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1.Well,today is my traffic court date,but is it an arraignment or a trial? Since,I don't know how goes in the state of Minnesota.
2.This is the statement that I might use in the case to defend myself,if you can help me improve on this.
Your Honor,I was accuse of speeding at 89 MPH on a 65 MPH,I would say that I thought that I was going at a reasonable speed because the car in front of me was a reasonable distance. I have a clean driving record ever since,I started driving which is 3 years ago. I was confident enough that I didn't check the speedometer. It is because I was paying attention to the road ahead of me.
3.Any more advice?
4&5.What do you do to find out the court cost if lost your case? Do you just call the courthouse?
Specific procedures will vary by county, but your first appearance will generally be an arraignment.
Don't bother defending yourself; they don't want to hear it and they don't care. They've heard it all, and besides, it's an arraignment, not a trial. The thing about your case that looks really bad for you is that you've been accused of going almost 90 MPH. That's more than a little high for the "oops, my mind wandered" defense. 90 MPH. C'mon. Everyone knows that's fast enough to realize you should slow down or face the consequences.
If you are sure you were not going that fast, then say nothing except "not guilty," get a trial date, then call a lawyer to do it right.
Otherwise, if your driving record has been clean for awhile (either one or two years--I can't quite remember) you generally will have the opportunity to ask for "diversion," or basically put, probation. You pay the full fine in exchange for the ticket staying off your record if you have no further moving violations for a year. If you're found guilty of another moving violation within a year of the agreement, then this moving violation will also be placed on your record--a two-for-one!
Get the diversion, pay the fine, and good luck.
Oh, and two final words of advice for you, my friend: Cruise Control.
1.Well,today is my traffic court date,but is it an arraignment or a trial? Since,I don't know how goes in the state of Minnesota.
2.This is the statement that I might use in the case to defend myself,if you can help me improve on this.
Your Honor,I was accuse of speeding at 89 MPH on a 65 MPH,I would say that I thought that I was going at a reasonable speed because the car in front of me was a reasonable distance. I have a clean driving record ever since,I started driving which is 3 years ago. I was confident enough that I didn't check the speedometer. It is because I was paying attention to the road ahead of me.
3.Any more advice?
4&5.What do you do to find out the court cost if lost your case? Do you just call the courthouse?
The best you can hope for is that the cop doesn't show (I don't think he or she supposes to show in court today so it will be a "two tripper" for you). Today you negotiate. Go for a reduced speed so it doesn't show on your insurance record. So find out what that speed is and admit to just under that and pay your fine. Call a competitive insurance company today and ask that question.
If I heard your pitch and you were accused of going 89MPH in a 65, I'd call you guilty as charged. Even if you got a 75 in a 65 ticket, your argument doesn't hold. Listen to yourself: you are telling the judge you don't know how fast you were going. That means that the RADAR is probably correct. Now if you said you know you were going 65 MPH and therefore they must have clocked the guy ahead of you t that would be a more viable argument. Of course, police cars in most major cities will have everything on camera and all of your responses on audio tucked away on there recorder in the trunk. They usually are not going to believe a 20 year old male saying he was not speeding.
In the end, this should serve as a lesson. I was also going too fast at 20 years old as well. I was stupid. 24 MPH over is dangerous and unfortunately you deserved a ticket. Ask you Mom. She will tell you the same.
The best you can hope for is that the cop doesn't show (I don't think he or she supposes to show in court today so it will be a "two tripper" for you). Today you negotiate. Go for a reduced speed so it doesn't show on your insurance record. So find out what that speed is and admit to just under that and pay your fine. Call a competitive insurance company today and ask that question.
If I heard your pitch and you were accused of going 89MPH in a 65, I'd call you guilty as charged. Even if you got a 75 in a 65 ticket, your argument doesn't hold. Listen to yourself: you are telling the judge you don't know how fast you were going. That means that the RADAR is probably correct. Now if you said you know you were going 65 MPH and therefore they must have clocked the guy ahead of you t that would be a more viable argument. Of course, police cars in most major cities will have everything on camera and all of your responses on audio tucked away on there recorder in the trunk. They usually are not going to believe a 20 year old male saying he was not speeding.
In the end, this should serve as a lesson. I was also going too fast at 20 years old as well. I was stupid. 24 MPH over is dangerous and unfortunately you deserved a ticket. Ask you Mom. She will tell you the same.
Well,I forgot to take your advice,but I have to pay my court fees and do 14 hours of community service within 6 months.
1.If I did admitted that I was not guilty and went to a pre-trial,what are some ways that I could have proof that I didn't speed?
2.What pro bono(s) in the Twin Cities do you recommend just in case,I will get another speeding ticket in the future?
3.How long will the speeding ticket will be listed on my automobile insurance record?
4.How long will the speeding charge will be on my driving record?
5.If you do get your driver's license suspended for the first time,how long will it be suspended?
6&7.What does it take to get it suspended the second time? And so on...?
8.What did you have to do in total in that the state of MN will never let you drive again legally?
9&10.By the way,they didn't give me a petition? What is that? I did my rights,though.
11&12.Is it illegal to use a radar detector? If so,then what states would allow it?
13.What radar detector do you recommend?
14.Are there traffic camera in Minnesota?
15.Who usually check your driving record when you apply for something?
