finally my first ticket :-(

[Steven]

Erm... was driving around on some country road out in the middle of no where doing speed limit and came upon a hill. I got to the top of the hill and there was a hairpin turn so i slammed on the brakes and the tailend spun around. Well.. unfortunatly there was a cop sitting right there. Got a wreckless driving ticket and I left my license at home :-(
He told me that I should have been going slower since I have never been on the road before, and he acknowledge that i was doing the speed limit.
I was summond to court later this month and was wondering if i should pleade guilty to this?

[The ROMAN]

Just do the whole "Plead guilty to a bigger fine with no points" deal. Usually they let you do that, especially if it's your first ticket.

[Steven]

im not sure if it different in some states but i keep hearing that it will be 7 points and be on my record for 3 years. or mabey thats just worst case scenario?

[The ROMAN]

No way?!
Here reckless is 4 points and you get 3 points off your license every year you go without a ticket. I doubt Tennessee is worse than New Jersey. If you got 7 points at once that would be a license suspension here too.

[Steven]

oo.. man i hope soo. my insurance is gonna kill meh however.

[mixxamike]

I don't understand the whole "points" thing, but in Illinois, you are only allowed 3 moving violation tickets within a certain time frame before your license is suspended. We also have the option of paying $45 more for court supervision which essentially wipes your slate clean of that ticket after three months.

[Steven]

so.. can they give me a huge fine if they wanted to?

[BSeay]

Welcome to the club, now you have to get 8 more to catch me...

i know here in Va 12 points in a year and they suspend your liscense and 18 in two years...i know because i have 11...lol

i would speak with a lawyer and see what he says...free consulation man and then go from there...

[Steven]

haha racking them up there Bseay. Your insurance high? or do you even have any? just curious

[BSeay]

$185.20 a month, full coverage with 11 points and all my parts covered..500/500 deductable... not too bad but then again i'm 21 years old...

[The ROMAN]

First find out how many points it is. Search the Intraweb for your states DMV or police site to find that out. Theres a good chance (being your first ticket and somewhat of an accident) they'll let you bargain down to less or zero points, even without a lawyer. If you end up getting points, find out if your state has a driver improvement program. This usually involves taking a day long class to get 2-3 points off your license.
I wouldn't worry to much, most of us "driving enthusiasts" would kill to be in your situation. Like me: 16 points (soon to be 13) 3 license suspensions, $3500 a year insurance.....

[Steven]

thats what im paying right now and thats just liability. but im 18

[Var]

Originally Posted by BSeay

$185.20 a month, full coverage with 11 points and all my parts covered..500/500 deductable... not too bad but then again i'm 21 years old...

thats cheap

[nightwalker]

hahaha, yeah, I'm with Westborough

[BSeay]

FYI my insurance is thru http://www.esurance.com

check them out...

[Var]

insurance is generally more expensive in cali. but thanks for the link. i've been hearing a lot of advertisements for them lately

[wootwoot]

i would take that to court, you were going the speed limit and if that can possibly send you ass out then its their fault. you can get away with almost anything if you take to it to court, its almost sad sometime.

[Steven]

Originally Posted by wootwoot

i would take that to court, you were going the speed limit and if that can possibly send you ass out then its their fault. you can get away with almost anything if you take to it to court, its almost sad sometime.

wouldnt the fact that my tailend swung out counter act that defense?

[Andrew Bohan]

i'm payin 340 every 6 months for liability, no points. never have had any points.

[ThatGuy]

1. Unfamiliar Road
2. Doing the speed limit
3. Blind turn

I don't see where they have a case against you. They should drop this ticket. Good Luck to you.

[idlafie]

Originally Posted by Steven

Erm... was driving around on some country road out in the middle of no where doing speed limit and came upon a hill. I got to the top of the hill and there was a hairpin turn so i slammed on the brakes and the tailend spun around. Well.. unfortunatly there was a cop sitting right there. Got a wreckless driving ticket and I left my license at home :-(
He told me that I should have been going slower since I have never been on the road before, and he acknowledge that i was doing the speed limit.
I was summond to court later this month and was wondering if i should pleade guilty to this?

