Careless Driving Ticket

[quasar34]

ok, so im drivin down the parkway to brick to pick up rims from transmaro93 and im around exit 110. im in my escort and the speedo only goes to 85 (had it pinned) so i dont really know how fast im going. im gettin toward the top of an incline im driving up and decide i should slow down for awhile, but it was too late.. i see a cop in the grass accross the divider (local/express) so i switch lanes and try to slow down without really being noticed, but i guess he allready clocked me.. i see him pulling off the grass and immediately know im screwed. 2 seconds pass and hes now next to me with the divider in between us, the divider ends and he cuts through the grass and gets behind me and pulls me over.. i give the officer my 2 pba cards (hackensack and bergen county sheriff) with my license and he proceeds to ask me if i knew how fast i was going. i replied im not so sure i thought i was going about 85.. he tells me he clocked me at 95 and most people he pulls over going 95 in a 65 wind up loosing their license. he then asks if i have any points and i tell him that i dont and he goes back to his car.. officer comes back with a careless driving ticket and tells me hes givin me a break and hes on his way..

ok now, the thing is careless is 2 points.. i only have received one ticket since ive had my license and that was when i was 17 and got in my first accident (im now 21).. that ticket was a careless driving ticket that was reduced down to unsafe driving..

id feel like a retard trying to bargain down the careless driving ticket i got because the cop gave me a break and dint write me up for speeding or reckless .. he did write '95/65' on the ticket. also, i heard that for your second unsafe driving the fine doubles, and is around 800-900 bucks..
I'm thinking of paying the 85 bucks for the careless driving ticket then taking that defensive driving course that knocks 2 points off ur license, so then i'd be back at 0 points.. if i try to fight the ticket i have to drive like an hour to court, pay court fees, and maybe get the ticket reduced.. does that make sense? what do you think im better off doing? anyone know how long i have to wait to take that course? would my insurance go up if i knock the points off asap?? i havent told my parents yet (im sure theyll love it) so im trying to come up with my best options before i break the news to them..

[qwikz28]

pay it off, take careless driving. thats the easiest and least expensive way. you'll spend the amount of tiem that class takes in court if you try to bargain it and that cop may not even bargain it down. take my advice, i've been through this many a time.

[WildBillyT]

pay it off, take careless driving. thats the easiest and least expensive way. you'll spend the amount of tiem that class takes in court if you try to bargain it and that cop may not even bargain it down. take my advice, i've been through this many a time.

I agree. He cut you a break and wrote your real speed on it, so you can't really argue.

Pay the fine and slow down a bit.

[Savage_Messiah]

WTF are you guys saying?!

It's the third unsafe that carries a fine and points.

Plea bargain down to unsafe again, pay the extra fee for no points, and then be on your way. THAT is the owest cost option.

[89CamaroRS]

that's IF they let you plead it down. since he wrote ur real speed on the ticket, i doubt the prosecutor is going to be very ameanible to giving you a another break. that, and sometimes they can be real dicks. you try to plead it down after already getting a break from the cop, he may very well reccommend the max fine to the judge to teach u a lesson about being greedy. i've seen that kinda thing happen to people i was in court with waiting for my axe to drop, lol. it's up to you of course, but i would probably just pay it and take the course to knock the points off.

[quasar34]

yea im highly doubting that they are going to lower it to unsafe, mostly because he wrote my speed on it.. i guess i'll just pay the fine and take the 2 points then try takin the driving class..

also i thought that the second unsafe offense was a 800-900 fine with no points and the third time its like 1500 plus 4 points?

[JW]

The driving class is cake. 1 day of a 5 hour video... yep... done that class twice now in 6 years. I am starting to become a pro... at taking defense driving.

JW :D

[WildBillyT]

yea im highly doubting that they are going to lower it to unsafe, mostly because he wrote my speed on it..

Yeah, that's why I replied what I did. If he didn't do that you might have had a chance. 30mph over will be hard to plead down.

[quasar34]

yea i really dont wanna push my luck.. i mean he did let me go with a pretty good break, i was expecting more than one ticket when he came back to the car. i asked him if i were to goto court could i possibly get it dropped down to unsafe and he gave me a look like 'dude ur not gettin off anymore than u allready did' and said 'ehhh i dont know about that, you could always try to' then he told me theres a number on the back i could call.. so i guess ill take the 2 points and take the defensive driving class.. does anyone know how long i have to wait after i pay the ticket until i can take the class? also if i take the class asap will my insurance be affected by this ticket? only reason im asking is because i pay for half of my insurance (my parents help me out) but if it jumps up im definately gunna have to pay the difference.