You speed will count on your insurance 3-5 years depending on the company-expect to pay higher rates as a result. If you get 3 or more speeds the insurance company could drop you and finding new insurance can be VERY expensive.
Who else checks driving records-oh, future employers, insurance companies (if you are getting life insurance, disability insurance), anything that you will need to use a car for in the future.
The real solution to your problem is to slow down. A speeding ticket is the least of your worries when you drive 90+ MPH. There is absolutely no reason to drive that fast in the first place.
Perhaps you should consider doing your community service at a long term care facility that has patients with traumatic brain injuries.
Well,I forgot to take your advice,but I have to pay my court fees and do 14 hours of community service within 6 months.
1.If I did admitted that I was not guilty and went to a pre-trial,what are some ways that I could have proof that I didn't speed?
2.What pro bono(s) in the Twin Cities do you recommend just in case,I will get another speeding ticket in the future?
3.How long will the speeding ticket will be listed on my automobile insurance record?
4.How long will the speeding charge will be on my driving record?
5.If you do get your driver's license suspended for the first time,how long will it be suspended?
6&7.What does it take to get it suspended the second time? And so on...?
8.What did you have to do in total in that the state of MN will never let you drive again legally?
9&10.By the way,they didn't give me a petition? What is that? I did my rights,though.
11&12.Is it illegal to use a radar detector? If so,then what states would allow it?
13.What radar detector do you recommend?
14.Are there traffic camera in Minnesota?
15.Who usually check your driving record when you apply for something?
I'm not an attorney so I don't know the answers to your questions other than Radar detectors are legal in MN. Also, your record follows you. I take the standard 5-7 MPH "buffer" when I speed. Meaning, I'll go 60-62 on the highway and I no longer get pulled over. In residential neighborhoods, I follow the speed limit. If I had a Radar detector at age 44, I would use it and get more tickets. Therefore I don't own one.
When I was 20, I had a Passport brand RADAR detector which I still think is considered the best. The RADAR detector gives you a false sense of security. For me, I got pulled over more often because I was an IDIOT and felt it was going to save me because I could beat the system. Therefore you speed more. Buy one and I predict you too will get more tickets (not less).
The insurance actuaries are smart folks. They thumb through a lot of data and they have concluded that males in their early twenties speed and get into more accidents. Therefore, they charge more for insurance. You post would solidify their point of view.
My recommendation is an easy one. Slow down. Now that you have a ticket, any time you get pulled over the officer will accurately conclude that you have not learned yet. Once the 1st ticket is on your record, its nearly impossible to talk yourself out of one.
The only employers I know of that check your driving record are ones where driving is a requirement of the job. The infraction will be on your record for a while but as long as you don't have any other citations or accidents on your record it won't affect your insurance rate.
I am not as sure about the insurance rates. I thought that there is a distinction between getting at ticket for 10 or less over the limit and more than 10 over. Most insurance companies are not going to jack your rates for a single ticket of 10 or less over the limit, but I suspect every one of them would raise rates the maximum amount if you get tagged doing 90. I believe the cap is 15%. The general rule is you get jacked on the 2nd ticket or first accident.
Nobody is going to take a traffic ticket pro bono. You would have to pay a retainer up front and more than likely you are looking at $500 at the least for any lawyer to take this in front of a judge.
Radar detectors are nearly usesless with the technonlogy changes that they have made in the guns. The guns used to send a signal constantly when they were on, now they only send signal when the operator pushes the button. That means they see you speeding, they push the button, you are busted. You might get lucky and detect somebody else getting tagged, but they have also changed the type of radar as well. Some guns in use are still older as well, but I would never depend on radar detector these days.
I totally agree with the recomendation to slow down. This ticket will be there and you can bank on this - no cop will ever give you a break as long as this is on your record. Not going to happen, so don't put yourself in a bad situation. Pretty much a case where you can do your self a huge favor if you accept the fact that you made a mistake, and change your thinking about driving.
Traffic cameras were in place in Minneapolis for some time, but they were defeated in court and turned off as it was determined that they are unconstituional. I believe the city of Minneapolis is now in process of refunding the fines collected from tickets generated by the cameras. Great example of wastefull spending by government. This will end up being a waste of many millions of dollars.
Suspensions are not hard and fast. 30 days is fairly common. You can get up to one year on first offense, longer on subsequent violations.
Consider yourself on thin ice and you should be ok going forward. My first car was a 68 roadrunner, so I too got myself into a pickle. Acceleration is addictive and a big block V8 is happy to supply the buzz.
I am not as sure about the insurance rates. I thought that there is a distinction between getting at ticket for 10 or less over the limit and more than 10 over. Most insurance companies are not going to jack your rates for a single ticket of 10 or less over the limit, but I suspect every one of them would raise rates the maximum amount if you get tagged doing 90. I believe the cap is 15%. The general rule is you get jacked on the 2nd ticket or first accident.
Maybe it depends somewhat on who the insurer is. My policy goes by a point system and you need at least 2 points before it affects the rates. Traffic citations count as 1 point against you and traffic accidents count as 2 points I believe.
If I were in the car with you and asked you to stop speeding would you stop speeding? Anyway, I'm asking you to please stop speeding. Yeah call me an old fart.
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They thumb through a lot of data and they have concluded that males in their early twenties speed and get into more accidents. Therefore, they charge more for insurance. You post would solidify their point of view.
