just got my first speeding ticket ever, advice? (insurance, buying)

[inferno272]

Ive never been pulled over before, but i was tonight. speed limit was 55mph, i was sitting in the right lane with a car on my left, and a truck tailgating me. i had to take a left turn exit up ahead and my choices were either slow down, with a tailgater, or speed up and overtake the car. of course i sped up, overtook the car, and wham, pulled over for driving too fast. they clocked me at 72, which is about right, i gunned it to get away from the tailgater (and i was doing 65 like everyone else does on 316).

anyways, i explained this to the officer, he was like, well, next time, dont worry about the tailgater, just slow down and move over when you get a chance instead of speeding up.

gee, thanks.

so, on the ticket he said i admitted my guilt, which i suppose i did, since i told him i had to speed up to get away from the tailgater and into my turn lane. does this mean i should just pay the fine and accept the points and get on with my life? is it worth trying to fight it since it says i have admitted guilt? what should i do? im a total noob when it comes to this.

EDIT: A few other things, yes, im manning up, this was totally my fault, the previous thing was an explanation of the circumstances, NOT an excuse. Secondly i live in gwinnett county, and this was about 3 minutes from my house, so im guessing the court stuff is in gwinnett somewhere as well.

Any idea what the fine will be? ballpark?

One last question, i know this thing has 2 points that comes along with it, and im not sure i want to waste my 1 "no lo" thing on this, just in case (especially since ive never been pulled over before) but how long does it take for those 2 points to come off my record?

[NYCtotheATL]

I'm new to the area and don't know all the rules yet regarding these things but I would plead not guilty, mail your ticket in with a letter outlining everything that happened... basically what you wrote in your post, and hope for a reduced fine. You never know, the person reviewing might have done the same thing you have at some point in their life and have some sympathy for you.

Good luck!

[rvbrad]

You can't plead not guilty in GA and mail in a letter.

Wait a few weeks as it will take that long for all of the paperwork to reach all of the necessary departments. Then, call the solicitor's office and ask to speak to the solicitor (the solicitor is like the DA of traffic court). Explain your circumstance and see if they'll lower it to 14mph over the limit. This will void the points, but the fine will stand. GA does not report to insurance companies until 15mph over the limit.

Do NOT plead NOLO for a speeding ticket of this stature.

[inferno272]

Originally Posted by rvbrad

You can't plead not guilty in GA and mail in a letter.

Wait a few weeks as it will take that long for all of the paperwork to reach all of the necessary departments. Then, call the solicitor's office and ask to speak to the solicitor (the solicitor is like the DA of traffic court). Explain your circumstance and see if they'll lower it to 14mph over the limit. This will void the points, but the fine will stand. GA does not report to insurance companies until 15mph over the limit.

Do NOT plead NOLO for a speeding ticket of this stature.

yeah, i figured using a NOLO here would be retarded. thanks for the advice. any idea what the fine would be, cost wise? times are hard (Arent they for everyone?) im hoping it wont be exorbitant. my brother got a ticket for failure to change lanes or whatever when he drove by a cop, and got a $500 fine. sheesh, im hoping this isnt as bad. honestly im hoping closer to like 150.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by rvbrad

You can't plead not guilty in GA and mail in a letter.

Wait a few weeks as it will take that long for all of the paperwork to reach all of the necessary departments.

.

A few weeks???

Maybe, it was because Rockdale is so small but when I received my first ticket, I had a court date in exactly 2 weeks....Which was a shock coming from MD....

17 over...? My fine for going 60 in a 45 was $108...

[netdragon]

You're not going to be able fight it unless you're clearly right and there are witnesses. The fact you admitted guilt makes it so at best you could negotiate it down. It's about making money.

Offering proactively to take defensive driving courses, etc, sometimes works to keep yourself from getting more points on your license.

[gt6974a]

Originally Posted by rvbrad

GA does not report to insurance companies until 15mph over the limit.

This is a popular misconception, DMV does not report your MVR to your insurance company.

Your insurance company has to request and pull your MVR. You can call and ask.

My MVR hasn't been pulled for more than 2.5 years. I know b/c my agent told me when I asked.

Points on your license also has nothing to do with your insurance b/c it goes on your MVR and it's up to the insurance company to determine if your rate goes up b/c of a ticket.

Even if you were to plea no-lo and receive no points, the ticket would still go on your MVR and it's up to your insurance company on whether or not to raise your rates.

This is a 2 point ticket, you need something like 21 points in a 2 year period to lose your license so don't worry about the points so much.

[saharaga]

I have been to traffic court several times and the judge almost always sides with the police officer. I sat there once waiting for my turn and there was a woman involved in an accident attempting to plead her case. Although she brought witnesses to dispute the officer's report, the judge still ruled against her. Whatever the reason is, you were speeding. Like you said, "man up" and pay the ticket. Fines vary by county. I was pulled over in Fulton for going 72 in a 55 last year. The fine was almost $300. It hurts but it's the responsible thing to do.

[JoeyDUde]

I would recommend buying a CD from thegeorgiaspeedingticketkiller.com It got me out of a 70 in 45 ticket. The CD shows you how to act in court and what questions to ask as well provides case laws to print out.

[samiwas1]

I have received a fair share of speeding and other tickets, and always found it much easier to just pay them. Who wants to go through all the court process for a simple speeding ticket, unless it's going to cause you other major headaches like driving classes and such?

Only once have I had to go to court (because I don't think you can just mail in expired registration fines), and listening to these people try to defend themselves was laughable. Especially when they were asking for jury trials for a $100 ticket that they KNOW they were guilty of.