Just got a $105 ticket

[epj3]

For rolling through a stop sign. I was in the middle of nowhere back behind some farm fields. I was driving very casually, probably going about 40 mph on the 35 mph back road. Just enjoying the drive.

I came up to a stop sign - 4 way stop. I just about stopped, it was slow enough I had to put in first gear (which on an E30 means I'm going about 5 mph or less - like parking lot driving). I always take it easy through stop signs, but it was about 11:00pm and I saw absolutely no headlights, so I just went (Like I said, I was going slow enough to NEED to put it in first gear).

YES, I realize that it's still illegal. But I saw no lights to either direction at all. I just went. Then I see the cops lights come on and said a few choice words. I figured he would probably let me go - I had my hands on the steering wheel, I told him that I was going to pull my wallet out of my back pocket when he asked for my license, and when he asked for my insurance/registration, I told him it was in my glove box. I did everything the way they want you to do it. I knew what I did was still illegal, but like most people, I figured since it was kind of in the middle of nowhere (No houses near-by) and I saw no lights (including the parking lights I believe cops are supposed to keep on all the time????).

Anyways, long story short, I got a $105 citation. Does anyone know if I should just pay it (I'm in college... I have very little $$), or should I plead not guilty, and go to court? I'm not sure what the consequences would be if I went to court and the cop showed. Could I end up getting a LARGER fine?

Again, just give me advice on what to do -- don't tell me that what I did was very wrong. It's not like I was speeding through a neighborhood, under the influence of alcohol, during a summer day with women, children, and dogs in the street [8)]

 

[PhatBimmer]

Say you went to court (worst case senario, according to what I remember my Civics teacher tell me about this kind of stuff) lost the trial, you have to pay your ticket, plus pay for the expenses, and who knows what else. Fighting off tickets often digs you deeper into a hole than you think, even if you were right (not in this occasion) judges always take the cops side and rarely take yours (no surprise in that since really there are alot of dumbass drivers who claim they were ok but the cop was wrong 'not talking about you'). I say pay it off and from now on just be a little more descreet on where you pull stunts like that, usually you can do that fine in a crowded intersection as many times as you want and not get a ticket but when you think theres no cop there usually is one just waiting or hiding. I do many of those "california stops" and I don't believe people should have to make a complete stop at an intersection when there is no car or pedestrian in view or danger of being endangered in any way shape or form, and stops are what cause smog and waste fuel, put some strain and use on your engine when you stop and have to rev up and drive off again, it would be so much simpler if they were yields really, yield then drive off . That would be so much better . But rules are rules and I in no way say what I do is correct, jus don't think they make complete sense. Good luck with that though

 

[jrt67ss350]

Dude, that sucks. I'm sorry to hear your bad luck.

If you go to court, I don't think they can give you a higher fine than you have now, but I'm not sure on that. It doesn't seem right if they can. I know that in SC, if you go to court they will lower the fine even if you plead guilty. But really, can you plead anything but guilty?

 

[jrt67ss350]

Ahh, didn't think about court costs if you go to court - could end up being more expensive I guess.

 

[AZRobert]

This guy is out driving late at night, middle of nowhere.
He comes up to a four way stop sign, and instead of stopping,
he slows down and rolls through.
A policeman pulls him over, and the guy says "Come on officer,
there was no one around, so I just slowed down. I mean slowed down,
stopped....What's the difference?"
At this, the officer pulls out his night stick and proceeds to beat the guy about
the head with it. The officer says "Do you want me to stop, or just slow down,
I mean 'Whats the difference?'"

Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Under the circumstances, I would try to take it to court just becaus it is a moving violation that would count as points against your license(unless you can go to traffic school-then I would do that). Otherwise you have nothing to lose by going to court.

