speeding ticket - anyway to not get points? live in MI

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tehweezner

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39 in a 25, marked as 30 in a 25.

i'll pay the fine, i just don't want the points on my record. i live in michigan.

should i go to court and pay the fine but beg to not have points put on? is it possible???? :bomb::cry:

i've had one previous speeding ticket a couple years ago, 2 or 3
 
I think they call that taking it under advisement .
I tried that last time I got a ticket and they [the issuing officer] said no .

It's worth a try though .
 
Depends on the Judge. If its been three years since your last ticket then the ticket shouldn't even appear on your record. I would plea no contest. Also take a driving school lesson and many counties will use this as an excuse not to give you points. However you run the risk that the court won't accept the driving school and the money went down the drain for that. Last thought, it worked for me once, go talk to the solicitor before the court date and work out a plea bargain. I once got an 88 in a 55 zone and the solicitor gave me 100 community service hours in exchange for no points and a 100 dollar fine REDUCED FROM 420.
 
If you lived in Kentucky, I could have that ticket disappear without even being fined. It would be like you never even got pulled over in the first place. Political corruption ftw.
 
It varies state by state. Fighting the ticket gives you a good shot to remove the points and if it were me I would try it. But then again I live in NJ, the worst state in the country for car insurance and points are a very big deal.
 
how do you "fight a ticket"? you either sped or you didn't...what would be your backup? just something i want answered since i never had a speeding ticket but if i did, i wouldnt want points..what would be your defense in "fghting" the ticket?
 
[quote name='T234']If you lived in Kentucky, I could have that ticket disappear without even being fined. It would be like you never even got pulled over in the first place. Political corruption ftw.[/QUOTE]

My brother lives in Kentucky and sometimes has trouble with speeding tickets, do you have an 800 number? Cost?
 
fight it. tell them you didnt know how fast you were going, and you had a lot on your mind( work, family etc). dress nice(a suit and tie preferably) and don't disagree with the cop.
 
[quote name='tehweezner']39 in a 25, marked as 30 in a 25.

i'll pay the fine, i just don't want the points on my record. i live in michigan.

should i go to court and pay the fine but beg to not have points put on? is it possible???? :bomb::cry:

i've had one previous speeding ticket a couple years ago, 2 or 3[/quote]

First off, when you get pulled over, DON'T play dumb (ie: "Is there a problem, officer?") when you know you were speeding. I was just pulled over getting onto I-96 and I knew I was doing over 50 in a 40 mph zone. I told the officer, "I'm sorry, I was doing 50 in a 45..." and he said told me it was really only a 40mph limit (I knew this, but I played dumb on that point). He made me sit for about ten minutes and let me off with a warning. (I also have a VERY clean driving record and am over 30, which helps a lot; otherwise, I'm a long-haired, unshaven hippe-jesus looking guy.)

Since it is too late for that, you might as well go and "fight" the ticket. You're going to pay a fine anyway, the least you can do is tell the judge that you'll pay the fine and that you are very sorry and just ask if they can not put the points on your license. (Unless this was in a school zone, which they are not as forgiving.)

I have a friend that nearly lost his license by the age of 21 because he had so many speeding tickets. He went down everytime and some were dismissed because the police officer didn't show up (that is the only reason why he didn't lose his license). That was also over ten years ago, so things may have changed.

So, you might as well go, you really have nothing left to lose. Just one last word of advice: the officer only marked you as being 5 over instead of 14; that is a pretty big break itself. Use your judgement while you're in court and if it doesn't look good than be satisfied with the 5 over, because the points for being nearly 15 over are a LOT worse...
 
1. Go to the traffic hearing. Don't postpone to the second-chance, go to the first one, even if it means getting off from work.

2. Get there early. Very early, at least 30-45 minutes prior to when the court session sign-ins are scheduled to begin.

3. Dress nicely. Wear pants(not jeans), a collar shirt and a tie.

4. Ask the court clerk, or keep an eye out for, the prosecutor. There'll probably be a line of people waiting to speak to him/her.

5. Be reasonable and courteous, and honest. Let the prosecutor know that you got caught, you're willing to pay the fine to the court, but you weren't going stupidly fast, you're an everyday person who just can't afford the extra points on your license. Would he/she be willing to let you plead down to a no-point violation, even if it means paying the full amount of the citation?

6. Be prepared to offer a plead-down citation that doesn't involve points. Hint: On many tickets, there are a bunch of common citations typed out, with checkboxes so that the officer can just check-off the infraction that they're citing you for. They're usually even grouped into "point" and "no-point" violations. This makes it easy for you to pick out one. Make sure you choose one that can reasonably have applied to your situation. Hint: Where I live, a good catch-all is "Obstructing the flow of traffic". If the prosecutor's willing to work with you, tell them about the car that was trying to turn onto your road from a side-street, just before you got pulled over. If you hadn't been speeding, that car would have been able to turn onto the road that you were on, rather than having to wait for you to pass. Be apologetic, and demonstrate to the prosecutor that you've learned your lesson.

