quilty. the District attorny may be able to strike a deal with you to pleade guilty to a lesser speed.

 

does anyone know if you get points for a tint ticket (fix it ticket)

also, i have court on the 17th and my tint is legal now but does anyone know if im going to have to pay court costs or are they just gunna meter my windows then let me leave?

 

I heard you should plead guilty, because if you plead not guilty you have to go to court and then you definitely can't go to traffic school. All I want to do is reduce the fine while still maintaining my eligibility for traffic school so that my insurance rate doesn't go up. Luckily I got insurance for my tint so that it can be taken off and put back on whenever I get a ticket, and I'm going to ziptie my plate on. I'm just not down with spending $432 at the moment.

Fix it tickets do not go on your record, only moving violations.

 

I had gone to jail for refusal to sign my tint ticket (long story) got slapped w/ a resisting charge... and had two other tickets... so total for four tickets was around $950... posted bond... went to court and pleaded not guilty on everything.. got ALL my money back and no points at all...

 

if you plead not guilty they aren't just going to be like okay. here's you next court date. be there. haha. they will talk to you and work something out right there. they don't like to put things off.

 

That's good and all, but not sure if that's a common thing. Any cops in here or people who know cops, more spefically, people familiar with California traffic laws and court proceedings? I just want to know how to go about possibly reducing the fine while still going to traffic school, and should I plead guilty or not guilty during the hearing. Keep in mind this is not an actual court date. I can choose to just pay the ticket, or go to court. I am going to get the fix it tickets written off.

 

well, it is a court date. if you miss it. you have a warrant put out. marisa i've been to court so many times. however i'm not familiar with california. but i'm curious as to why they are giving you the ticket, making you pay for it, AND making you go to traffic school. normally you go to school to avoid paying the ticket and just court fees, and have the ticket dropped.

but if you plead not guilty. they're definitely going to talk to you. they won't just throw you aside and give you another date. and thats when you can start sweet talking them. making a deal that maybe if you go to school you can have the ticket dropped. or have it reduced to general speeding less than 10mph over. something like that.

 

No this date is not an actual court date, you can either go to contest your ticket, or just pay it like I was originally going to. It would have been $380 without traffic school(I would have gotten a point and my insurance would have gone back up), or I could pay $432 which includes the tickets and traffic school, which prevents it from going on my record and my insurance stays the same. You still have to pay for the ticket and go to traffic school. It's not a trade off, it just means that you don't get a point on your driving record.

 

your best bet is to hope the cop does not show up for court to give evidence on the speeding charge, then plead not guilty on speeding then the charge goes away no fine no traffic school and no insurance increase, if he shows pay the fine go to traffic school. as for the other fines they are not moving violations so just pay them lick your wounds stop speeding and life goes on

 

man cali is fucked up. out here if you go to school you don't have to pay for the ticket as long as it can be dropped to general speeding.

HAHAHAHAH wait, wait, wait. okay... so you're saying that unless the cop shows up, she can just plead not guilty and it all goes away!?!?! oh man, thats pretty funny. sorry buddy. the cops NEVER show up to court unless it is you fighting the ticket on your own court date and he is called as a witness for the DA(prosecutor). you can't just hope the cop doesn't show up and plead not guilty and have everything dropped.

 

ture.. i had court b4 and if i tried lowering or paying the fine than no traffic school

 

It's a gamble to go and hope the cop doesn't show up, if he does I hear that then you definitely can't go to traffic school, still not 100% sure though. My only goal is to reduce the fine while not getting any points on my record whether that's going to traffic school or not, I do not want my insurance to go up. Also please don't act like I go around speeding...people can attest that I do not, and also the speed limit changed and I didn't see the sign.

 

just go up to the judge and be like. i really didn't realize i was going this fast. i was very sincere and honest with the officer and he was very polite back. i've fixed both things on my car that he wrote me up for but i just can't afford points or my insurance to go up. and honestly i did not think i was going 53. is there anyway i can get this lowered or maybe go to school and have it dropped?

also....a low cut shirt wouldn't hurt either.

 

Lol I didn't have time to flirt with the cop either :P, I was too stunned that I was getting pulled over in the first place. I haven't had a ticket since 2005, so I think I'm doing pretty good with the whole speeding thing.

 

Well, Rissa (fyi I am a cop) the tint and the plate will be dropped cause you "fixed it". Go to your araignment and just talk to the assistan DA ahead of time and you should be able to work something out. That is how it works in Colorado. You go in and talk to the assistant DA and tell her what you want to do and what you will plead to if you get what you want. If you don't like the offer you can fight it, however the judge 99.9 percent of the time will side with the police officer. This is just an inital aperance so they will set a later court date with the police officer scheduled to show up. If you have any other questions PM me.

 

OOPS, my error i guess i forgot to mention you have to file to dispute the ticket and hope the cops a no show. its kind of like rolling the dice and if he does show then throw yourself at the mercy of the court and take your lumps

 

get the swift fold away plate holder!!!!!!

 

All righty...so I suppose I should plead guilty, hope they drop the fine and do traffic school? Btw did you get that intake yet?


I think I might!! My car might be too low though lol.

 

In AZ, traffic school dismisses the violation and court altogether. You pay for the schooling in lieu of the ticket, and get no points. The catch is you can only do school once every 2 years, so if you're habitual, you'll get yours.

As the officer above said, fix-it tickets should be dismissed as long as you fix it. Otherwise, think of the ticket as your "state-regulated fee" for having dark tint and no front plate. (or move to AZ where they don't give a **** about either!)

If you go to court and plead guilty, traffic shool will only be an option if the judge says so, so you do risk that. In your situation, I'd fix the fix its, take the class on the speeding ticket and call it a day. Traffic school is around 200 here, I imagine it's similar there.