Pleading down a speeding ticket

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Latest update, have made a lot of calls, can't talk with anyone. The police prosecutor doesn't answer his phone. So my options are:

1. Leave a message asking the police prosecutor to call me back. I seriously doubt that he will.

2. Go to the zoom meeting, have a map showing the short 30 into 40 and explain the time of day and speeding up to the 40 zone and no traffic/safe conditions and hope they say OK, they'll knock it down to non-moving but pay this. I already paid $20 I think just to have this court session which I also think is unconstitutional. God I wish I had time to mobilize a way to fix this system

3. Find an hire an attorney on Yelp.

What do you guys think.

[ramonesfreak]

#1 never admit to anything
#2 hire attorney if they dont call back. call backs are hard to get in this business...it has always been like this as far as I can remember.

[David]

Main thing I do if no clear solution: go to court dressed well with a good attitude.

[javadog]

Call the court clerks office and ask how the hearing will proceed. In my neck of the woods, the prosecutor reserves a little time before hand to meet with all of the poor SOBs that got the tickets.

I agree with the above advice, suit and tie and a briefcase.

[Scott Douglas]

I remember the last time I got a speeding ticket.
My brother was with me, we were heading up to Willow for a Sunday of watching the races up there. Coming over the Sepulveda pass on the 405 the cruise control on my Mustang wouldn't hold it back at 70 mph because of the grade, so I switched it off and took my foot off the gas. I'd seen the motor cop up ahead but he'd gotten off on the off ramp to the 101, so I switched the cruise back on at the bottom of the hill to let it pick back up at 70. Cop had 'paced' me from the outer on ramp lanes and pulled me over before we got to the under pass for the 101.
Said he clocked me at 75. My brother immediately says NO WAY as he's sitting in the passenger seat with the cop talking thru his open window.
I figured if he wanted me to do 55 then I'd sit in the fast lane and clog traffic up at 55 all the way to Rosamond. Kind of ruined my day as it wasn't worth it to take time off work to go fight it. I think I did traffic school for a whole day one Saturday.
I had the only shiny black car out that Sunday morning so kind of stuck out like a sore thumb since there wasn't all that much traffic out anyways.
Was I speeding? Well, I wasn't going the speed limit, but I wasn't the fastest guy out there either. Did the cop pace me correctly? Probably not as the radii of the turns were such that he had to go 75 to keep up with me doing 65-70 based on the difference in distance traveled around the turn. Did he fill his quota that morning? Probably.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Here's the latest and nearly final info. The police prosecutor called me back. He was very nice.

There is no reduce to non-moving violation ability in MA. I am surprised but I shouldn't be. MA for decades/century was a state where you could only buy auto insurance from an instate broker that you had to visit at their physical offices, that is to say the insurance lobby in MA bought the legislature years ago. ONly 10-15 years ago could you get Geico, etc. So things like no reduction to non-moving and no traffic school are remnants from days gone by and I doubt even with a ballot initiative which would win overwhelmingly would change this infrastructure. The Italians and Irish who built this state are insanely corrupt, just look at our roads.

Basically he tells the officer's side of the story via officers notes and then I tell my story and the constable decides. If there's any good news I asked if I could see the officer's notes and he said he would email me them.

On dress. Yes, shirt and tie. but it's zoom.

[Steve Carlton]

Yikes. I wonder if an attorney can get it dismissed. To some extent, the system takes care of its own, including attorneys.

[Helix8]

Maybe look into offtherecord.com ?

I've never used them and only heard their adverts. GL

[Shaun @ Tru6]

^^^Thanks, I got a quote of $245 which is reasonable

[Steve Carlton]

What do you get for $245?

How much is the fine now and about what happens to your insurance if you don't get another ticket?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

A local attorney is hired it looks like.

Fine is $145.

[911 Rod]

What are you hoping to get out of this?
Guilty with a reason doesn't usually go over very well with a judge.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Helix8

Maybe look into offtherecord.com ?

I've never used them and only heard their adverts. GL

Working with the appointed lawyer now. He said I shouldn't be talking with the police prosecutor, it's not helping me.

Ordered a driving record so he could see it. Most recent was a minor accident in 2016 that was my fault, then speeding in 2012, ran out of gas in 2012, it was my old Ducati and I had forgotten to reset the tripodometer (that's a ticket here) and then speeding in 2006 and beyond.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

On dress. Yes, shirt and tie. but it's zoom.

Be a rebel! Don't wear pants!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Working with the appointed lawyer now. He said I shouldn't be talking with the police prosecutor, it's not helping me.

Ordered a driving record so he could see it. Most recent was a minor accident in 2016 that was my fault, then speeding in 2012, ran out of gas in 2012, it was my old Ducati and I had forgotten to reset the tripodometer (that's a ticket here) and then speeding in 2006 and beyond.

Running out of gas is illegal?

[KFC911]

It's time to start offering bribes ...

Good luck Shaun!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by masraum

Running out of gas is illegal?

Yer honor .... I wuz doin' 100 'cause I knew I was gonna run out of gas soon ... had to get to a pump fast

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by masraum

Running out of gas is illegal?

yes it is. Failure to maintain the vehicle properly or something like that.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

yes it is. Failure to maintain the vehicle properly or something like that.

Please tell me it's not a "moving violation"

[Shaun @ Tru6]

haha, no points but it does show up on your record.