Post # 1
Member
2400 posts
Buzzing bee
I called the court house today and asked them about my traffic ticket. I got a “failure to reduce speed” ticket because I rearended someone. Woop.
Anyways, I have a couple options…which one would you do? If you have any other options for me, feel free to tell me!!!
A. Pay the full $395 fine and have no points on license.
B. Pay $305 plus traffic school and have no points on license.
C. Pay $305 and have 4 points on license.
D. Go to a place called Ticket Busters and see if they can help me. I pay them x amount and they take care of the rest.
E. Don’t even know if I can do this but this is what my dad suggested. Go down to the courthouse with money in hand and negotiate. He said that sometimes, if you say you will pay in full right then and there, they will drop the fine down.
What the eff do I do?
Post # 3
Member
699 posts
Busy bee
I would just pay the entire $395 fine. Demerits on your license are incredibly detrimental, and not worth the $90 extra dollars.
I know in Canada we can go to the courthouse and argue down the fines, but typically that’s for parking tickets or red light camera tickets – where there is a level of uncertainty due to signage, changing rules, weather conditions, etc. I don’t think you can argue a ticket you got during an accident – unless you can create doubt (weather conditions, a child running out on the road in front of the two cars causing you both to slam on your brakes, etc)
Post # 5
Member
1400 posts
Bumble bee
Is the cost of traffic school covered? How many hours would it be? Weight that against the extra $95 bucks.. If your time to do the classes is worth more than that, then take four hundred bucks to the courthouse, haggle like your Dad suggested and if it doesn’t work, just oay it off and be done with it!
On a completely different note, I think a system where you can pay to not have points on your license is seriously flawed. Points are supposed to be related to your driving habits and a consequence of such things, not a reflection of your financial state! But I suppose I could, I would, I just think its silly that it works that way. In BC, there are different fines depending on he ticket and how soon you pay but if its a points worthy offense, you just plain get the points!
Post # 6
Member
2400 posts
Buzzing bee
@ykyegbride: That’s the thing, the lady I hit and I both had the same story. The person in front of her came to a dead stop on the friggin’ freeway. She swerved to miss him and I hit her):
Post # 7
Member
2400 posts
Buzzing bee
@lalalyanne: That’s what I thought too! When she said oh pay $400 and get no points, in my mind I was like whuu? Isn’t that suppose to show the police what kind of habits you have?
Post # 8
Member
8595 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
I’d either pay the full amount and just be done with it, or go to the court date and see if you can get the amount reduced (provided you have an otherwise clean driving record).
Post # 9
Member
1400 posts
Bumble bee
@figgnewton: Just goes to show how much of a cash grab it really is! Give the more money and they’ll make your life better. And I think its ridiculous that she swerved in front of you on a freeway so you hit her and that makes it your fault! How in the world ae you supposed to know she’s going to swerve in front of you? Do you live in America by any chance ? :-p
Post # 10
Member
2400 posts
Buzzing bee
@Westwood: Yup, I do. When I go to the court date do I go before a judge?
Post # 11
Member
2400 posts
Buzzing bee
@lalalyanne: Bahahaha Yes. Sin City. Fack. lol
Post # 12
Member
4464 posts
Honey bee
I would do whichever option would give me no points on my license. If you do decide to fight it I would go with someone you know or someone who has been recommended to you by someone you know. Unless traffic school is happening when you don’t have to take off from work (or whatever your daily activities are that you can’t reschedule or miss) I would bypass that option. So I would either pay the full $395, go down and try to negotiate, or hire someone who you actually know and is reputable to fight the ticket. If $395 is just too large of a sum for you to consider paying, then I would try to negotiate or hire someone reputable.
Post # 13
Member
7977 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
Your priority should be a clean license… I second PPs!
Post # 14
Member
3625 posts
Sugar bee
I agree with PP. Pay and get the point removed. I wish we had an option to pay more and skip traffic school. Here in California, you pay your fine AND you pay extra for traffic school in order to get the point removed.
Some things you can argue but some things you can’t. I think this would be one of them. For example, you can argue a red light violation but it’s hard to argue this one. In addition, I’ve never heard of them negotiating it for less. The only way I’ve heard of people winning at court is when the cop doesn’t show up. If it’s a city with low crime, chances are the cop will show up (like mine) but in a higher crime area where presumably the cop is busier, then they *may* not show up.
Post # 15
Member
923 posts
Busy bee
can you contest the ticket? since you and the woman have the same story it is likely in the police report. it seems silly that you should get a ticket for something that seems pretty unavoidable.
Post # 16
Member
1721 posts
Bumble bee
A. Fiance chose the whole traffic school thing and it was a huge pain in the ass and was so not worth the 90 bucks it would have cost him. He totally regrets not just forking out the cash. And I personally would rather have the points over the money.