 

[epj3]

I'm hoping they will atleast take away the points (3) becuase it was in the middle of nowhere. It still sucks becuase I don't have $105 for that. Looks like I'll be eating raman noodles and drinking tap water for a few weeks

 

[Big Daddy]

Failing to stop at a stop sign is an infraction and most infractions carry a penalty that already includes court cost. The fine in most states is the same, even if you plead not guilty, however you cannot have a jury trial, just a court trial (no jury, just the judge). Check your local system and if that is the case plead not guilty and at your "pre-trial conference" with the City Attorney/County Prosecutor/DA ask for a deal.

 

[epj3]

My friend who got caught doing 95 in a 65 fought it in court; paid no court costs, and got it reduced to 5 points (versus loosing his license!!)..

 

[Kirby]

Here's a few options to consider:
- Challenge it, maybe the "Peace Officer" won't show up. In that case it must be thrown out.
- Challenge it, depending on the District Justice's attitude, you may be able to shave some points off. He/she could also be a prick and give you a tongue lashing. Remember that the officer is legally considered an Expert Witness and as such you are automatically the underdog.
- Challenge it, just to experience the legal process.

I think you may have to pay slightly higher court costs if you challenge it, but I could be wrong. The fine should be the same. Isn't that $105 something like a $75 fine and $30 in costs?

 

[epj3]

It's broken down like this:

Fine: $25.00
E.M.S.: $10.00
CAT: $30.00
Costs: $30.00
J.C.P./A.T.J.: $10.00

Total Due: $105.00

E.M.S. - Emergency Medical Services Act
CAT - Catastrophic Loss Benefits Continuation Fund (I imagine this is if the cop got harmed)
J.C.P./A.T.J. - Judicial Computer Project/Access to Justice


The fine is the smaller part of it!! Sounds like of like my cellphone bills.

 

[detailingnana]

just pay the fine you can make payments until its paid off that way it wont hurt your pocket to much as for points i dont know how many they would give you for that. welcome to the great commonwealth state we live in

 

[MrElussive]

I think you should take it to court. The court fee is only around $35 and you can only have the same or better outcome. Just go to court and plead guilty to a lesser charge. When you go up on the stand or whatever, just tell the judge how you were going extremely slow through the stop sign and that you meant to make a full stop. Present yourself as a nice kid and be apologetic about it and admit you were wrong and that you should have known better and normally you always make full stops at Stop signs. Your cooperation with the officer will also help you out with the judge....while you're there, it's not uncommon for the officer to tell the judge that you were very cooperative and followed proper procedure, which will really help you out. The judge will either knock off the points or will raise the ticket fine and knock off the points.
If the police officer doesn't show up in court on your court date, that doesn't mean you're "home free". A lot of small town courthouses will just reschedule the court date so that the cop does show up.

When the cop had you pulled over, did you try to talk your way out of a ticket? When a cop pulls you over, he's most definitely intending to give you a ticket (otherwise he wouldn't pull you over) so your best bet is to try to talk your way out of it. Some people say that "not admitting to anything" is the way to go, but all you'll probably end up with is a ticket from the cop claiming what you did wrong and a good basis to fight the ticket with...sure, you didn't admit to anything, but you've still got a ticket. Based on my experience, your best bet is to just be very apologetic about it and admit that you were wrong. Cops have let me off for some pretty crazy shit just for being honest. Not admitting to anything is good for fighting a traffic ticket, but IMO, I'd rather not have a ticket at all. Just some tips for future reference.

 

[bahnstormer]

i got a ticket for rolling a stop sign...75 bux
i said not guilty, they said come in fri night
and see the prosecuter. after 3 hours waiting
the prosec said if u plead guilty, i'll change it
to careless driving, double the fine, but no points
so i took that...nice little scam they have going
for them.

 

[epj3]

I know what you mean Emile. I have been pulled over twice before this (both let me go) but I have a feeling it was at the end of their shifts both times and they weren't sitting somewhere - just driving around.

