Could you offer me some tips on arguing against my stop sign citation?

Assuming you actually did the violation (you didn't say), you can still beat the ticket -- maybe not on the law but on the sentence. You could request "one year continuance without a finding" based upon your polite and professional demeanor and the fact that you have arrived with an otherwise spotless record, or plead to a "mechanical violation", agree to get it fixed ...

It is completely at the discretion of the judge/magistrate who hears your case. At least you have a chance, whereas paying the fine by pleading guilty is a conviction upon confession. There is no implication to draw from that other than your admission that you did it. There's no shame in admitting when you're wrong, and paying the penalties, but you have to consider how that conviction might affect your life for the next ten years or more.

Let's start with your last question. If found guilty, you will need to pay the fine plus court fees. So, yes, it's more expensive.

I notice the perspective here is that you want to get out something. If you really failed to yield at a stop sign, it's morally and legally wrong to claim you did otherwise. That doesn't mean you can't beg the judge for a reduced financial penalty. But don't argue against the facts.

If you really didn't do it, what evidence can you provide? Was anyone else in the car with you?

This is a hard one to beat, since it's the officer's word against yours. At best (for the officer), he'll have video. But, generally, this is as "what I saw" kind of thing.

Which means that you need to be credible. The judge has to like you and trust you. Over a police officer. Trying to argue is not going to help you be liked. It will, in all likelihood, come off badly.

So, I recommend you focus on your inability to afford the financial penalty. Plead guilty, but ask for a reduced penalty (there are lawyers you can hire for $75-$100 to do this for you). Do community service, attend traffic school, whatever. But not $196.40.

Good luck.

Stop signs have EITHER mechanical functions OR monetary reasons behind them.

Monetary Reasons are called "Traps" and you'll likely need to 'appeal' those traps to higher jurisdictions before you 'win'.

Mechanical Function trumps everything as the Law it is; So if People From All Approaches Cannot See Far Enough In All Directions to proceed safely withOUT YOUR approach Stopping long enough for YOU to perform BOTH An AUDIO verification AND a Visual verification that "all's clear", then, sign OR NO SIGN, Stopping is obliged by Law and you scrood up and consider yourself lucky to simply have to pay the 'fine' commensurate to that contempt.

As to your more likely actual worry, 200 bux is 4 payments of 50 bux a piece - back in the late 70s-early 80s, Credit cards became popular enough to actually have been issued -Unsolicited- to family pets, and their "50 dollar indemnification" policy "encouraged" Monetary Fining to accept similar payment schedules - Today you'd be hard pressed to find any jurisdiction just about anywhere in the world that refuses to finance Fines at 50 bux a month payable by cash, check, money order, MasterCard and Visa. So if you're too antsy to wait long enough to read your payment options toward the bottom of the payment form, smile and quizzically chuckle "Can we arrange that on an installment plan? I'm broke."

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There is nothing to argue. You didn't fully stop. Pay the fine and get it over with.