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You will usually get a bunch of letters from lawyers in the week or so following a ticket. Talk to some of them. But I'm not sure the improper equipment deal would work for two reasons. One, that's usually essentially saying your speedometer might have been wrong and this is for a stop sign. Two, unless they started back doing it recently, Wake County doesn't do improper equipment reductions anymore.
You could always go talk to the ADA and see if they will give you anything but I'm just not sure what reduction is actually available for failure to stop. Now, if you had a dash cam yourself and the video proved you stopped, I'd definitely show them that and ask for a trial, but otherwise, it's a tough one to fight I would think.
1 - Wake county does offer improper equipment reduction now, but there are parameters (IE can't be going 20+ over). This is why I specifically called that out in my initial reply.
2 - Improper equipment is not only for speeding, and it does not imply specifically that your speedometer is broken. I do not have 100% concrete personal experience getting IE on a failure to stop ticket in Wake County specifically, so I wont talk out of my ass by regurgitating things I read on the internet as fact, as some others do. My understanding given what I know is unless Wake has specific guidelines preventing IE from being applied to a failure to stop (and I get it, Wake are the worst of the road pirates around here), don't see why they would be any different than tons of other counties, who do allow you to do that. Again, Im only drawing a conclusion for whatever its worth, do not have personal experience using IE for failure to stop in Wake cty.
That's interesting that it is available again. Good to know.
I don't have any experience on a stop sign ticket in at least 25 years and I got off that because it had snowed a couple days prior, I was in a residential neighborhood with no traffic or people near me and I specifically didn't completely stop so I wouldn't have to get going again on a patch of ice. I explained that to the judge and she let me off! I couldn't believe it personally.
Will be interesting to see what the lawyers say about it then.The only equipment I could see being improper for stopping completely are brakes and thats a fair bit more dangerous than a faulty speedo. Then again, its all a game anyway.
Funny thing is I remember someone telling me years ago that they had to actually go to a speedometer shop and have them say the speedometer was off to get out of a ticket.
I had this same thing happen to me back in 2013. I thought I stopped but knew it would be the cop's word against mine. I had no tickets and no points on my license at the time and was told by people on this board to use the PJC and it would be like nothing ever happened. Well I did that - and it was a total, complete, absolute disaster. I might as well not have done anything and just paid the ticket by mail. Instead, I made a trip to the courthouse, went before the judge, asked and got the PJC and thought that was it. A couple of months later, my insurance rates skyrocket almost doubling - so I called them and they said it was due to the stop sign violation. So I was puzzled. I went to the DMV and got a copy of my record - and sure enough - there was everything listed - the violation, the PJC, etc....and none of it did a damn bit of good. Over the next 3 years (6 insurance periods), the total increase in my premiums because of that ticket were well over $1000 and that is in addition to the cost of the $200 court fees I had to pay when I got the PJC. I spent hours and hours and days and days and weeks and weeks on the phone with everyone you can imagine - from the Insurance Commissioner, my insurance company, the DMV - and most frustratingly, the reporting agency - a mysterious company called Lexis Nexis and NONE of them were any help. I eventually just gave up out of frustration and being so upset that it wasn't worth the stress anymore. But the bottom line is all this crap you read about the PJC being the solution and the way to go to make things better - don't believe it.
DeanJ44, I did read your story over this forum before posting this. I totally understand your frustration.
I had this same thing happen to me back in 2013. I thought I stopped but knew it would be the cop's word against mine. I had no tickets and no points on my license at the time and was told by people on this board to use the PJC and it would be like nothing ever happened. Well I did that - and it was a total, complete, absolute disaster.
Just quoting this here for truth. People, this is why I implore you, on every post, if you dont know what youre talking about, dont spread myths. People have got to stop regurgitating terrible advice and acting like because they read it on a messageboard somewhere, that its true. If some of us come off as argumentative, its only because we're trying to prevent stuff like the above happening to people. Its easy to sit behind a keyboard and be an expert...if you havent lived it, or done it, or know with certainty its true, asterisk w that warning (as one poster did above). Everyone can have opinions, state them as such. Facts are different.
I just had one in a different county. I paid a lawyer and had the ticket reduced so I didn't have a spike in insurance. It was my first ticket in nearly 14 years.
What most people don't understand as far as insurance goes is that even if you get a PJC for the ticket, it is still scored as far as your driving record. They can't charge points if you get a PJC unless you have more than one, but if that violation puts you over the threshold for non-preferred rates then it's going to cause a cascade of charges.
For example, in NC specifically if you are speeding over 75mph and you are 16mph or greater over the limit that is going to be a 4 point major speeding ticket. You can get a PJC for it and your insurance can't charge points but that major violation will automatically throw you into the high risk pool which will result in a much higher premium and possibly cancellation of comp and collision coverage. The PJC can't save you from that.
DeanJ44 that is interesting....did you switch insurance providers after getting the pjc? Anyone else in your household have one?
Typically a PJC is the proper route to go for a stop sign violation. OP if you want to PM me I'll talk you through the process. I'm an attorney that practices in Wake quite a bit.
In my experience they've only granted IE's on speed related charges.
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