Prior to going to court and entering any plea, you might want to go back to the spot where you got the ticket & carefully go over the area looking for roadsigns or any other type of warning signs advising of road conditions..aka hairpin turn ahead. If there is NO Hairpin Warning sign posted, then you could possibly argue that that is an unmarked dangerous corner. You'll have to bring proof though which means that you might have to take a trip to the County's Road Surveyor's office. Check the road surveyor's office to see if their maps/notes indicate that a hairpin warning sign should be posted or not. If there is, try to get copies of those maps/notes. Take pictures of the approach along with pictures of the hairpin turn. That way you can show pictures to the judge to prove your case.
Also check the spot where the cop was sitting. If it looks like a regular turnout spot, that cops usually sit at, then you might want to check with the courts to see if any other citations were written at that location in a certain time frame. If there are, then you could possibly argue that the cops are using that hairpin turn area as an entrapment area.
Best bet is get an attorney to represent you. If you decide not to, then go dressed in a suit & tie to court that day & address the judge as Your Honor with plenty of Yes Sirs & No Sirs. Try to be as humble as possible & be prepared to state your case clearly. Judges HATE when you waste THEIR time. They usually have a shitload of cases they have to hear every day & hate when someone comes along & ties up their courtroom.
Try to make it sound like you were just driving along, got distracted as you approached the top of the hill, over-reacted when you saw the hairpin turn, slammed on your brakes & lost control of the car. If you can successfully argue that you're not the only one that's done that at that particular spot on that road, and can prove it with court records...aka tickets that cops have issued to other people at that same spot, AND that there is NO posted warning sign informing of a hairpin turn ahead, then you might get lucky & the judge will throw the case out.
Sounds like you've got your work cut out...
Good luck!!
ID
'95 SE

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by idlafie

you could possibly argue that the cops are using that hairpin turn area as an entrapment area.

Nope, sorry. The Officer is not FORCING anyone to spin out around that corner, entrapment will not work as a defense.

[mrmephistopheles]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

Nope, sorry. The Officer is not FORCING...

or coercing or suggesting

[idlafie]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

Nope, sorry. The Officer is not FORCING anyone to spin out around that corner, entrapment will not work as a defense.

hmm...sorry...maybe I misstated in my previous post...cops often sit at spots where they know that they can get easy tickets. I don't know what the road/ hairpin turn looks like, nor how many citations were issued at that spot. If you can get the officer to admit in court in front of the judge that the hairpin turn is at the top of a hill & not visible from the approaching road AND no road signs are posted advising such, then it may be possible to get the judge to dismiss the case.
Anyhow...it's an option he can consider...
ID

[Steven]

i did see a sign on top of the hill.. but it was right on the turn. I'm not sure that will help me out on that.

[sciamop]

In NY, you send the ticket in with NOT GUILTY if you want a trial. If you send it in as GUILTY you instantly receive the maximum fine. Bad news. So you send the ticket back as NOT GUILTY and await trial...

Do everything that idlafie said then approach the PO before court begins with your binder full of notes -- do NOT try to threaten him/her with your evidence. This might irritate him/her. Give him/her your ticket or summons and try to cut a deal for NO SEATBELT or some other trivial NON-MOVING VIOLATION.

Remember: It's nothing personal; the state just wants your money. The plea will give them what they want (money) and will also give you what you want (no points on your license).

In case you were wondering, this is the way the justice system functions in America.

Todd

[Steven]

mabey alittle update... thread is alittle old but just got back from court... got a diversion and 6 months probation... how freaking lame is that... F da police

[CoasTek240]

Originally Posted by Steven

mabey alittle update... thread is alittle old but just got back from court... got a diversion and 6 months probation... how freaking lame is that... F da police

yeah, but thats good as long as you dont do anything stupid for the next 6 monthes...
i've been through the juvinile traffic system and adult traffic court in VA several times (i'd rather not post how many times)
bseay gave the best info pertaining to you. pay attenstion to the point system. go to a driving school and you get 3 points removed from your license. your allowed to go 2 x a year. your also allowed to go into the negative (reserve) 4 pts.
work, the system. fuck the police.
they need to do something more constructive.
i got a altered suspension ticket last night. cars 4 inches too low. even though its lowered about 2 inches on cusco coilovers.
that would mean i have to raise my car 2 inches higher than stock ride height.
stupid ass!

just to piss his ass off, i raised my car to stock height measured, with a tape measurer attached a copy of the FSM stating the stock ride height, and then i'm also going to attach a picture of my Nuts telling then officer to lick em.
fucking pigs!

***btw, i do have respect for cops, and the many good deads they do in their service, but theres certain dickhead cops that like harassing cars that just piss me the fuck off!

[Steven]

mabey im alittlle cheap ass but paying $35 a week blows... but ya mabey i deserved it i dunno. I'm kinda worried about getting any more tickets later. I have a header and custom straight pipe on the car so im expecting some noise violations. the DA said that any speeding ttickts later wont affect this. Im not sure how that works. Thanks for the replies however... quite a community we got here.

[holisticbeatz]

You should be saying F- the DA.. The police doesn't give you probation, it's the DA.