[Knipps]

pay it, do you really even need the class?
you said this is your second ticket since you got your license, as long as you don't plan on getting another ticket in the next 12 months the class is a waste of money for simply trying to get rid of the only 2 points on your license IMO

when i took the mandatory class i spaced out for most of it since there wasn't a test at the end but i did listen when they explained that the points on your license and the points your insurance company keeps track of are 2 different systems.. just because you got rid of the ones on your license doesn't mean the insurance company has forgotten about them

but that's just my :2cents:

[1_Hot_SOM_WS6]

WTF are you guys saying?!

It's the third unsafe that carries a fine and points.

Plea bargain down to unsafe again, pay the extra fee for no points, and then be on your way. THAT is the owest cost option.

I agree!! BOTH of my tickets were written for 30 miles over the speed limit and BOTH times I was able to plea bargin it down to unsafe. You can only do that 2x's in a 5 year period. Needless to say...I drive the speed limit now. :)

[jims69camaro]

well, at the outset it looks like he did you a favor. unfortunately, it looks like he f***ed you with your insurance company, as i don't think they like careless driving tickets more than they like speeding tickets. just another excuse for them to jack your rates.

i'd say bite the bullet and man up on the existing ticket. the problem with trying to plead it down is that the judge may want to hear the detaiks of the careless offense nefore he agrees to it. then you're really f***ed, as he'll know the background of the ticket and may impose the max fine.

[quasar34]

how much do u guys think this will raise my rates? like 300 bucks a year for the next 3 years?

[qwikz28]

how much do u guys think this will raise my rates? like 300 bucks a year for the next 3 years?

with your driving record, i doubt it would go up any. just take the course after and if it does go up, that should bring it back down some

[Firebird67dude]

For two points your insurance company won't be notified. So your all good.

[quasar34]

awesome, thanks guys

[BonzoHansen]

For two points your insurance company won't be notified. So your all good.

:scratch: No, I'm pretty sure that is wrong. A single 2 point ticket may not raise rates, but the database they all tap will know eventually. Get a 2nd ticket and see. LOL

Plus, when you get the annual renewal questionaire it asks if you have gotten any tickets. If you say no and they find out, that can be grounds for immediate cancellation. And that can possibly make placing coverage elsewhere difficult too.

Plea it down. My $0.02

[Savage_Messiah]

Yeah... multiple local tix, one state, one county... the cop has never been there when I was, it's just been between me, lawyer, prosecutor and judge

[firehawk1120]

from 17 - 21 is four years, the insurance companies usually ask if you've had a ticket in the past 5. I know if you only have 2 points on your license they are suppose to be forgiven by the insurance and those only last 3 years. So with that being said the insurance company will have a record of you getting a ticket but the new ticket will only reflect the current 2 points on your license. SHOULDN'T affect your insurance but if they have a 5 year running total now you would have 4 with insurance yet only 2 with license. I'd call them and ask their policy

[chemicalstylez]

Insurance should be fine, i blew a right light got 2 points and my insurance hasn't moved. Its been a year. (I'm 23)

[r0nin89]

From what I was told is court its a 2 year period from your last ticket that you cant get another pleaded down. Also I'm pretty sure that from what I gathered the prosecutor only makes his decision based on the degree of offense on the ticket and previous record. (which is "clean" of previous tickets after 2 years from what I was told)

I know it can vary area to area but in Point I sweet talked the prosecutor into dropping my reckless to an unsafe. It turns out the Point Pleasant prosecutor used to have a Camaro as a kid and "knows" what it was like. I still appreciate him doing that for me I'd be so ****** now with insurance.

[Noodles]

OMG, GET OFF THE ROAD

YOU DESERVE TO BE WALKING

WHATS WRONG WITH YOU?

2 TIMES? I MEAN ONCE MAYBE BUT 2 TIMES?

YOUR GOING TO H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS!

I HAVE FAMILY ROUND THOSE PARTS, YOU MIGHTVE CARELESSLY KILLED THEM!NTHEN WHAt?!?!?!?!

[79CamaroDiva]

dont plead down. going to court AFTER the cop already gave you a break is giving him a BIG f you right to the face, and chances are he wont let it happen, since he will be there in court with you. Besides the fact that the two points will be gone within 2 years (1 point a year right?), i highly doubt that your insurance will even go up enough to make it worth it to pay the unsafe driving. Call up your company and ask them how much it will go up with 2 points, you might be surprised. Mine didnt go up at all.

