Speeding ticket: should I try to get out of this?

[echorec]

I seem to go about 5 years without any hassle, then I'll get 2 in 6 months under atypical circumstances (long road trips, late-night outings doing someone a favor).

So the first ticket (October) was thrown out, because the court date fell on a holiday. I was ecstatic, because I was going to have to lend myself money via credit card/PayPal to cover it.

Then I find out the paperwork on the second one had never shown up to court. It had been 6 weeks, so I thought the Universe was being unusually generous with me. Then I call in and find out the cop turned it in during the final week and I was going to have a $188 ticket (because he's a fucking state trooper and it costs triple when they're involved).

I inquired about traffic court with the clerk, who informed me the judge won't dismiss the ticket, even if I complete traffic court. It will just lower my speed on the ticket (72 in a 55). ----Basically I got walled off from my exit by slow drivers who were bunched together. I couldn't pass them or merge until the slow driver in front of me completed his fucking 5-min snail pass. Then I accelerated, so I couldn't be blocked from my back-up exit and be 5 miles from a turnaround point.

Of course there's a fucking state trooper hidden behind a weed-covered guard rail in the median and he nails me at top speed, while I overtook this semi-truck. And of course all the dickheads behind me stayed in the right, so there was no one blocking him from being able to pull out of the ditch and into the highway.

I needed a matter of seconds to pull off this pass and then make my exit, without any further hassle. I was speeding for 10 secs and this fucking ticket represents about half of my paycheck (shitty seasonal job that's about to expire). ----Should I bother with explaining I'm coming off a layoff and about to go back on a layoff and appeal for a delayed payment? I know nothing about this judge, except that he's been doing it for 10 years and he throws out tickets, if they fall on holidays. He could be really uptight and a stickler for rules, or he could consider my income/debt ratio and give me a deferment or perhaps even a reduction.

I'm trying to figure out if I should write a paragraph to this judge, or just eat my turd sandwich courtesy of the state trooper office. If I get back a patronizing, obnoxious, self-righteous lecture from the judge, I think I'd hate that more than my bullshit ticket.

[JonnyAngle]

The ticket will 100% not get thrown out or reduced if you do nothing.

I would explain the situation without ANY exaggeration. If you exaggerate, then the story will sound like BS.

[Bassist_Diver]

Never hurts to try. I couldn’t get my last one thrown out but was able to get the judge to remove it from my record in half the time just by showing up and explaining my situation to her.

[D.o.S.]

Appeal it.

[Ugly Nora]

Ask for a deffered payment or payment plan, if they do that sort of thing. I wouldn't ask for a reduction of the fine because you did commit the crime, and if you dont pay for it, the taxpayers will have to pay for it.

Let us know what happens.

[Jwar]

Just pay the ticket man. I've gotten tons over the years. Last one I got was 130 bucks for going 6 over. 6 fucking mph over!! You got off lucky IMO if it's only 188. I've had a 400 dollar speeding ticket before. That shit fucking sucks.

[dubkitty]

sometimes they'll reduce it if you show up for the hearing.

[gnomethrone]

Just yell "I AM A SOVERIEGN CITIZEN" and kick some furniture over. Should resolve everything.

[echorec]

So I called my sister (reluctantly because we don't get along). She said she'd never heard of this judge dismissing a ticket in 15 years, when it involved a state trooper. She said the best I could hope for would be a rescheduled court date, which aligned with the trooper's schedule. That does me no good. There's no option here for installments or reductions.

What really fucks me off is that in another area, I could get online traffic school and it'd cost $39 to do a 4-hr course from home. Here it'd be $50+, 8 hours in-person, and it would make my ticket 57 in a 55 (ticket would still stick). I fucking hate state troopers. In almost 20 years of driving, I've never gotten a ticket from the local sheriff's department.

[echorec]

Just yell "I AM A SOVERIEGN CITIZEN" and kick some furniture over. Should resolve everything.

I just need to move to a libertarian wonderland, where there are no speeding limits and you can fire warning shots to nudge slower drivers into the fucking Sunday lane.

[echorec]

Just pay the ticket man. I've gotten tons over the years. Last one I got was 130 bucks for going 6 over. 6 fucking mph over!! You got off lucky IMO if it's only 188. I've had a 400 dollar speeding ticket before. That shit fucking sucks.

Don't you live in Kansas? Your state was auctioning off sex toys to cover delinquent taxes just a few years ago. Of course your tickets are going to be outrageous.

[D.o.S.]

You could potentially reduce the points on your license by going for the reduced speed, though?

[echorec]

You could potentially reduce the points on your license by going for the reduced speed, though?

Does the DOS stand for Department of Safety?

[Jwar]

Just pay the ticket man. I've gotten tons over the years. Last one I got was 130 bucks for going 6 over. 6 fucking mph over!! You got off lucky IMO if it's only 188. I've had a 400 dollar speeding ticket before. That shit fucking sucks.

Don't you live in Kansas? Your state was auctioning off sex toys to cover delinquent taxes just a few years ago. Of course your tickets are going to be outrageous.

[Chankgeez]

Just yell "I AM A SOVERIEGN CITIZEN" and kick some furniture over. Should resolve everything.

I just need to move to a libertarian wonderland, where there are no speeding limits and you can fire warning shots to nudge slower drivers into the fucking Sunday lane.

You could potentially reduce the points on your license by going for the reduced speed, though?

Does the DOS stand for Department of Safety?

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