so i got 2 tickets today

[LTb1ow]

I guess, but what I was saying before is, my first two point ticket I went to court plead it down to a no point offense and was good to go. No insurance rate increase and no points on the license.

[sweetbmxrider]

Originally Posted by KirkEvil

when I got the careless a court appearance was required. I dont think going to court and paying fines to reduce a ticket is "getting out of a ticket".

strange, i have gotten several, never a court appearance required. none of my tickets were.

Originally Posted by thunder

ya but in the end u still got a ticket

would you rather lose a hand or a finger?

[ShitOnWheels]

I got my first ticket ever a year ago (after 9 years of driving with nothing). It was a 3 point ticket that I initially was going to just take and deal with. But I was convinced to go to court and fight it, and I'm glad I did. I got it reduced to no points, although I paid a fortune for it ($450 I believe). But my insurance never went up.

It might be worth going to court. I believe the worse they can do is deny your plead of not guilty and you pay the original tickets. I don't think they increase your fines (only thing they might be able to do if it was warranted was contempt of court, but obviously you wouldn't do anything in court to warrant that).

[Savage_Messiah]

Originally Posted by NastyEllEssWon

if this is your first time go there and ask the prosecutor if he can help you...if he refuses like he did with madness then the judge will offer to defer this with the NJ UNSAFE DRIVING STATUTE. you tell the judge you were driving and operating unsafely and wish to plead guilty to that. its no points but a big fine. its worth it. i think you can use it like 2 or 3 times within a certain amount of time.

It used to be 2 times within I believe 5 years... but now it's lifetime. Can only plead down to it twice. 3rd time is 4 points and huge fine. DMV went above the law pulling this yet it still stands, I've heard at least 2-3 judges bitch about it in courts.

[sweetbmxrider]

Originally Posted by Savage_Messiah

It used to be 2 times within I believe 5 years... but now it's lifetime. Can only plead down to it twice. 3rd time is 4 points and huge fine. DMV went above the law pulling this yet it still stands, I've heard at least 2-3 judges bitch about it in courts.

....fml!!! are we grandfathered in?

[Savage_Messiah]

no, those of us that have 2... ****ed, gotta behave now

[LTb1ow]

I never heard that one... when was that made? I was in court a few months ago and they did not mention that.

Yea, and I def remember the judge advising people that they only had two pleas to use within some year amount.

[jims69camaro]

i'm still in the dark. careless driving: what did the cop say you did in order to get this ticket? this is not one of those tickets cops write whenever they pull someone over - it's not like a seatbelt ticket at all. there has to be some circumstance that made the situation special in order for him to write that. if you don't know, the cop was unclear, or you can't remember what the cop said, then it greatly diminishes the amount of help anyone can offer you.

sure, everyone knows that you go to traffic court, you talk to the prosecutor before proceedings start so you can find out if he's willing to move on the ticket or not. most, if not all, prosecutors will be willing to drop the charge down a notch or two but you have to plead guilty to the new charge. that is something that i think a lot of you are glossing over. once you plead guilty to a charge, you basically are giving up all of your rights in court. it means the judge can/will sentence you as s/he sees fit, regardless of anything the prosecutor may or may not say pertaining to that. you could agree with the prosecutor to drop a careless to an unsafe driving ticket, $450 in fines and $60 court fee. but once you plead guilty to that charge, you have very little recourse (you can appeal) if the judge hits you with a heavy hand because he is having a bad day. the judge almost always sentences within the guidelines, like if a fine can be between 100-250 he will usually sentence you to some dollar amount in between. he doesn't have to, though. and unless the judge is being a complete douche bag and sentences you to $1000 for a $25 ticket, then there is very little you can do about it. if he is within the guidelines, the appellate court probably won't even hear your motion to appeal.

now, getting back to the OP, you are walking into court pleading not guilty. that means that you have to notify the court (usually by calling the court clerk) of your intentions to contest the charge. that also means that they have to get the cop into court, which is not always as easy as it seems. so, you called the clerk, pleaded not guilty and it's your day in court. dress nicely, but a suit and tie are overboard. usually dark slacks with a nice button-down oxford are all that are needed. you will ask to speak to the prosecutor. in some municipalities, talking with the prosecutor is mandatory.

listen to everything he says. if there was ever a time to pay attention to someone, now is it. think about what he is offering you. will you do better with a high fine and no insurance hike, or would it be better for you to pay less now and more later? nobody can answer this for you. if you agree, then you will be called up in turn and asked if you reached an agreement with the prosecutor. it's pretty much cut and dried from there. expect, if you decide to pay the higher penalty now, to walk into court with $600-1000 and walk out with empty pockets. if you think you should pay the lower fine now and get hit with an insurance hike, then that amount will be considerably lower.

i'm having trouble with your perception that you didn't think you were even noticeable, but you got a careless driving ticket. were you driving over the painted lines, or between them? as in, if people could have parked there, would you have had to go around them, or were you proceeding in the traffic lane already? anyway, good luck. i hope i have helped a little bit.