[oh one ls1 SS]

dont plead down. going to court AFTER the cop already gave you a break is giving him a BIG f you right to the face, and chances are he wont let it happen, since he will be there in court with you. Besides the fact that the two points will be gone within 2 years (1 point a year right?), i highly doubt that your insurance will even go up enough to make it worth it to pay the unsafe driving. Call up your company and ask them how much it will go up with 2 points, you might be surprised. Mine didnt go up at all.

well then i gave a BIG F U to a cop 2 years ago. i got busted for 95 in a 50 one the seaside bridge and he gave me careless, tinted windows, and no front plate. said if he gave it to me for the speed i was going the judge would take my licnese. i had my friend thats a cop call him to see if he could dismis it but he said no because he already cut me a break. i went to court and got it droped to no points. it always pays to fight it

[BonzoHansen]

I'd still fight it. State points and insurance points are 2 different things. While a year with no points takes it off the state books, it is 39 months on the insurance books. And maybe your company won't hit you for those 2, but if you get another w/i that 39 month window, well, ugh.

[Tru2Chevy]

I got a speeding ticket after getting caught doing 69 in a 50 zone last year. The cop wrote it for only 59 though, to cut me a break. I still went to court (two hours away from home) and got it reduced to unsafe. While that was the first moving violation that I had ever received, the prosecutor and the judge both commented on the amount of times that I had been pulled over in the past, and were surprised that I hadn't gotten more tickets.

It may be worth going to court to fight - none of us can tell you for sure if the prosecutor or judge will be lenient on you. In my case, the prosecutor knew how fast I was really going, and also knew about several of the times I had been pulled over in the past, regardless of the fact that I wasn't issued any tickets.

- Justin

[Savage_Messiah]

dont plead down. going to court AFTER the cop already gave you a break is giving him a BIG f you right to the face, and chances are he wont let it happen, since he will be there in court with you.

*ahem*

Yeah... multiple local tix, one state, one county... the cop has never been there when I was, it's just been between me, lawyer, prosecutor and judge

[jims69camaro]

*ahem*

yeah, even though cops are specifially told to schedule their tickets for their court days, most are unavailable. this is even if you call the clerk and tell them you're pleading "not-guilty"...

[quasar34]

ok guys i forgot about a couple accidents i was in..lol ..first off when i was 17, in my camaro was making a left turn and someone t-boned me - this was when i got the careless driving ticket that was dropped to unsafe (cop in my town that doesnt like me, and wanted to screw me over)..second one was some lady backed into my camaro in a parking lot about half a year later (i wasnt even in the car, so i doubt that would have any effect).. third one was over a year ago, i was driving my dads buick and the person in front of me slammed on their brakes to make a left without a signal on so to avoid the rear end i went to cut over to the right lane and the car just broke loose because it was raining, jumped a curb and hit into 2 telephone poles (totaled the buick, didnt touch anyone elses car, and didnt have to pay for the poles either)

also, with my first ticket i had a lawyer and he got it dropped down to unsafe, but it cost me an assload of cash.. 500 bucks for the lawyer plus the 500 or so for the unsafe ticket..i dont have a grand to throw around (just bought the rims, adapters, and a headliner kit for the bird)..well i mean i do, but id only have like 500 bucks to my name after that.. the cop didnt check the box that says i have to appear for court, so does that mean i could just mail them their 88 bucks or whatever and be done? id rather not have to wake up at 7am to drive over an hour to court, try to fight the ticket, pay the thirty whatever bucks for court costs, then drive an hour back home..

[r0nin89]

A cop cant do anything if the prosecutor pleads you down unless the prosecutor says he can. When I got dropped two levels from a reckless to an unsafe the prosecutor announced infront of the court that the issueing officer had 30days to appeal the decision because of how severly it have been pleaded down. Seeing as how the cop WASNT in court and my ticket was issued off of an I-Witness complaint (I still say that was total bs they could give that to me) noone ever appealed, despite the fact I was a total dick to the cop when he gave me the ticket in school.

[Mike]

an OFFICER can not appeal a prosecutors decision, that would be double jepordy

[jims69camaro]

[...]the cop didnt check the box that says i have to appear for court, so does that mean i could just mail them their 88 bucks or whatever and be done?

yes. i said that because you really don't want the judge prying into the details. you could get whacked off at the knees and end up paying much more than a G in fines:

i'd say bite the bullet and man up on the existing ticket. the problem with trying to plead it down is that the judge may want to hear the detaiks of the careless offense nefore he agrees to it. then you're really f***ed, as he'll know the background of the ticket and may impose the max fine.

afterwards, it goes without saying, you have to be an angel behind the wheel. no more speeding, no more careless driving, and NO accidents for at least 3 years. do the wise thing: pay the ticket and keep your nose clean.