Fighting speeding ticket - anybody used ticketsnipers.com

[wanaberetiree]

I got a speeding ticket (SF CA).

Not to say that I was a saint, but as you know a coin has two sides always.

Anyway without getting into details, I'd be happy to pay the fee, but I feel (don't know yet) that the price may be prohibitively high in SF and maybe I won't be able to go to traffic school.

So in case if I have to fight it - asking smart people for advice of best options and in particular if anybody used online services like ticketsnipers.com?

Thanks!

 

[HFWR]

Probably jinxing myself, but I've never been ticketed for speeding.

 

[Senator]

So in case if I have to fight it - asking smart people for advice of best options and in particular if anybody used online services like ticketsnipers.com?

I am not saying I am smart, but you can call the prosecutor and see what they say ahead of the Court date. They may offer traffic school after you pay a penalty, all without getting a ticket on your record.

If they do not want to deal, you have nothing to lose in Court.

 

[Bamaman]

Some people might have to get a second mortgage on their houses to pay for a traffic ticket in California. The state is notorious for extreme revenue producing for violations.

At least in our state, they'll let you pay $185 fine and go to driving school to keep a ticket off your driving record.

 

[Winemaker]

Pay the fine, plead innocent, go to trial. Hope the officer cannot make the trial. Collect refund.

1st and last moving violation I had was 7/19/79, when I was a mere child.

 

[wanaberetiree]

I am not saying I am smart, but you can call the prosecutor and see what they say ahead of the Court date. They may offer traffic school after you pay a penalty, all without getting a ticket on your record.

If they do not want to deal, you have nothing to lose in Court.

Interesting, have you done that? How do I find out how to call the prosecutor?

 

[Lakewood90712]

Depending on the county and if you have another moving violation on your record, traffic school is your best shot. Most moving violation tickets in CA will run close to $600 with all the "Dressing" on the meat ( court cost , endless misc. assessments, etc.) . With traffic school, most of those bs " assessments " will still have to be paid. Keeping this off your driving record may be worth the hassle if your insurance would spike for 3 years on a conviction.

Don't bet on the officer not appearing. Inasmuch as most officers in CA get time and a half pay for court, unless he/she is truly going to be on vacation , they show up a lot. Getting to the prosecutor is usually a day of trial thing for " let's" make a a deal "

 

[W2R]

Probably jinxing myself, but I've never been ticketed for speeding.

You are a saint! Even I have been ticketed for speeding twice, once in 1984 and once in 1999. I didn't try to get out of either ticket, though, and paid through the nose. Speeding tickets are expensive.

 

[braumeister]

I got a speeding ticket just about a year ago, my first one in 25 years.

But it was in Ohio, and the fine was $165 so not outrageous. I should add that I was absolutely guilty (not paying attention and going through an obvious speed trap) so I just paid up.

The other downside, since traffic school wasn't an option in that jurisdiction, is that my car insurance went up by about $40 a year for two years.

Sounds like California is a much worse place to get caught!

 

[marko]

Go to trial and hope the cop has better things to do that day. This actually worked for a friend's DUI.

 

[utrecht]

You can pay some lawyer a bunch of money to try to beat the ticket by attacking the officers credibility after getting a copy of his personnel record or by challenging whether or not his radar gun was calibrated in the correct time frame and to the correct tolerances, but that rarely works and then you will paying the lawyers fees on top of court costs and the fine.

You can just go to court and hope the cop doesn't show up, which is a decent option because cops hate going to court even though they do get paid overtime. If the cop does show up, you can still normally talk to the prosecutor about your options before the hearing (defensive driving, deferred adjudication, etc)

 

[wanaberetiree]

You can pay some lawyer a bunch of money to try to beat the ticket by attacking the officers credibility after getting a copy of his personnel record or by challenging whether or not his radar gun was calibrated in the correct time frame and to the correct tolerances, but that rarely works and then you will paying the lawyers fees on top of court costs and the fine.

