My brother first ticket

[MetalSlug]

He 22 and this is his first ever ticket, he call me today and telling me not to tell my dad about it, the cop say he dint completely stop at the stop sign and go, I told him he should alway stop at the stop sign and count 3 sec before driving off. Well he learn it now.

I had my first ticket 10+ year ago, and I havent get any since ( Knock on wood ). Anyway I ask for the number in back of the ticket, I call the number, tell them what the ticket is for, they say is he ever get any ticket for last 3 years, I say no, they say its $200 + $10 fee and he can take a class on a saturday, watch some video, so they dont report on his driving record.

Now my question is, I keep hearing this on the radio few year back, that should hire a traffic lawyer , it can reduce the cost, and save time, and he dont have to go to court or going to a safety class. Is this true ?

I only have 1 ticket in my life time was not having a seat belt ( teenage

) ,

for my brother situation, should I try get a traffic lawyer for him or just tell him, go to your court day, pay the fine and going for a safety class and just becareful when driving, I make him pay for this, so he remember it, and its also good to have a ticket so he can learn from it, like me I learn from my first ticket and I never break any law ever again.

 

[MalfunctionProne]

This situation sounds like you do not need a lawyer.

If it is anything like NJ, he will get the plea deal from yhe prosecutor before he sees the judge (who does what the prosecutor says) as long as he actually goes to court....

I remember freaking out about tickets. I don't anymore.

Cases like "3rd or more driving suspended" should have lawyers. You can usually negotiate it to a 39:3-40i .. or lesser charge. In NJ. But that has nothing to do with his.

 

[stockrex]

moving violation, not good for insurance, fight it, they will plead him out to defective instrument. don't get another ticket in x years...

call the court, might not need a lawyer

 

[MalfunctionProne]

Quote:
never break any law ever again


Wait until things get slow, and your city or town decides to go on a ticketing/traffic enforcement blitz, at random times of the month, with general predictability (when you notice police writing more tickets on certain days, whereas they never regularly do that.) You won' need to.

 

[MetalSlug]

Originally Posted By: MalfunctionProne
Quote:
never break any law ever again


Wait until things get slow, and your city or town decides to go on a ticketing/traffic enforcement blitz, at random times of the month, with general predictability (when you notice police writing more tickets on certain days, whereas they never regularly do that.) You won' need to.


Yes I note this on few day begining of the month or end of the month.

 

[MetalSlug]

I need find out what date is his court day.

 

[bradepb]

Originally Posted By: stockrex
moving violation, not good for insurance, fight it, they will plead him out to defective instrument. don't get another ticket in x years...

call the court, might not need a lawyer


He already said he called and they told him take a class and it won't be reported on the driving record. That is exactly what his brothewr should do.

 

[JHZR2]

Have him out in a suit, comb his hair, and go to court. It will likely be two times, once to plead not guilty and another to actually testify against the cop if it comes to that.

If nothing else it will be useful to see court in process and also see how big of slobs many people are. Note, no jeans or sweatpants to court!

I suspect that if he goes and talks with proper respectable English that he did stop and since there were no people or opposing traffic (assuming that is the case), the state will not have proof beyond reasonable doubt and will not be able to prosecute. It is essentially his word vs theirs.

My wife got pulled over for not waiting three seconds on an empty suburban street in the middle of the day. She only got a warning fortunately, but it was the same sitting for 3s. One day when I was driving in the same town, I had a cop behind me for a block so I sat at the stop sign for 3s. He was not happy and sped off and away.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: bradepb
Originally Posted By: stockrex
moving violation, not good for insurance, fight it, they will plead him out to defective instrument. don't get another ticket in x years...

call the court, might not need a lawyer


He already said he called and they told him take a class and it won't be reported on the driving record. That is exactly what his brothewr should do.


Yeah and cost $220, which is exactly why they do these things. Was the world any less safe because he didn't stop three seconds? Assuming all truths here and he did stop (blowing an obvious stop sign is another story), it's a grab for cash and little else.

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: bradepb
Originally Posted By: stockrex
moving violation, not good for insurance, fight it, they will plead him out to defective instrument. don't get another ticket in x years...

call the court, might not need a lawyer


He already said he called and they told him take a class and it won't be reported on the driving record. That is exactly what his brothewr should do.


Yeah and cost $220, which is exactly why they do these things. Was the world any less safe because he didn't stop three seconds? Assuming all truths here and he did stop (blowing an obvious stop sign is another story), it's a grab for cash and little else.


