Should I just pay the ticket?

Question

Note: I want to just pay the ticket and be done with it, but I just want to cover all bases and make sure that there's no extra way I could reduce points or look better for insurance before I prove myself guilty by just paying it.

I was going downhill on a road that has frequent speed-traps, normally I don't speed but I was watching a car ahead of me that looked as though it was about to pull out in front of me and took my foot off the gas, accelerated by the hill and hadn't hit the brakes. Sure enough the car pulled out in front of me, I hit the horn and slammed the brakes, no accident and went around. The cop was sitting at that same intersection and had caught me as I was going down the hill, before I hit the brakes. Cop follows, pulls me over, gives me ticket for 59 in a 40. Yes, that's a lot, and yes, regardless of circumstances it was my fault for not slowing down. I'm always polite and courteous.

The ticket is a 4pt ticket, but if I pay it within 20 days it is only 2pts. Fine is $180, but I don't really mind paying it. If I go to court and am found guilty, it would be 4pts and $180 + court fees. Apparently it is hard to get out of a ticket through court here unless the cop doesn't show up, and my case seems pretty guilty even to me. From what I've read, driving school does not help with points or fines, it may only look good to the insurance company, but I'd think that if that's the case I could take a driving school/class at any time and still pay the ticket within 20 days.

What do you think?

Bill · Accepted Answer

It depends on your state.

Here in Tennessee Driving school takes away your points and rural judges (You can only go to driving school in rural counties) usually charge $10 + Court Costs unless you are a repeat offender. Then you have to pay for driving school. In that case it is worth going to court. In every Jurisdiction I have lived in going to court usually removes the points. Again it depends on the judge. 

If you are sure that nothing will be doe about your points, and that you will have to pay the fine then it is not worth wasting your time to go fight it. 

If you can pay the ticket then by all means do. The whole go to court and if the officer doesn't show you get out of it is a myth. Most of the time the court will give the officer extra time to show up. The police or sheriffs department sends someone to represent them and reschedule. If it is a state trooper they have a court day. Even if you reschedule the date the officer will be notified. If your jurisdiction sets up speed traps they likely require their officers go to court. It is possible the officer will not show up, but it also possible I will hit the lottery tonight.

Sparky · Answer

It sounds like you passed the car because it was going to slow when it pulled out in front of you.  Had you not passed it, it is likely the officer would have stopped that car for "failure to yield", even though you may have been going too fast.  

The insurance company isn't likely to care that you went to driving school, I think.  You'd have to get written documentation that they would reduce your rate in order to have a guarantee it would be worth it.  

I don't know how your courts work, but here they will reduce your fine if you go in and act polite and remorseful.  Don't know if they will reduce the amount of speed, however.  

I'd be inclined to just pay.

Anonymous · Answer

You sound like an intelligent person.

The morons here telling you "if the cop doesn't show up they dismiss it" are guessing and guessing incorrectly. Remember, most people here have no idea what they're talking about and pass off bad guesses as actual answers. If the cop doesn't show up, they reschedule  - end of story.

Your best bet is to pay the ticket and go to traffic school - it will not be on your record. You'll still have to pay the fine but yu won't have the points. If you fight it and lose, and you will lose, you can't go to traffic school and will have court costs added to your fine.

Mona · Answer

yes you can take defensive driving course like I did but they only took 20 off the ticket, you need to pay or they will add on more fines for being late.

Anonymous · Answer

it's always wort it to appeal the cop might just not care enough to show up and the 20 day rule i would imagine would start immediately after your court date where i've gotten both my tickets reduced when i appeled them

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Should I just pay the ticket?

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