You can just go to court and hope the cop doesn't show up, which is a decent option because cops hate going to court even though they do get paid overtime. If the cop does show up, you can still normally talk to the prosecutor about your options before the hearing (defensive driving, deferred adjudication, etc)

What about the option like using this https://ticketsnipers.com/?

B rated by BBB BWT

 

[cyber888]

Do not pay the fine. Get the cheapest lawyer to fight it. If you pay the fine, you admit guilt. And this will add points to your driver's license, and your car insurance will double next year. So, if you are paying $700 for car insurance, you may be paying $1,300 next year, and that insurance rate goes on for 3 or more years. It's best to pay a lawyer. A lawyer may cost you $200, but 3 years of high insurance will cost you $3000.00.

I've been in this path before. I paid for my first ticket, and my car insurance was a sticker shock !!! I just paid a lawyer for a speeding citation. And he bargained with the DA for defective instrument (defective speedometer), and I got off with no DMV points. Like my slate was wiped clean.

I got a speeding ticket (SF CA).

Not to say that I was a saint, but as you know a coin has two sides always.

Anyway without getting into details, I'd be happy to pay the fee, but I feel (don't know yet) that the price may be prohibitively high in SF and maybe I won't be able to go to traffic school.

So in case if I have to fight it - asking smart people for advice of best options and in particular if anybody used online services like ticketsnipers.com?

Thanks!

 

[Senator]

Interesting, have you done that? How do I find out how to call the prosecutor?

I have, and I eventually just paid the ticket. But I have gotten 'deals' too, in the court.

Just call the city where it was issued and ask for the prosecutor. See what the options are.

 

[harley]

Pay the fine, plead innocent, go to trial. Hope the officer cannot make the trial. Collect refund.

Go to trial and hope the cop has better things to do that day. This actually worked for a friend's DUI.

I wouldn't pay the fine. Go to court, but first ask for a delay. In my (sadly extensive) experience, you have a much better chance of the officer not showing up if you go on a different day than the originally assigned date.

 

[Lakewood90712]

You can pay some lawyer a bunch of money to try to beat the ticket by attacking the officers credibility after getting a copy of his personnel record or by challenging whether or not his radar gun was calibrated in the correct time frame and to the correct tolerances, but that rarely works and then you will paying the lawyers fees on top of court costs and the fine.

" after getting a copy of his personnel record " Uh, no. In CA Police personnel records are not available to you , even if you are charged with a major crime.

The theory is: If an officer has baggage making him no longer fit to serve, then he must be terminated. In practice, LEO's with "issues" are seldom fired, and many dept's find a position w/o public contact for the officer, until retirement, or promote them to a position where they are not in the field. I wish I was joking, but I am not. It's cheaper to keep them. Stinky and wasteful ?, sure is, but that is reality.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I only had one ticket ever, for speeding between my home and office in Silicon Valley. I was speeding for a reason; paged to come quick to see a sick child. It was one of the first and definitely the last time I attempted to eat lunch with DH, just 8 minutes from the office.

I was going 37 in a 25 mile zone. I showed the officer my pager and my doctor duds and he didn't give a s**t. I did traffic school to keep it off my record. What a waste of time. Fortunately the kid was fine.

Here I see people going 75 mph in a 55 zone every day. They tailgate you to tell you to get out of their way.

My advice: go to traffic school. Keep the record clean. Be p*** o*f and share it here, not there. Find the sweet spot where everybody speeds. Just go slower than the guy next to you. And don't drive a red car.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[utrecht]

" after getting a copy of his personnel record " Uh, no. In CA Police personnel records are not available to you , even if you are charged with a major crime.

The theory is: If an officer has baggage making him no longer fit to serve, then he must be terminated. In practice, LEO's with "issues" are seldom fired, and many dept's find a position w/o public contact for the officer, until retirement, or promote them to a position where they are not in the field. I wish I was joking, but I am not. It's cheaper to keep them. Stinky and wasteful ?, sure is, but that is reality.

