On my way home from college Friday I was going with traffic flow and daydreaming of playing with my new shotgun when I hit a downhill slope and got enough extra speed to stir up a hi-po who had staked in the median. When you tach 2000 rpms at 75 and the car likes 2200-2500 rpms it doesn't take much to move up fast.

Clocked at 85 (traffic was running 80). Anyway...I'm not looking to deny anything, I know it was my own fault. I'm just wondering what is the best way to deal with it. I'm 21 and this is my first one. Ticket was for 85 in a 70. Officer was very polite and so was I. Any suggestions other than paying better attention from now on? How does the defensive driving thing work? Do I have to go to court to get that or request it via mail or phone?

Since its your first the best way to deal with it IMO is pay it via certified mail with a MO and move on. Defensive driving school only works when your in points trouble or need to show your insurance company your insurable. Course you could always fight it based on simple physics seeing how he was located at the bottom of a hill. 85 in a 70? Looks like you got cut no slack. Hmmm...who was the arresting officer?

go to court go to school no points and just going to court normally lowers the fine

Going to court and giving the circumstances may lower the fine, if the judge is in a good mood that day. Check into the driving school. In this state you pay the fine +25 and it stays off of your record, so your insurance will not go up. Your may or not be the same but it's worth checking out, at the least see the licensing department website.

Go to a three day driving defense school and keep the points off.Don't think you can do it every time because this is a one time deal.I run a fuss buster in all my cars/pick-up/semi.Good luck,bill

I just paid a moving violation ticket less than a week ago. I haven't had a ticket in over 20 years. I went into the courthouse before the court date and asked if I could pay the fine but asked if I could get court supervision. The gal said I'd have to ask the district attorney. (Small county courthouse), He acually talked to me and said no problem. It cost an extra 15 dollars on top of the 75 to get court supervision. If I go 90 days without another violation than it stays off my record. Now keep in mind I'm in IL. and my moving violation was for sqealing the tires. (In front of a county sheriffs house no less.) Maybe high speed tickets require going to some classroom time? I haven't a clue. just tellin ya how my experience went.

good thing you werent playing with the shot gun ,just dreaming bout it

What a coincidence I just got my first ticket ever yesterday. 77 in a 65. Sucks because I didn't realize i was going more than 5 over because I just got a new transmission put in and I thought the speedometer was off by more than it is. To add insult to injury he gave me another ticket for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. Basicly because I drove to a gas station rather than pulling over immediately. To think I was trying to be safe.

Since its your first the best way to deal with it IMO is pay it via certified mail with a MO and move on.

Whoa! WRONG answer

I got a ticket last year and was not told by the officer that in addition to the fine and points, I would also forfit my DL for 15 days. Had I just paid it, I would have never know about this until the letter arrived in the mail. I onlyt found out when the Judge mentioned it to me as we discussed my ticket

Go to court, be very polite, and plead "No Contest". When the judge asks you if you have anything to say, apologize, point out it was your first ticket, and ask POLITELY if the court could reduce the fine or points. Also ask if drivers school is an option (it may noit be in all areas). In WI, it will reduce the points

ABVOE ALL - be polite. They deal with jerks all day long, so anything you can do to make their life easier will only help you out in the long run.

In TX you can take Defensive Driving and have it kept off your record (for most moving violations). I got one during Christmas holiday (83 in a 70) on the road and just mailed it in. You pay a court cost and the cost of the class ($75?). You can even take it online and the DD will reduce the cost of your car insurance. You can only have a ticket cleared every 2 years this way.

Thanks for all the advice so far guys, this was in AR not OK btw. So basically I should call and ask about court supervision and if that's a no go I should go to court and plead no contest. If they do not give the option for no contest to I plead guilty with explanation or what? I don't want it to look like I'm blowing BS to get out of things. I do not care about the fine at all, I just don't want the points on my record.

Is the thing about the ticketing officer not showing up something real or a bunch of BS? Like I said he was very polite and friendly and I saw 8 more patrols before I made it to the OK line. I'm guessing someone compared last years highway 540 accidents with tickets issued and saw a nice gap. I have NEVER seen a patrol car on this highway before unless it was dealing with an accident.

Sounds like each state is different. In Kansas you can apply for diversion in the county of the ticket. If you meet the requirements you pay the fine plus a diversion fee and are on probation for a predetermined amount of time. Once the probation terms are meet the infraction is dropped and isn't sent into the state.

Check with the county in which the ticket was given for what options are available.

