Virginia Speeding Tickets in a school zone (buses, speeding ticket)

[driving_is_hard]

Today I got a speeding ticket 40 in a 25 because the flashing light was on. I drive this way often, but not at 1:55 in the afternoon, so I am aware of the flashing light. However, I realized that I didn't see it because buses were blocking the whole right lane. Now perhaps common sense would have told me if there were buses, there would be a flashing light, but needless to say, they didn't. Is it worth telling the judge that I didn't see the flashing light because all of the buses were blocking the view? Or is that silly?

[pcity]

Might be worth a shot. Just showing up to court often gets a fine or points reduced, but it will be very difficult to get them to dismiss the ticket completely.

[Jwbagz21]

Originally Posted by pcity

Might be worth a shot. Just showing up to court often gets a fine or points reduced, but it will be very difficult to get them to dismiss the ticket completely.

I agree, dealing with this frequently, (wont go into that :-) I would agree that just showing up when not actually required usually gets the ticket reduced without you even having to open your mouth. However as unfair and wishy washy as it may sound it really depends on the mood of the judge that day. If he gives you the opportunity to speak on your behalf I would. If it seems he's just "zipping over you" to speed up court proceedings I wouldn't even bother saying anything, like I said your ticket will probably get reduced, (also depends on your previous record) Good Luck!

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by driving_is_hard

Today I got a speeding ticket 40 in a 25 because the flashing light was on. I drive this way often, but not at 1:55 in the afternoon, so I am aware of the flashing light. However, I realized that I didn't see it because buses were blocking the whole right lane. Now perhaps common sense would have told me if there were buses, there would be a flashing light, but needless to say, they didn't. Is it worth telling the judge that I didn't see the flashing light because all of the buses were blocking the view? Or is that silly?

Talk to the prosecutor. If you have a good record they will more than likely let you take a driving class and bump it down to speeding with a fine. Everybody makes mistakes. Having said that, they do usually look at the school zones pretty harshly.