I've always acted really 'cool' with cops. I'm not mad at the cop, he's just doing his job. Why should I sit there and be an asshole to him? I'm the one who screwed up. I honestly didn't know why he pulled me over at first, so I did ask him!! I didn't think I would've gotten pulled over for that!! I've rolled through stop signs like that before with cops behind me and they didn't care. He was sitting though - so obviously he was there JUST to get people who roll through stop signs. I'm more worried about $$ than points honestly. It's a lot easier for me to wait 12 months and have all the points removed than it is to come up with an extra $50 right now (I am in college!!!)

 

[jrt67ss350]

Yeah, sometimes its best to try to do what you can to avoid a ticket, especially if you don't think you did anything wrong. Other times, it just pisses the cop off.

Last year I was driving from school to my parents' house at night in my Camaro (before I bought the Bimmer). Along the way there is this goofy intersection on a very wide 4 lane road that has two lights really close to each other. After the first light turned green and I drove through the light, the next light turned yellow. I accelerated quickly (but didn't exceed the 45 mph speed limit on this road) and went through the light while it was yellow. I backed off immediately and then noticed a county sheriff sitting in the turn lane facing the other direction. When his light turned green, he pulled a U-turn and began following me from a distance. He gradually came up on my back end and just followed me - no lights or anything. About 3 miles later, I made my next turn onto a two lane road, and shortly after that, he turned the blue lights on. I pulled off the road into a neighborhood, shut the car off and turned the flashers on. He came up to the car, and here's the conversation:

Officer: How are you doing, sir?
Me: Fine. What's the problem, officer?
Officer: Well, I witnessed you as you went through the intersection back by the Red Lobster.
Me: Yeah?
Officer: You sped up pretty quickly to go through that light, didn't you?
Me: Yes, sir, but I didn't exceed the speed limit, did I?
Officer: Well, no, you didn't.
Me: Ok....
Officer: But you went through the light. (notice that he didn't say you went through a red light)
Me: But the light was still yellow when I went through it, wasn't it?
Officer: Well, yes, it was.
Me: Ok....
Officer: Can I please see your license and vehicle registration? I'll be back in a minute.
Officer returns to car: Ok, sir, sorry about that. That's a nice car you have, and I'd hate to see you wreck it. Have a nice night.

I knew I hadn't done anything illegal, but I'm sure he would have given me a ticket if I didn't tactfully contest why he had pulled me over.

 

[jrt67ss350]

Eric I'd be more concerned about the possible repercussions that the points may have on your insurance than the monetary fine. It'll cost you a whole lot more in the long run if your insurance gets wind of the points than if you just pay a fine.

 

[epj3]

I don't think it'll effect insurance. My friend who got 5 points on his license for speeding (who has State farm, same as me) didn't have his insurance go up at all. But - I'm not positive. I'll have to look into it.

 

[MrElussive]

Typically, if you get a ticket that puts points on your license, your insurance company is quick to raise your rates. If you have been a good driver without any tickets for years and you get like a 2-point traffic ticket, your insurance will let it go. But since you're a teenager (a new driver), insurance companies typically don't give any breaks like that.

It's a good idea to always make a full stop at a stop sign. A lot of times, cops won't care as long as you're going real slow and being very cautious but when they've setup post at a 4-way stop sign, then they mean business. It also makes it a lot safer for motorcycle riders....stopping BEHIND the white line and making a full stop is important for a rider's safety....too many cars "stop" way beyond the white line sticking out into a car's path. In a car, you can easily swerve around the other car, but on a motorcycle it's much more dangerous.

 

[Blake2043]

I was doing 93 in a 55 and i was scheduled to go to court, but i pulled a few strings.....And only had to end up paying $115, so basically all i did was skip the court but pay for it, the majority of the time they send you to court is so that they can make money.

 

[MrElussive]

Nah, they send you to court when it's a big violation and so the judge can yell at you and tell you not to do it again, and threaten to take your license away next time you get such a fast speeding ticket. There is a certain mph level in every state where court attendance is MANDATORY (unless you can pull some strings such as in your case), usually it's like double the speed limit.