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I was traveling in NC from out of state and recevied a ticket going south on I-85 for 79mph in a 65. This was in Rowan County and my court date is set in early July for the courthouse in Salisbury.
I've been doing a lot of research about how to handle this ticket, but I am unsure whether to go to court myself or hire an attorney. I inadvertantly admitted to speeding at the scene so I wasn't planning on fighting this tooth and nail, just hoping to reduce the penalty to ensure I don't get points on my license and increased insurance rates (I don't care about the court costs). This is my first ticket and besides this incident, my record is emaculate.
So, I hear Salisbury is notorious for issuing speeding tickets. Will I be allowed to speak with the DA in court prior to my case being heard to plead something lesser? When I called the DA's office they said that I'd only be able to talk with the DA in "open court". Will I be given the opportunity to lower the penalities or receive a prayer for judgement prior to addressing the judge? Would it be best to just get a lawyer? If anyone has recent experience with this particular jurisdiction I'd like to hear from you.
If this is your first time and you don't plan on getting others, just take the class, it's cheaper.
The problem is that technically, according to NC law, anything over 75 could result in a loss of driving privileges. I have had my share of tickets, and this has never happened to me, but according to the law it could.
As I read it, she's not from NC. If that's the case, the prayer for judgment shouldn't be applicable, neither should our "lose your license" threat of excessive speeding. If your state offers a driver's class for reducing or eliminating the record of the ticket, I'd take that and be done with it. Don't feed the bottom scavenging ticket attorneys if you don't have to.
As I read it, she's not from NC. If that's the case, the prayer for judgment shouldn't be applicable, neither should our "lose your license" threat of excessive speeding. If your state offers a driver's class for reducing or eliminating the record of the ticket, I'd take that and be done with it. Don't feed the bottom scavenging ticket attorneys if you don't have to.
I knew it! Just as soon as we start talking to each other again!!!!!
I live in Atlanta right now for school but have a Maryland license. What I am most concerned with is my insurance rates increasing. I'm willing to drive to Salisbury myself for the court date, but I don't want it to be a waste if I end up not getting the penalities reduced, when a lawyer could have successfully done it for me. I'm not sure if taking a class is an option for me (since I am a MD resident, technically).
What I'd like to know is how likely is it for me to get the charges reduced to a 9 over or 5 over if I go in person and how I should go about doing this in court.
The classes will be state-specific. That means, you'll be governed by MD's rules on ticket classes. I have no idea if they offer them or not in that state. All NC will do is report back to your state that you got a ticket in NC. From there, your points are handed out to your license, and then the insurance finds out by doing their annual (or semi-annual) check on your license. So if MD offers the classes, you could pay the ticket (assuming it's not for too too much money), then pay for the classes and have the ticket erased from your history. Conversely, you could pay an attorney (remember, they are never 100% guaranteed to be successful in reducing your ticket to something that doesn't assign points to your license) and pay whatever small ticket they may end up with.
My advice is to find out what MD's rules are on assigning points. For instance, for NC drivers, no insurance points are assigned if you did 9MPH or under. You get 1 DL point, but it takes like 3 or 4 DL points before you start getting a higher insurance rate. So, in my esteemed opinion , it's best to pay a ticket that's 9 or less over and be done with it...and don't do it again!
It'll vary by state. Do your little bit of homework before just paying an attorney the $300 that they want to suck out of you.
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