In many small-towns, they will typically allow drivers to plead down to a lesser charge, but require that they pay the full amount of the lesser citation. This is because many of the citations that are handed out aren't designed to punish dangerous drivers, but to make money for the town. They're happy to have you pay an (initially) large fine, and you're happy to pay (overall) less to your insurance company.

7(optional). EVERY time you go through that town again, drive 5 mph below the speed limit. Do this even if it means going 20mph in a 25mph zone, and a line of cars piles up behind you. The town values your money more than orderly streets, so obey the traffic regulations in a manner that isn't illegal but inconveniences the town.
 
[quote name='bookishboy']1. Go to the traffic hearing. Don't postpone to the second-chance, go to the first one, even if it means getting off from work.

2. Get there early. Very early, at least 30-45 minutes prior to when the court session sign-ins are scheduled to begin.

3. Dress nicely. Wear pants(not jeans), a collar shirt and a tie.

4. Ask the court clerk, or keep an eye out for, the prosecutor. There'll probably be a line of people waiting to speak to him/her.

5. Be reasonable and courteous, and honest. Let the prosecutor know that you got caught, you're willing to pay the fine to the court, but you weren't going stupidly fast, you're an everyday person who just can't afford the extra points on your license. Would he/she be willing to let you plead down to a no-point violation, even if it means paying the full amount of the citation?

6. Be prepared to offer a plead-down citation that doesn't involve points. Hint: On many tickets, there are a bunch of common citations typed out, with checkboxes so that the officer can just check-off the infraction that they're citing you for. They're usually even grouped into "point" and "no-point" violations. This makes it easy for you to pick out one. Make sure you choose one that can reasonably have applied to your situation. Hint: Where I live, a good catch-all is "Obstructing the flow of traffic". If the prosecutor's willing to work with you, tell them about the car that was trying to turn onto your road from a side-street, just before you got pulled over. If you hadn't been speeding, that car would have been able to turn onto the road that you were on, rather than having to wait for you to pass. Be apologetic, and demonstrate to the prosecutor that you've learned your lesson.

In many small-towns, they will typically allow drivers to plead down to a lesser charge, but require that they pay the full amount of the lesser citation. This is because many of the citations that are handed out aren't designed to punish dangerous drivers, but to make money for the town. They're happy to have you pay an (initially) large fine, and you're happy to pay (overall) less to your insurance company.

7(optional). EVERY time you go through that town again, drive 5 mph below the speed limit. Do this even if it means going 20mph in a 25mph zone, and a line of cars piles up behind you. The town values your money more than orderly streets, so obey the traffic regulations in a manner that isn't illegal but inconveniences the town.[/quote]

so to do this i will indicate that i want to dispute the ticket, aka "deny responsibility" right?

the lady i talked to said that if i "admit guilt w/explanation" i will get points, but the fine might be lessened. i'd rather have the opposite, pay the fine and no points.
 
I have beaten my speeding ticket thrice by using this book "Beat Your Ticket: Go to Court & Win!" by David Wayne Brown. Your local library would have it too. This book is awesome & explains your options & scenarios which would help you to fight the ticket. The cop does not expect you to come prepared he/she is dumb struck when you start using legal jargon from this book.

It is available on amazon for cheap too.

Best of luck.

The link below is to amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/087...Fencoding=UTF8
 
[quote name='crowbb']It varies state by state. Fighting the ticket gives you a good shot to remove the points and if it were me I would try it. But then again I live in NJ, the worst state in the country for car insurance and points are a very big deal.[/QUOTE]


Yeah Michigan is right up there as well. If there was any sort of decent public transportation I'd sell my vehicle.
 
[quote name='gregthomas77']My brother lives in Kentucky and sometimes has trouble with speeding tickets, do you have an 800 number? Cost?[/quote]
It's free for me, not so much for anybody outside the family though. The cost would probably be more than the ticket.
 
This will have absolutely no value to you, but since you brought up speeding tickets:

I was coming home from an eye appointment during which I had my eyes dialated, making my vision quite blurry. Now I'm not using that as an excuse for my speeding, 'cause honestly, I just didn't see the damn cop. I think I was doing 50 in a 40, but I see him in the corner right as I pass him sitting on top of his hood with his radar gun. I then look, blurry-eyed, into my rearview and see him scramble into his car, him probably thinking I was going to speed off. Being the good, law-abiding citizen that I was (when the cops are looking), I slow down and signal to him I'm pulling over and he sees me turn into an empty parking lot before he has time to completely scramble into his car. I then make the turn around and drive to his spot. Nice guy, though. Of course I didn't tell him I couldn't see any of the signs, but he let me off with only a seat belt infraction turning a $100+ ticket to a $20 fine.
 
I would fight the ticket. Or at least wait and go to the court date before you pay.

Ask around about your local prosecutor. If he is anything like the one here, he doesn't like doing his job, therefore does not like prosecuting. If you go talk to him before the court date he may just throw it out on the spot. Especially since it's only for 5 over. Just go to the place where it tells you to pay and ask around about paying it, but wait until the court date to plead guilty or not guilty.

