<p>i got my license in feb… end of march i got a speeding ticket
going 80 in a 55 (i know, reeally bad)</p>
<p>i’m going to court for it tomorrow not because i think i can get it taken away or anything but just because my mom insisted</p>
<p>soo what exactly do i say to the judge?
its tomorrow so any advice would be greeat</p>
<p>help pleasee</p>
<p>OK- I am experienced at traffic court. You are going to have to throw yourself at the mercy of the court. Seriously. Tell the judge how sorry you are and what a huge lapse of judgment you had. Ask if you can do driving school to reduce the charges. With that many miles over the limit, you might get your license suspended since you were a new driver. Maybe you can get probation. Just be honest and sorry. Other option- ask for a continuance and get a lawyer.</p>
<p>MomofWildChild may be “spot on” about the license suspension. Depending on where you live, there may be an automatic suspension for a new driver. If the police officer is there and you were not obnoxious to him/her when you were stopped, you may have the opportunity to speak with him/her before court. You may be able to enlist his/her help in getting the speed reduced by 10 miles per hour. That might make a difference in a suspension. Dress nicely and be remorseful and respectful!</p>
<p>The way it works where I live is that going to court to fight a ticket essentially gives you the opportunity to plead your case if you think the ticket was unfair. For example, if the officer doesn’t have proof of speeding through a radar gun, but was just estimating your speed visually. Or if the area is a speed trap with inadequate warning that the limit changed. Or, in some cases where I’ve seen people hire lawyers and all, that the radar gun equipment used was outdated and faulty. </p>
<p>However, if you knew the speed limit and didn’t pay attention and got caught, you really have no defense, so it’s kind of awkward, like you’re wasting the court’s time by appearing. </p>
<p>You could get lucky and the officer who gave you the ticket will be unable to appear in court, in which case, your ticket will be dismissed. If the officer shows up, though, he or she will present the evidence (was it a radar gun or just a visual estimate of speed and perhaps any thing you said when you were stopped, ie: “Do you know why i stopped you?” and you answered, “yes, I was speeding.” That’s evidence against you.) After the officer presents his or her evidence, you will be given the opportunity to question the evidence and the officer. Usually, though, the officer wins everytime unless you are able to show that say, the radar gun equipment was malfunctioning. Tough to do. </p>
<p>At times, to speed things up, I’ve seen traffic judges offer to reduce fines for anyone willing to plead guilty on the spot, rather than waiting to see if they’ll get off the hook by having the officer not show up when their case is called. </p>
<p>If the officer shows up, and the evidence is impossible to argue against, I think all you can say is that you are sorry for speeding and you’ll be more careful and it won’t happen again…It won’t change the fine against you, or the points on your license, but it’s better than stammering something about your mom making you come.</p>
<p>wait can they really just suspend my license?
i mean i already got the ticket and it said 2 points and 180$ so i thought that was like the worst possible scenario and i went to court i could possibly just get it lessened?</p>
<p>and momof3sons- about the dressing nicely…im going to be coming straight from school so should i just stay in my school uniform?</p>
<p>thanks jazzymom
and yeah i’m definitely just planning on pleading guilty…i’ve heard stories of friends who got their sentences reduced just because they showed up and i guess showed that they were sorry?</p>
<p>In some courts you can plead ‘guilt with an explanation’ to give you an opportunity to explain your situation (unfamiliar vehicle, passing at the time and didn’t realize the speed, going about the same as the flow of traffic, etc.). Sometime they’ll reduce the fine. I recommend traffic court to help with insurance prices. </p>
<p>Given that you’re a new driver, yes, they might suspend your license.</p>
<p>Yes, I think you can stay in your school uniform as I assume that looks neat. I meant don’t show up in ripped jeans and a t-shirt with an obnxious saying. ;)</p>
<p>In traffic court in NJ defendants get in line to meet with the prosecuting attorney first. (If you bring your lawyer, he/she meets with the PA) If you are there without a lawyer, the PA will tell you what he will recommend to the judge. If you are concerned that your liscense will be suspended, listen carefully to what the PA says. If liscense suspension is not mentioned, it probably will not happen (hopefully). Then you take your seat and wait your turn to appear before the judge.</p>
<p>wait i don’t get how they can just suspend my license</p>
<p>i mean i got pulled over and the officer said she was giving me 2 points and a 180 $ fine
so then in my state if you don’t send in the fine then you get assigned a court date
so i’m planning on pleading guilty and hoping they let me go to driver improvement classes or somethinggg</p>
<p>but they can’t just make my sentence worse than it was going to be originally, can they?</p>
<p>I see your question, you are wondering if just paying the ticket is enough, or if going to court would make it worse?</p>
<p>I had a long post typed, then I saw that OP will have been to court by now.</p>
<p>How’d it go?</p>
<p>actually i havent gone yet…soon though</p>
<p>Good luck in court today. </p>
<p>Either way you’re lucky - cause if you were my kid it wouldn’t be the court that was suspending your license… ;)</p>
<p>I agree with Weenie. If that is my kid going 80 1 month after getting license, he is done for 6 months and we stop insurance.
My second oldest son was kidded for driving like a grandma, but he knew the consequences of speeding. He is 19 now and an excellent safe driver.
High speeds kill.<br>
I wouldn’t let my child go to court. He would pay the piper.</p>
<p>In our area, any moving violation sends a young driver to court. My D got a speeding ticket, and I think it really helps sink in for them that it is ILLEGAL.</p>
<p>In her case (very similar to yours in terms of the offense), she was required to take a defensive driving course, do some community service, and write a paper. Plus pay a fine. BUT, they did not suspend her license. This happened when she was 17. She’s 21 now and has been clean ever since.</p>
<p>Advice given here is good–show sincere remorse and ask the judge what you can do to prove you’ve learned your lesson. Mostly, with young drivers, the judges just want to get them on the right track, and make sure one offense doesn’t turn into years of bad driving behavior.</p>
<p>Best of luck and let us know how things turn out for you.</p>
<p>soo i just had my hearing</p>
<p>there were like 30 people there for the same thing but i went last (it was alphabetical) and even though i was going the fastest out of anyone andd in the most excess of the speed limit, i was one of only 2 people to get probation and driving improvement classes and NO TICKET</p>
<p>it mightve just been because i was a new driver but i think the judge really liked me…like he commented on how mature i seemed when i made my statement and whatever
so yay! and thanks for all your help</p>
<p>ARIandSARAH,
I’m glad it worked out well for your purposes. I think you should be happy that you are not the child of a number of us on this forum, because we would have doled out a harsher punishment than the court. 
PLEASE SLOW DOWN!</p>
<p>I’m so glad that worked out for you. Sounds very similar to my D…once she completed what was asked of her, there was no permanent record of it, and no points off her license to affect her insurance.</p>
<p>Sounds like you did a good job of illustrating the maturity you’re capable of.
Well done. Now just don’t speed anymore :)</p>