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I hope somebody can give me some advice, because I don't know what to do and I can't find the right answer on google.
Tonight, I was coming back home from work. I was really tired and around 11:30 pm, I encountered a four way intersection with stop signs on all sides. The area was empty and dark. I slowed down, almost to a stop, but honestly, I did not completely stop where I was supposed to. In just a couple seconds, a cop appeared out of nowhere and gave me a ticket for "failing to stop at a duly erected stop sign". I got my citation and was told that I could either appear in court or just pay the fine which is $180.
The thing is that I do not know what to do now. I used to live in California, and over there, you had the chance to pay the fine, attend traffic school, and that would prevent points from appearing on your record.
I have been told that it is different here in North Carolina. This is the first ticket that I get in this state so I'm not sure what involves appearing in court. Is there any way to avoid getting points on my license for this violation? My main concern is not the fine, but the consequences on my insurance. The last time I got a citation was back in California in 2004, and that is already cleared off my record. This is my only violation in NC. Before tonight, my record was completely clean. What do I do? Does North Carolina allow attending driving school to erase these points? Do I need to get an attorney for these types of citations? And if so, are there any you may recommend? Just another thing. Is it possible to do community service hours instead of paying the fine?
Have no fear you will be contacted shortly by a NC attorney who will offer his/her services to represent you in court. They will offer to have the charge reduced to a non moving violation and you will not get any points. This will cost you slightly more than the ticket but it will save you from getting points.
NC police and the trial lawyers certainly have a good thing going.
I would love to send you a copy of the letter I received but my court date is coming soon and you never know who cruises the internet.
Be patient your letter will arrive shortly.
Be careful of attorneys to contact you. There are many good attorneys who do not want to milk you of your well earned money. Ask around for such an attorney.
The other option is to sign the waiver on the citation and pay the cost of court.
[SIZE=3]Thanks to all of you for your replies. Jambo101, why should I live with the consequences if the system gives me the chance to fight the ticket? Ok, I made a mistake, but I don’t think it’s wrong for me to play their game using their rules, right?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I contacted a friend who works for an attorney and she told me that her boss would help me with this situation for $200 plus the court costs. I don’t know much about this attorney, but I really trust this friend. She’s helped me a lot in the past so I’m confident that if she tells me this guy is good, then she must be right. But, does $200 for an attorney fee sound reasonable?[/SIZE]
By all means get out of the ticket if you can but taking time off work or hiring lawyers to fight the ticket may prove more expensive and stressful than the ticket.
Good luck.
The big thing would be the insurance, but I think one minor ticket in three years doesn't count against you for insurance. I think Stop sign would be minor. maybe try dealing with the DA yourself first and see what you can get? When I got a ticket in South Carolina- I was able to plea it under 10 (it was 16 over), which saved me a good bit of money.
For my first ticket (age 18, 50 in a 35), I appeared without representation with the goal of contesting the charge. The DA offered traffic school as an option, and weighing that option against the unlikeliness that I would prevail in a my word against his scenario, I chose traffic school and the incident was erased from my record.
My second citation was in Johnston County (69 in a 55). I had to appear for that and again opted for no representation. I paid the fine plus court costs, which came to a total of just under $200. That offense stayed on my record, but there were no points against my record or insurance.
I hired an attorney for my last ticket (68 in a 55). I had the attorney ask repeatedly for a continuance. It was several months before I finally had him plead on my behalf to a lesser charge, which resulted in no points. Altogether, the lawyer and fine/court costs set me back about $300.
For me, at least, hiring an attorney gave the benefit of not needing to appear in person, but I'm not sure if it was worth the extra cost. All three were speeding violations, though, and not failure to stop. I guess it depends on how far it is from your home (in my case it was just 2 counties away). For minor infractions, fines usually can be paid by mail (which I believe is taken as a guilty plea). None of my tickets had that option.
Running through a stop sign is, I believe, a 3 point violation. This is enough to affect your insurance--one point is not a big deal, but 3 will make your rates rise in most cases. If the lawyer can get you off with 1 point (or maybe even none), then the $200 is well-spent.
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