Fighting A Traffic(Speeding) Case(Ticket)

Originally Posted by Murdercrow

In essence, depending on the state, you may or may not be able to win the case depending on if the cop shows up. If he does, you're fucked and you lost the case. Good thing is that I don't think you can be punished additionally for losing the challenge (unless you're represented by an attorney you hired, in which case you will have to pay his fees in addition to the fine).

In my state, you are fucked if you plead not guilty and lose. They basically go to the maximum fine rather than the minimum like if you just pay it right off.

Just pay the fine. Jesus. Maybe that will teach you not to do 20 over.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by LeHah

Allow me to point this out - if you fight a ticket, you *will* pay less in the fine. The town/state will attempt to bribe you into a plea deal - even if you don't take it, by contesting the validity of the ticket, you're saying "Okay, I didn't do it no matter what you said" and they take that as some value, especially since this is your first ticket.

Don't be so sure. It doesn't work the same way in every jurisdiction. Many of the places around my city will fuck you over if you fight it, they figure if you are wasting their time then they are going to waste your bank account.

Arizona has a range of fines, and the fine on the ticket is the lowest allowable, I believe. So if you pay it, you're done. You can then either get it all taken off if you are not guilty, or you can get a crapload more.

Additionally, I think Arizona law states that you cannot get the ticket expunged from your record by taking a defensive driving course if you fight the ticket, while you can if you do the no contest thing. And your insurance skyrockets here on the first ticket. So if you don't get it taken off, you really are fucked.

He should find out how his state works before anything, but, to be honest, it probably isn't worth his time to contest it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.