[SNL mode on]
how dare you say that, you break the law u pay, I am feeling so much safer that we caught a guy rolling through a stop sign.
[SNL off]

 

[Donald]

in NY one should always go to court, there is a chance the officer will not show up and it will be dismissed. However if its first ticket there is also a chance the officer or DA will agree to a lesser ticket with no points just before court starts.

In NY you can take a defensive driving course and erase 3 points I believe.

If he has his own insurance, tell him to ignore the renewal questionnaire and just pay for the insurance. There is a chance they will not pull DMV records every year.

 

[MetalSlug]

His court day is 28 day of march. So I think its march 28 . So he dont have to do anything until then ? lol it almost 2 month away. why so long.

Yes he will be dress up formal. And not plea guilty I guess, so he can pay the fine and take a class.

I dont think Mississippi having point system thing.

 

[dlundblad]

I say he should go to court and pay the fine and chalk it up as experience.

My GF apparently had something like this a while back before we met. She had to pay a bit more ($200ish IIRC), but it wasn't put on her record. Plus she needed to "stay clean" for 6 months. Lol

Knock on wood, I have yet to get a ticket. My Jeep is pretty slow so its hard to speed. Lol. I did get an unoffical warning once for passing a cop going 43 in a 40 MPH school zone on the highway. The first words that came out of his mouth were "Why did you pass me?" Honestly I would have fought it if it went any further than a confrontation and "Your're free to go" traffic stop.

 

[Kira]

Hello, You're funny. You sped past a cop in a school zone.
Had he written you a citation "you would've fought it"; how, aside from the accepted plea down/point elimination/safety class route?

What would you have said? "He was going to slow for me even though he was speeding", perhaps?

When I was 16 I rolled past a stop sign during a driving lesson with my Dad. He chopped my head off with the dull side of a machete'. Kira

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: stockrex
moving violation, not good for insurance, fight it, they will plead him out to defective instrument. don't get another ticket in x years...

call the court, might not need a lawyer


OP said if brother takes the class it won't go on his record, therefore insurance will not know....that is what I would do - pay the fine, take the class and done.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, You're funny. You sped past a cop in a school zone.
Had he written you a citation "you would've fought it"; how, aside from the accepted plea down/point elimination/safety class route?

What would you have said? "He was going to slow for me even though he was speeding", perhaps?

When I was 16 I rolled past a stop sign during a driving lesson with my Dad. He chopped my head off with the dull side of a machete'. Kira


A school zone on a highway. Asking why I passed him was the deal breaker to me IMO. He seemed more upset about that than me "speeding" in a school zone.

Should have specified better I guess.

 

[MetalSlug]

quick update : I call the court again just now, and I try find out exactly date and time of his court day, because what my brother told me, its not clearly, I want take care this for him, and guide him in right direction.

I call the court, and tell the lady all the info, my brother name, she pull it up and she say, since his driving record is clean, he can just come in today and pay 210 dollar and sign up for a class online, and after done online class, take it back to her and pay another $50 and, it will not go into his record and he dont have go to the court.

I guess this is the best option and quickest option for him, I will tell him go TODAY and take care all that ASAP, the sooner the better, I will loan him some moneys if he need to.

Im glad they having this option for him, I know it cost money but I like how you can just pay money and get out, but I will telling my brother becareful from now on and pay attention to all the traffic law.

Thank you every one for help. Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[CarbonSteel]

Most states have a thing called "deferred adjudication" which amounts to probation and he could ask for that. In Texas, it amounts to paying for about 25% of the ticket at the onset and after 90 days of probation (without receiving another moving violation in that time frame) you pay the remaining 75% and the ticket is not reported. Since Texas will only allow defensive driving to be used once every 12 months to "drop" a ticket, this is another method to prevent a ticket from appearing on your record--not that I ever needed to use both in a single year.

 

[MetalSlug]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
Most states have a thing called "deferred adjudication" which amounts to probation and he could ask for that. In Texas, it amounts to paying for about 25% of the ticket at the onset and after 90 days of probation (without receiving another moving violation in that time frame) you pay the remaining 75% and the ticket is not reported. Since Texas will only allow defensive driving to be used once every 12 months to "drop" a ticket, this is another method to prevent a ticket from appearing on your record--not that I ever needed to use both in a single year.

what if you happen to have bad day or having a bad day cop and get another ticket . then other ticket will get report plus the new ticket. I dont like take that kind of chance , pay up and be done

 

[rjundi]

I personally cannot stand the people who roll stops as I have t stop nearly in front of my home.

It is obnoxious.

I hope it works out for him. My guess showing up in court it may disappear.