RobHook
Enthusiast
Someone posted recently about the old method of avoiding points on your license when you get a ticket by sending in a check for more than the fine amount. From what we saw, it doesn't work in most places. I even tried it myself in Virginia and it doesn't work.
However, I have now gotten out of three tickets in the past couple of years so I thought I'd post the stories in case it can help anyone else. Starting from the most recent:
A cop caught me on radar allegedly doing 49 in a 35 zone. The cop made several mistakes that allowed me to get out of this one: 1. When he gave me the ticket, he had written 49 in a 30 zone instead of 35. I should have kept my mouth shut and just worked with that but I pointed it out to him and he changed the ticket. BUT, he forgot to change my copy. 2. He apparently mis-spelled the name of the street we were on. I wasn't familiar with the area and couldn't find the street later. I printed out copies of Yahoo and Mapquest screens that showed the street couldn't be found. I told the judge that since there was already a question about what the speed limit was, the fact that we couldn't find the raod had made it impossible for me to defend myself. The judge dismissed the case.
In another case, a federal park police officer was sitting at the end of a construction zone with radar. It was a paving job and they were moving up the road throughout the day. The construction crew had put portable signs up stating that the speed limit had changed due to construction but one of them wasn't working and the other one was several miles away. I talked to the prosecutor before the case and told him about this and said that therefore, the signs were vague. I also said my attorney was on the way to the courthouse but was running late (which was true). The prosecutor dismissed the ticket. I think having an attorney in these cases increases the chance that you'll get it dismissed because the court knows you're serious.
In another case, the cop forgot to bring his calibration certificate for the radar gun. The judge offered to re-hear the case in about 30 days so the officer could get his certificate but I said that wouldn't be convenient for me. He then threw out the case.
The point is, every case is different but there are a myriad of ways to get out of each of them. It just takes some gray matter.
--Rob
However, I have now gotten out of three tickets in the past couple of years so I thought I'd post the stories in case it can help anyone else. Starting from the most recent:
A cop caught me on radar allegedly doing 49 in a 35 zone. The cop made several mistakes that allowed me to get out of this one: 1. When he gave me the ticket, he had written 49 in a 30 zone instead of 35. I should have kept my mouth shut and just worked with that but I pointed it out to him and he changed the ticket. BUT, he forgot to change my copy. 2. He apparently mis-spelled the name of the street we were on. I wasn't familiar with the area and couldn't find the street later. I printed out copies of Yahoo and Mapquest screens that showed the street couldn't be found. I told the judge that since there was already a question about what the speed limit was, the fact that we couldn't find the raod had made it impossible for me to defend myself. The judge dismissed the case.
In another case, a federal park police officer was sitting at the end of a construction zone with radar. It was a paving job and they were moving up the road throughout the day. The construction crew had put portable signs up stating that the speed limit had changed due to construction but one of them wasn't working and the other one was several miles away. I talked to the prosecutor before the case and told him about this and said that therefore, the signs were vague. I also said my attorney was on the way to the courthouse but was running late (which was true). The prosecutor dismissed the ticket. I think having an attorney in these cases increases the chance that you'll get it dismissed because the court knows you're serious.
In another case, the cop forgot to bring his calibration certificate for the radar gun. The judge offered to re-hear the case in about 30 days so the officer could get his certificate but I said that wouldn't be convenient for me. He then threw out the case.
The point is, every case is different but there are a myriad of ways to get out of each of them. It just takes some gray matter.
--Rob