Here in NJ we don't have the defensive driving thing. There are 2 options. One is to go talk to the prosecutor and get them to downgrade it to a higher fine & no points (Usually Unsafe Operatino). Option 2, get a lawyer which is what I am dealing with now. I hired a lawyr to go fight a BS failure to observe signal ticket (running a red light). I hit the imaginary rectangle while the light was still yellow and it was pouring rain, and there was no way to safely stop in time so I kept going. It was either that it skid through the intersection anyway. I saw the cop there at the adjacent light, figured I was screwed either way.

Please come back and tell us how it turned out for you???

I have had two of these that were really high speed way back years ago.

First over in Kansas going to the Moberly Greyhounds Basketball game when they were playing for their forth Nat. Title in Hutchison back in '67 and they won it!!

Something like 130+ in an 80 on the Turnpike by an airplane no less! Followed the Trooper in to the closest Courthouse and paid cash about $50 b/c that's all we had.

Second was up in northern MI running 98 about 11:00 PM one evening in a 55 back in '85!

Paid by CC and had to call back and MO'ed them an extra $8 or so to finish it..

Now realize, these were both out of state back then AND it was a looong time ago...

I think my last warning for something like 63 in a 55 was back in something like '90???

Now, I just poke along...

pdq67

Kurt: ...whoa wrong answer
Whats wrong about it? Just because your state suspends your drivers license for whatever infraction does not mean every state does. Unless its a DUI or Uninsured driving which even here is a 30 day mandatory suspension. In Oklahoma if you go to court your either plead guilty or not. At that time, the judge will set a date, and when you come back. You'd better bring an attorney, because the judge will not talk to you without counsel, no matter how nice you are. Been there done that. No only that when you do go to court with the before mentioned attorney. If your counselor is earning his money they will cut you a break on the fine which always sounds great, that is until you get pounded by COURT costs which are often the same amount if not more than the inital fine, in addition to your legal fees. Which makes it a financial loser, that is unless you fight it and win which is like seeing an albino Rhino. But even then your still out legal fees. If he did it which he admits to IMO its not worth the hassle. That's why I advised certified mail with a MO that way he has a record of the transaction and they (the court clerk) have to sign to show reciept. This way in the event its shown un-paid the next time he gets pulled over or ran for wants/or warrants at the local cruise in. He won't sound like the guy on Cops crying in the back seat saying: "I paid those fines officer honest!" He'll have something to show he paid.
Now that we know that he got the fine in Arkansas. Guess its up to him to decide if he wants to waste the gas to go back to invest the time and money to try and keep those points that will eventually drop off his otherwise good driving record off his "permanent"(sarcasm) record. Yeah no matter what they tell you if there is paper work (a numbered ticket) there is a record on file and its accessable.

Go to Court (note Capital "C"), dressed nicely (slacks, shirt, groomed), and be humble. Respect the room, the office, and the person behind the bench. Defend your actions with the fact it is your 1st offense, had a lapse of judgement, and would like to resolve this without having a mark on my record - what can I do to satisfy the Court your Honor?

Kurt:
Whats wrong about it? Just because your state suspends your drivers license for whatever infraction does not mean every state does.

Only meant wrong in that the Officer may not have told him everything which goes along with the ticket and just mailing in the fine could put you in the position of finding out after the fact that you're in deeper than you realized

The town where the court appearance is is only 30-40 minutes away, so I have no problem going.

I have emailed my former boss at the university police department about his opinion too.

I'm only worried about insurence rapings.

bluess454 i just talk to the prosecutor and got an unsafe driving ticket last year. easy breezy stayed home from work sat in court like i was watching judge judy all day a slap on the wrist and away i went.

Did you say you were going down a hill? In some states there is a law that prohibits tickets on grades over a cerrtain %. You might want to check on this. It is rarely known about. But as the others have posted, be courteous and throw yourself on the mercy of the Court.

bluess454 i just talk to the prosecutor and got an unsafe driving ticket last year. easy breezy stayed home from work sat in court like i was watching judge judy all day a slap on the wrist and away i went.
I can't do that because I already have 2 unsafe operations on my record. One more and that will be 3, that means 4 points + $390 fine. They instituted a $250 court surcharge + $133 for the fine + costs. The unsafe operations are cleared of your record once 5 years has passed. One of mine was 4 years, 4 months ago. The initial ticket was 2 points/$85. Either way I go, I'm screwed out of $400+ I'd rather pay the lawyer $375, pay the $50 fine he is going to get me and have no points. Extorsion I tell you!!!!

Did you say you were going down a hill? In some states there is a law that prohibits tickets on grades over a cerrtain %. You might want to check on this. It is rarely known about. But as the others have posted, be courteous and throw yourself on the mercy of the Court.

Yes it was on a hill, not a severely steep one mind you. I noticed my speed and was reaching to unlock the tranny converter before hitting the brakes when I saw him. Guess we'll see what happens...