[sweetbmxrider]

Originally Posted by Savage_Messiah

no, those of us that have 2... ****ed, gotta behave now

**** **** ****!!!!

Originally Posted by LTs1ow

I never heard that one... when was that made? I was in court a few months ago and they did not mention that.

Yea, and I def remember the judge advising people that they only had two pleas to use within some year amount.

it used to be once every 3 and/or twice every 5.

[maroman88]

id like to chime in... corzine signed a new bunch of rules into effect for provisional lisences, guess no one saw. since u have a provisional lisence, YOU CAN'T PLEAD IT DOWN. The prosecutors arent alowd to give breaks to provisional drivers anymore.... maybe your grandfathered in?? duno wen u got ur provisional or if that even matters

[sweetbmxrider]

ohhhhhhhhhh that sucks!

[WayFast84]

I hate to break it to you but you cant plead down with your provisional license. Change it ASAP. I can't change min till august of 10 even though I have all ready been driving for a year. I have no point's and I need my regular license to get my motorcycle license. The DMV is really wack. Consider it a learning experience pay the fine, drive safer and get a radar detector..

NINJA

I just saw Marromans post.

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by maroman88

id like to chime in... corzine signed a new bunch of rules into effect for provisional lisences, guess no one saw. since u have a provisional lisence, YOU CAN'T PLEAD IT DOWN. The prosecutors arent alowd to give breaks to provisional drivers anymore.... maybe your grandfathered in?? duno wen u got ur provisional or if that even matters

I think if newb drivers break the law they should take away their license for a year, no questions asked.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Tsar

I think if newb drivers break the law they should take away their license for a year, no questions asked.

ive had my license for almost 3 years. but everytime i go to the DMV to update it theres always a complication. ive tried 4 times

[btownws6]

just plead not guilty and the prosecutor will work it out

[DaSkinnyGuy]

you had more than one friend in the car with a provisonal lic what were you thinking!!!! did you skip drivers ed class in high shool? If this was your first time getting pulled over ever and they slapped you with two tickets you just messed up by the cops. from what ive seen for the most part cops give you at least a warning the first time you ever get pulled over on a prov license.

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by btownws6

just plead not guilty and the prosecutor will work it out

Reading comprehension is not working out today, ehh?

[maroman88]

Originally Posted by Tsar

Reading comprehension is not working out today, ehh?

LOL!

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by maroman88

id like to chime in... corzine signed a new bunch of rules into effect for provisional lisences, guess no one saw. since u have a provisional lisence, YOU CAN'T PLEAD IT DOWN. The prosecutors arent alowd to give breaks to provisional drivers anymore.... maybe your grandfathered in?? duno wen u got ur provisional or if that even matters

QFT.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Tsar

I think if newb drivers break the law they should take away their license for a year, no questions asked.

That's a little rough. So by your theory a simple parking ticket warrants a 1 year suspension? Someone making an honest mistake warrants a 1 year suspension? Damn man, lol. Remind me not to piss you off.

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by Frosty

That's a little rough. So by your theory a simple parking ticket warrants a 1 year suspension? Someone making an honest mistake warrants a 1 year suspension? Damn man, lol. Remind me not to piss you off.

Didn't phrase it correctly, by breaking the law I meant a moving violation. I don't really take parking tickets seriously. Hell, I got one for parking in front of my house

But yea, if a newb runs a red light, speeds, runs a stop sign or any other moving violation - 1 year suspension mandatory. I think it would cut down on the stupidity.

[Blacdout96]

+1 for what Tsar says. When kids get their provisional, they are still in an immature state, and also in an impression state, so loading frineds in a car, and goofing off are somethign uncommon to see, at least around here. As they say, driving is a privilage, not a right.

[Frosty]

So why is the 18yr old that does 75 in a 55 zone any different than us who have had our licenses for years? The fact is it's still speeding, careless drive etc...

[Blacdout96]

We have a little more experience, plain and simple, and if someone can't control their car and kill others or themselves, Darwinism is in place, because either way the person is ****ed for being careless. **** happens for a reason, thats life, but once again, what do you think is safer @ 75 mph, a 16 yr old with 3 friends in the car, clowning around ,music blasting, and having a mental feeling to impress, or a 25 year old who understand the dangers of the roads, and how to keep an eye out for others ( most of usolder people right?). Not to say everyone is like that, but for all the area provisional kids who were killed the past were traveling with multiple kids in the car, twice the speed limit on the roads.

A whole bunch of girls were killed when they were playing car tag with their friends at over 100mph, they lost control, flipped and killed all but one girl in the car, that was the worst one of them all.

[LTb1ow]

Originally Posted by Blacdout96

We have a little more experience, plain and simple, and if someone can't control their car and kill others or themselves, Darwinism is in place, because either way the person is ****ed for being careless.

Aha... while young drivers are pretty stupid, there is no way in hell you could convince me that once you are older than say 20, you are an expert...