However, you may be screwed now, because of mid-term elections. I know our prosecutor here is actually doing his job for the next month to look good for elections so he can get re-elected, afterwards he'll start doing nothing again.
 
so this is what i'm planning:

call saying i'm going to deny the charges
go to court early
find the prosecutor
ask them if i can have points removed, i want to pay the ticket

how about if the judge gets pissed because i pretty much admit i'm guilty but i just want points removed?

and GuyWithGun, are you saying i should go to the courthouse and try to talk to the prosecutor before the court date? what should i say?
 
If you plead guilty, you will get the points. AFAIK, the judge has discretion in how much he/she may fine you for a given offense.... but must points are usually assigned strictly according to the offense. So if you plead guilty to a 2-point offense, you get the 2 points, even if the judge fines you less than the maximum.

If you don't want the points, you can either:

1. Try to argue your case before the judge. This means either proving that you didn't commit the offense, or finding fault with the township's case. (Maybe the police officer who wrote the ticket doesn't show up to testify, or the radar gun was inaccurate, or whatever). This is a win/loss scenario though, and if you lose, you definitely get the points.

2. Plead down to a lesser charge. If you go this route, you MUST have the cooperation of the prosecutor (you win points just for showing up, looking clean-cut and speaking well), and you MUST be able to provide a lesser offense that you're willing to "plead-down" to.
 
For here, the fine is set. There is a fine sheet given with each ticket which explains each fine and how much you have to pay. So that will be the fine. It's the points that you may be able to argue.


And, yes. I am saying go to the place where they told you to pay the fine if you want to pay early. Go there before the court date. Ask them about the fine and ask them about the prosecutor. Then find the prosecutor and ask him about the fines/points.

My suggestion would be to act very concerned, very innocent, and very ignorant. Do the whole, "Dumb blonde," act. You don't know what to do about the points and you're concerned they'll go on your, "Permanent record." How is this going to affect your license? Will they make you look like a bad person if someone finds out? Is your insurance going to go up? If you plead guilty will you have to go in handcuffs? You may want to be honest and say that you had a ticket a long long time ago but don't remember what to do about it because your parents helped you pay.

I would not flat out ask him/her to drop the ticket. Tell him what you said here, that you understand that you went over the limit and that you are willing to accept the punishment and pay the fine, but are scared of the points.


I'm not 100% sure about how it is in MI, but here the court date you go to is only for you to stand in front of a judge and say, "Guilty," or, "Not Guilty." If you plead, "Guilty," you will pay the fine then. If you plead, "Not Guilty," it will go on the record and you will be given an actual court date and trial where the police officer will have a chance to testify.

That second court date is where you have the chance that the officer will not show up and you'll be set free. I wouldn't count on that too much, though. And the officer will testify that he dropped the ticket down from 39 to 30. After that you will get the full fine and full two points, which will be on your license for two years in the state of Michigan.


My final advice would be try and get it dismissed until the first court date where you have to plead, "Guilty," or, "Not Guilty." If you haven't gotten anything accomplished by then, I would go ahead and plead, "Guilty," and pay it then.

No use in missing another day of work or whatever because if the cop shows up you'll most likely lose the case. The cop was nice enough to save you a couple bucks to begin with (where I live you would have saved a whopping $9). I wouldn't expect him to show more generosity at the trial date, because you dragged him to court.


Here's some other MI traffic ticket info: http://www.dmv.org/mi-michigan/paying-tickets.php
 
thanks for the information everyone. i think i'll just go to the courthouse, talk to the prosecutor, and if he can't help i'll just pay it. i don't want to fight the ticket anymore cuz the cop did give me a break dropping it down and i honestly have nothing to say for myself :whistle2:#
 
In some areas you can plead 'No Contest' and the judge will/may reduce points based on your driving record.

You probably know someone who's dealt with a ticket in your area before ask around and someone may know what to do for your system. It's usually worth it to go to court when you have a clean record at least I've heard that from people in my area, but I've never dealt with this personally. If you go to court sit back and watch how other people plead and what the judge does. Worst mistake is to plead not guilty, have a dumb defense, and piss off the judge.
 
suck it up ticket=points. pay the fine take the points quit whinning about it. i hate people when they try and get out of crap like this. just tell mommy and daddy u was speeding in there car and pay it off. be a big boy...
 
[quote name='tehweezner']thanks for the information everyone. i think i'll just go to the courthouse, talk to the prosecutor, and if he can't help i'll just pay it. i don't want to fight the ticket anymore cuz the cop did give me a break dropping it down and i honestly have nothing to say for myself :whistle2:#[/quote]

You never said where it was you were pulled over; if it is a smaller town, count on the cop showing up.

Glad you're following my "advice" that you did get a break already, so why push it? Most of the cities and townships just want the money, so you may still get lucky and have the points dropped. Good luck!
 
im to lazy to read the post so if this has been said disregard. why not plead not guilty. than talk to the prosecuter and talk to him about paying a bigger fine and get no points. thats what i did.and it worked twice.
 
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