I remember when a speeding ticket was a flat rate of $25, which didn’t amount to much more than an inconvenience. Now a speeding ticket can run you a couple hundred bucks or more. In a recent issue of Wired there was an interesting “how-to”…this one discussed how to beat a speeding ticket and is too good to keep secret:
1. Play Dumb. “Do you know why I stopped you?” is a trick question. Saying yes is basically an admission of guilt
2. Prepare. Request the officer’s notes from his department, and research the statute in question at the library or on FindLaw.com. Many traffic laws have wiggle room. An “unsafe lane change,” for example, is a snap judgment made by the cop–which you may successfully challenge.
3. Stall. Two weeks before your trial, request a continuance from the court clerk. The longer you delay, the more likely the officer won’t be able to attend, which should result in a dismissal if you ask for one.
4. Argue. Bring photos, diagrams, even distance-over-time calculations (radar guns are not infallible). Any reasonable objection may reduce the charge and your fine. The judge might even throw your ticket out. According to the National Motorists Association, about half of all drivers who fight their tickets in court win their cases. It’s the American way.
(knowledge is power!)
[ + ]
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link
http://shyspeak.net/2008/05/18/fight-a-speeding-ticket/trackback/
May 19, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Ham
Try this one one on for size. Admit you screwed up, take it like a mature adult, pay the fine and slow down…
May 19, 2008 at 9:54 pm
JOS
…but I wasn’t speeding, Officer. :-)
May 29, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Pete
Recently an acquaintance got a ticket for $346.00. He was guilty, but the loss of the money bothered him so much that he made plans to get the money back.
He estimated that he saved 2 1/2 cents in gasoline every time he ran a stop sign because he wasn’t stopping and restarting his car at intersections. He doesn’t do this at all intersections, only at selected intersections.
By the time he runs 13,480 stop signs he will have recaptured all of the fine money. He has ran over 300 stop signs so far, and is well on his way to achieving his goal. It should take him about 5 1/2 years.
Because he will be using less fuel he is contributing to the health of the planet.
May 29, 2008 at 10:33 pm
JOS
Pete,
What a novel idea! And at the rate gas prices are increasing, I bet your friend is able to achieve his goal sooner than expected.
- JOS