<p>In our jurisdiction, the “good kid” information always comes in; the judges generally ask the kid about where he goes to school, grades, volunteer work, etc. and take those into consideration in “sentencing” or reducing the charge. In fact, a friend’s kid had to go to court, and the parents were hoping that the judge would throw the book at him, but the judge went lenient because he was a “good kid”!</p>
<p>I second the suggestion that you consult with a lawyer familiar with the particular traffic court in your area. There are many things written down in statute and regulation, but there are often things done by custom and familiarity that you’ll never find on the net. (Like do you meet with the clerk magistrate first, or is it appropriate to talk to the prosecutor? Is is a police prosecutor, or does the magistrate handle it? How does the process work - is there any kind of plea bargaining before seeing the judge, or is it all done in front of the judge? Does the judge do it? Which judge is on duty that day, and does he/she like the “good kid” stuff, or do you wait until asked? Gruff or nice? Harsh or generous? Does he/she rely on his/her clerk, or want to know everything up front? What kind of evidence is received/allowed? etc. )</p>
<p>As a lawyer familiar with various courts in my jurisdiction, but not practicing in traffic court, I still consulted a friend who does before I went, to make sure I understood the “local practice” unwritten rules.</p>
<p>It can be helpful if a parent goes to court with the teen. I know one judge in our county asks if a parent is there and will ask if they have taken appropriate parental actions. He also wants to know how the teen is going to pay the costs and fine. He does not like it when told that the parents are footing the bill.</p>
<p>I agree with MOWC - I don’t think your son should be arguing any technicalities. It is a very good idea to call the court in advance - my son did this, and the court clerk told him what to expect and told him that the safe driving class was an option for him. Your son should show up in court by himself, neatly dressed, polite and contrite.</p>
<p>In our state, if a driver is under 21, I believe they all have to go to court for any moving violation. </p>
<p>D had a speeding ticket, a big one, and went to court. I accompanied her. When it was her “turn”, the judge asked her if a parent was with her and what did the “parents do” when this happened. She explained our punishment (which was pretty harsh, but again it was a BIG speeding ticket).</p>
<p>Ultimately, she did community service, had to write a paper, and paid a large fine. BUT it was not kept on her permanent record and not reported to insurance. I do feel that the judge definitely took into account that she had already suffered consequences for her actions via mom & dad.</p>
<p>It was a good lesson for her.</p>
<p>PS In our court, there would have been no way to speak to the officer ahead of time. We sat for a couple hours, in court, before she was called. And the officer came in at the last minute. We were hoping he might not show at all. No such luck :)</p>
<p>One thing that should be clear from this thread is that the laws and policies vary widely from state to state, jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and judge to judge. I was constantly startled my first few years in Washington how different small things were between Washigton and California when it comes to auto laws and policies (hint: California has the car thing wired – moving to Washington was a little like moving to a third-world country). </p>
<p>My only advice mirrors the others here: even if it costs three times as much, go to traffic school if this keeps the ticket off the driving record. It’s a small price to pay. If this was TallSon, he’d be working to pay off the costs, too. With WashDadJr, I wouldn’t even be involved. :)</p>
<p>Back when I was teaching full-time, I had a student who got FOUR speeding tickets dismissed because the officer didn’t show up in court. On the fifth one, the judge reduced it by half because “you don’t have a record.”</p>
<p>On the basis of this, I sent my D to court when she got a speeding ticket. She got it reduced by half. No increase to her car insurance.</p>
<p>She also had a contract with us, in writing, and signed in front of a notary (to make it serious): “One more ticket and no more car privileges.”</p>
<p>What do you think about this…is it some sort of a rackett? My d was driving back to her apt. from a meeting about 11PM. Going 40 according to the police instead of 25 or something like that. She says that by the time she saw the lights behind her she looked down & saw she was going slower. ANYHOW, it wasn’t two days later that she started to receive letters from lawyers in NC (we live in CT) telling her that for a fee (anywhere from $145 - 299) they would take her case!!! That 2nd day from the ticket she got six letters & they kept coming.
I told my H that they saw her liscence plate & Elon window sticker & said, good we got another one…from there they phoned up all the lawyers that prey on college kids down there and got a cut of their fees! Is it my active imagination or what?