Maybe that's how it works where you live, but not where I worked for 24 years.

 

[utrecht]

I wouldn't pay the fine. Go to court, but first ask for a delay. In my (sadly extensive) experience, you have a much better chance of the officer not showing up if you go on a different day than the originally assigned date.

That's for no other reason than since officers don't always show up, the more chances you give them to not show up, the better your odds are of them not showing up at some point. Its a colossal waste of taxpayer money since the officer gets paid overtime every time they show up and you get the court date reset for some reason, but in this case nobody seems to mind that trying to get out of a ticket is costing everyone else money.

 

[utrecht]

What about the option like using this https://ticketsnipers.com/?

B rated by BBB BWT

I dont live in California and Ive never heard of them. Most lawyers who fight traffic tickets dont do much more than that so I cant imagine these guys are all that much better than any other traffic court lawyer. It just looks like they spent a lot more money on their website than the guys with a billboard. There's really only so much a lawyer can do to fight a speeding ticket.

 

[wanaberetiree]

That's for no other reason than since officers don't always show up, the more chances you give them to not show up, the better your odds are of them not showing up at some point. Its a colossal waste of taxpayer money since the officer gets paid overtime every time they show up and you get the court date reset for some reason, but in this case nobody seems to mind that trying to get out of a ticket is costing everyone else money.

Agree, but this is a whole different subject.
I'd be happy to pay and I will (I set $300 limit + traffic school option). I am afraid it will be more. Why traffic tickets are so expensive in CA SF? And then they run "amnesty programs"? (that was a rhetorical of cause)

Sounds like counties like SF are setting up the field for people to play games.

 

[KB]

I got a speeding ticket in a different county in CA last year. I paid the ticket, did the online traffic school and passed the test. The info that came from the court said if I passed the traffic school, no point would be applied to my drivers license.

I thought I would get away with my auto insurance bit finding out about my ticket until they sent me a questionnaire about my annual mileage and asked whether I had any recent speeding tickets. I replied honestly and my insurance did NOT increase.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Appearing for traffic court is a good deal. When you get the subpoena , first, schedule a vacation day , then ,inform your supervisor you must appear on that day, soo, now you get 4 hrs. min pay at time and a half , plus your vacation pay., for 4 hrs work. Again, I wish I was joking.

Unless you really did screw up when you issued the citation, the witness box is no big deal. And be sure to review the audio recording you kept of the of the interaction with the citizen you cited, so you can " Remember " in court. When you issue 10-20 per day, it's very foolish not to record. Body cameras are not yet sop.

 

[KB]

duplicate. oops

 

[youbet]

You can pay some lawyer a bunch of money to try to beat the ticket by attacking the officers credibility after getting a copy of his personnel record or by challenging whether or not his radar gun was calibrated in the correct time frame and to the correct tolerances, but that rarely works and then you will paying the lawyers fees on top of court costs and the fine.

That's really interesting..... It sounds like all the parties involved have failed to learn to cooperate and the system is confrontational.

Here in Chicago, and in many of the suburbs within Cook County, traffic court defense attorneys work at the whim of the judges, politically appointed bailiffs, prosecutors and related politicians and court officials. These attorneys charge substantial fees to violators who must beat the ticket or face serious consequences such as loss of their DL or jail time.

There generally isn't a fact-based defense, an attack on the officer's credibility or other lame attempt to prove "innocence." Rather, something just "happens." The court date is rescheduled and the officer (surprise, surprise) doesn't appear on that new date. A group of defendants (all represented by the same defense attorney - surprise, surprise) might be brought before the judge as a group and be told that due to "technical issues" the case against them is being dropped. Etc.

There is an amazing lack of adversity between the defense attorneys, their clients and the rest of the system. Something seems to be lubricating any points of friction........