$200 only for a speeding ticket? out here in California the fees are ridiculous. I would just take traffic school and pay it. Why traffic school? so that you dont get it on your record, which then will make your insurance premium go up. Also, you can try to fight it, out here in California you can win. If the cop doesn't show, its a win for you. Life is too busy and alot of times they dont show here.

I got a ticket before and I did my traffic school online in a few hours. 1st went to pay the ticket, then asked about online traffic school, they game me some resources. Completed it, printed the certificate, took it to the court. Done deal.

 

Some free legal advice:

If you got your ticket in S. Florida, hire a ticket clinic lawyer and have them do their thing. They charge up to $100, but all they do is tickets and its their "specialty".

If your going to do it yourself, get a continuance. Most counties set their court dates so that the officer can handle numerous tickets they issue on one day. If you continue the case, odds are the officer won't appear and you can get it dismissed due to their failure to able to provide evidence.

Worse comes to worse, suck it up - pay your fine and take driving school, which will get rid of your points, it'll count versus your driving school quota (X number of times in a 2 or 3 year period) however.

BTW, just my personal advice, I'm not your lawyer and if you decide to consult with one they'll know your incident's specifics much better than I.

 

Sounds about right for the speed. I think u should go to court though. There is always a chance they will lower it but no chance if you just pay it without an appearance.
We winter in Florida & have noticed the very high speeds on I 75,
75 - 80 MPH seems common but way too fast at 90.

 

I'm with ff........though, since this is your first offense, I'm not going to beat you over the head. Learn from your experience, pay the fine, toss that detector, stay reasonably close to the limit from now on, and get on with life.


20-30 MPH over the limit is considered reckless driving in some states (don't know about FL). You CAN question the accuracy of the radar to some extent, as Lexiss above indicated, but it seems clear that you were speeding. I would accept a speeding fine, and, IF you are facing a reckless driving charge as well, I would meet with the prosecutor and offer to plead guilty to an ordinary speeding charge in exchange for them dropping the reckless driving charge....THAT is something you DON'T want on your record...trust me.

Also, keep another thing in mind. If you have a larger-then-stock tire/wheel diameter, it may cause the speedometer and odometer both to read low and fool you into thinking you are going slower than you really are.....but usually just a few MPH.

 

Oh Boy... I am amazed to read this thread with amazing things which could be done if you get a ticket. I was living in Mich for a couple of years during my school time and was working part time as delivery guy. Got a couple of tickets but I found a trick around it.. I usually contest the ticket and set a hearing date and when I it is close to the date I will call in to deffer it and it will be postponed bet 30~60 days.

This is allowed only once. I have been succesful twice on this where once the officer did not show up and the second time the oficer showed up but he forgot about the situation and the case was dismissed .. but I still got 2 tickets which I could not get away with although contesting it

Maybe if I would have seen this thread earlier I would asked the judge if there is a way where I could have avoided the points. Darn!!! was a foreign student so I had no clue at that point of time..

Bottom Line..CONTEST THE TICKET!!! I am having 3 cars now and the insurance is killing me!!! although I have been a clean driver for the last 2 years I believe I still have 2 points left which will be dropped this Nov!!

 

Do you guys not have deferred adjudication there? Just do that. That's what i do all the time. I love it.

yes cops can give you tickets based on estimation of speed. They don't have to have radar guns or any of that. They can use the excuse that in their years of being an officer this is something they are trained to do. The can use this in court also. Any time you go to court with a cop, it's your word against theirs. So no matter what the truth is, the cop will always win.

Now if you do contest it, you can get the chance that the cop wont show up. In that case, you win.

Also, you can get the fine lowered at the hearing.

 

how much is court fees?

 

I agree with evitzee. my time is Much more valuable thatn to be tied up in court for a couple hundred bucks.

 

broke college kid desperate for advice

 

and on that note: i stand by my original statement of dispute the ticket! then change the court date ... in all likelyhood your ticket issuing friend will not show up to the second date ... if he does, try and cut a deal b4 hand (apparently cops can do that) ... OR ... have a REALLY good reason for why you were speeding

good luck ... reminds me, i've got one rite here i need to dispute ... lol

 

well i went to the court today trying to fish out some information. the lady/cashier told me there is a 25 dollars of court fees regardless and the judge could fine me up to 500 dollars if found guilty. she said since a FHP (florida highway patrol) pulled me over, they always show up to court because they get paid 200+ dollars overtime and thats simply their job to pull people over. She did tell me that i can extend up to 3 month to pay the ticket (is this what you guys are talking about extending?) Can anyone confirm the information she said is accurate?
If its true, right now im just thinking about paying for it. Unless there is a way to reduce the ticket since its my first.

Thanks for all your help

 

well i went to the court today trying to fish out some information. the lady/cashier told me there is a 25 dollars of court fees regardless and the judge could fine me up to 500 dollars if found guilty. she said since a FHP (florida highway patrol) pulled me over, they always show up to court because they get paid 200+ dollars overtime and thats simply their job to pull people over. She did tell me that i can extend up to 3 month to pay the ticket (is this what you guys are talking about extending?) Can anyone confirm the information she said is accurate?
If its true, right now im just thinking about paying for it. Unless there is a way to reduce the ticket since its my first.

Thanks for all your help

 

Im usually concerned about the safety of others when there is alot of traffic. But that day the whole highway was empty(no cars for miles). My detector did not even go off, thats why i dont think he clocked me speed but guessed by experience.

well i went to the court today trying to fish out some information. the lady/cashier told me there is a 25 dollars of court fees regardless and the judge could fine me up to 500 dollars if found guilty. she said since a FHP (florida highway patrol) pulled me over, they always show up to court because they get paid 200+ dollars overtime and thats simply their job to pull people over. She did tell me that i can extend up to 3 month to pay the ticket (is this what you guys are talking about extending?) Can anyone confirm the information she said is accurate?
If its true, right now im just thinking about paying for it. Unless there is a way to reduce the ticket since its my first.

Thanks for all your help

 

well i went to the court today trying to fish out some information. the lady/cashier told me there is a 25 dollars of court fees regardless and the judge could fine me up to 500 dollars if found guilty. she said since a FHP (florida highway patrol) pulled me over, they always show up to court because they get paid 200+ dollars overtime and thats simply their job to pull people over. She did tell me that i can extend up to 3 month to pay the ticket (is this what you guys are talking about extending?) Can anyone confirm the information she said is accurate?
If its true, right now im just thinking about paying for it. Unless there is a way to reduce the ticket since its my first.

Thanks for all your help

 

well i went to the court today trying to fish out some information. the lady/cashier told me there is a 25 dollars of court fees regardless and the judge could fine me up to 500 dollars if found guilty. she said since a FHP (florida highway patrol) pulled me over, they always show up to court because they get paid 200+ dollars overtime and thats simply their job to pull people over. She did tell me that i can extend up to 3 month to pay the ticket (is this what you guys are talking about extending?) Can anyone confirm the information she said is accurate?
If its true, right now im just thinking about paying for it. Unless there is a way to reduce the ticket since its my first.

Thanks for all your help