PS, I told my d to go to court and fight it, but she heard from another student that she had to miss the whole day of classes and it took forever. So my DH coughed up the fees for one of the lawyers and he took care of it…no missed classes, no points on her liscense, no extra insurance payment for us.
WHAT A RACKETT!!</p>
<p>jym626, my sons are currently taking driver’s ed, and just last week they had a local judge come in and speak with them. He told them NOT to plead guilty by mail, but rather come to court and speak with the police officer or local prosecutor assigned to the case and get the offense reduced! I know that in our jurisdiction, going to court would mean increased costs because there are mandatory court costs, but reducing points off the record is better in the long run.</p>
<p>Probably not. I image a more realistic explanation is that these various lawyers just phone up the local police station every morning asking to examine the records for the tickets they gave out the previous evening. It’s all a matter of public record there for anyone who cares to take a look…</p>
<p>I don’t know what speeding tickets cost in your area, but 81 MPH is $294 in Connecticut. And a 15% increase in insurance would be $600 more a year on my policy (which by the way is priced based on no accidents, no violations). The financial hit is significant, obviously. Even so, keeping points and moving violations off your S’s record is much more important. (And presuading your S not to speed – MOST important!) Momofwildchild and momof3sons offer good advice. And yeah, going to the station/court will kill the day. Small price to pay IMHO.</p>
<p>Thanks rocketman, I was being a little facetious & my husband put my fears to rest about that rant too. Meanwhile, is it common in other states for lawyers to swarm when someone gets a ticket, or is it just convenient when they are out of state college students?
I agree that is more feasable to fight a speeding ticket…always. Sorry, but I live in CT and insurance rates are nasty. Luckily no one in my family has had to do it in a very long time prior to this last episode.</p>
<p>Did not read the entire thread, I confess. DS got a “noise violation” when he was 17. He put on a suit, went to court with me and was able to get the $300+ fine knocked down a bit. Did this at the advice of an attorney who had been in mock trial with him. </p>
<p>At that court date, the baliff carefully told everyone in the group that if ANYONE was planning to plead not guilty to a speeding or moving violation they should just forget it and not waste the courts time. </p>
<p>DD just got a speeding ticket. SHE paid the ticket and the traffic school charges. Did the traffic school. If the insurance goes up then she will pay that since she already pays the entire insurance bill for her vehicle.</p>
<p>It’s very common, at least here in FL. S1 got a speeding ticket at UF in his sophomore year and we found out about it because of all the cards and letters from traffic ticket lawyers addressed to him at our home address (the address on his drivers license). We live in FL, too, so the cops weren’t looking for out of state tags – just speeders.</p>
<p>So…I got a “speeding ticket” once for going 28 mph in a 30 mph zone. It was near a school where the sign said “20 mph When Children are Present”. The cop pulled me over. I asked why I was pulled over for going 28mph in a 25mph zone (I didn’t know that it was actually 30mph.) He said, “Didn’t you see the sign?” “Yup,” I replied, “Do you see any children?” None were to be found. So he sat in his car for 10 minutes until the first school kids came by.</p>
<p>I went to court. I questioned the detective. He admitted there were no children present when he pulled me over. He admitted that I wasn’t going over the speed limit.</p>
<p>I was found guilty, and the fine doubled. “There SHOULD HAVE BEEN children,” said the judge.</p>
<p>Next month they put up a blinking yellow for “when children are present”.</p>
<p>We D was caught in a speed trap and learned about the justice system. The process cost $600 for the lawyer, $200 for the fines and no points. Those caught in the same speed trap, who went without a lawyer, got fines totalling over $900 and 6 points, plus the likelihood of increased insurance rates. They were cited for speeding in a work zone even tho there was no work and the signs were covered. My D’s offense was changed to opening a door into traffic. Anyone who believes in the fairness of the justice system has never had any involvement.</p>
<p>Was just scanning the thread, so don’t know if anyone’s addressed this. In NY if there is an error on a parking ticket (you said the date was wrong) it’s void. I would check to see if that holds for a moving violation in your state - probably the best way is to ask a local lawyer.</p>