SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Always fight it. And always use a lawyer. I know there are people above talking about the "ethics" of taking your licks if you're guilty, but I say hogwash. Insurance companies use this crap to jack up your rates unreasonably, employers use it against you, etc. If it was just a matter of paying the fine, then I would agree with the "take your licks" philosophy, but as long as this crap carries so many other things along with it, I say fight it, no matter how guilty you are. These things are nothing but revenue generation scams, anyway; they aren't really about public safety at all.
I got a ticket for running through a stop sign two years ago. It wasn't intentional (I really thought it was a yield sign), but I was definitely guilty after I went back and looked. But I wasn't about to take a ticket and the points and watch my insurance company screw me over with higher rates. So, I hired a local traffic attorney. He charged me $300 flat rate. That $300 covers everything, even if he has to take it all the way to a jury trial. He went into court for me (I didn't even have to be there), and talked to the local prosecutor. In most cities, this attorney is able to do just what someone mentioned above: get these things rubber-stamped as non-moving violations by the dozens in a single meeting. That's how he charges only $300 flat rate. It's a huge bulk business. But, in this city just outside of Atlanta, the prosecutor wanted to be a hard-ass, so he refused a plea bargain deal. No problem. My attorney motioned to have the case moved up to a higher court, which the judge granted. We're now two years later. To date, the case is still sitting on the books. Nothing has happened with it. In two years. Apparently the county doesn't really care to hear the case while so much more important stuff is going on, so it just sits there collecting dust. Meanwhile, I haven't been convicted of anything, so my driving record is spotless. No increased insurance, no points, nothing. For all intents and purposes, I didn't even get a ticket. I assume that eventually the county will get around to hearing the case. When they do, it's likely that they'll accept a plea bargain, and I'll end up with no points. If they won't accept a plea bargain, then the attorney will threaten a jury trail (the cost to the court system would be ridiculous), and at that point, the prosecutor usually caves and takes a plea deal to avoid jury trial costs.
I love lawyers.
I got a ticket for running through a stop sign two years ago. It wasn't intentional (I really thought it was a yield sign), but I was definitely guilty after I went back and looked. But I wasn't about to take a ticket and the points and watch my insurance company screw me over with higher rates. So, I hired a local traffic attorney. He charged me $300 flat rate. That $300 covers everything, even if he has to take it all the way to a jury trial. He went into court for me (I didn't even have to be there), and talked to the local prosecutor. In most cities, this attorney is able to do just what someone mentioned above: get these things rubber-stamped as non-moving violations by the dozens in a single meeting. That's how he charges only $300 flat rate. It's a huge bulk business. But, in this city just outside of Atlanta, the prosecutor wanted to be a hard-ass, so he refused a plea bargain deal. No problem. My attorney motioned to have the case moved up to a higher court, which the judge granted. We're now two years later. To date, the case is still sitting on the books. Nothing has happened with it. In two years. Apparently the county doesn't really care to hear the case while so much more important stuff is going on, so it just sits there collecting dust. Meanwhile, I haven't been convicted of anything, so my driving record is spotless. No increased insurance, no points, nothing. For all intents and purposes, I didn't even get a ticket. I assume that eventually the county will get around to hearing the case. When they do, it's likely that they'll accept a plea bargain, and I'll end up with no points. If they won't accept a plea bargain, then the attorney will threaten a jury trail (the cost to the court system would be ridiculous), and at that point, the prosecutor usually caves and takes a plea deal to avoid jury trial costs.
I love lawyers.
