Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks for sharing your experience with me. Luckily I have an NSC Defensive Driving Course certificate now. Hope that will be helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by george020106
Actually I have a certificate for the NSC Defensive Driving Course after I finished it last year. Will that be useful? What I need to do is just bring it to the court and ask for points and fine deduction politely, is that correct?
From what I understand, an NSC Defensive Driving Course certificate cannot be used for Georgia license points reduction, only for possible insurance rate reduction.
Defensive driving certificates for Georgia points reduction can only be obtained from a state-certified DUI/Defensive Driving school in a Defensive Driving course specifically designed for state license points reduction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by george020106
What I need to do is just bring it (the Defensive Driving Points Reduction Certificate) to the court and ask for points and fine deduction politely, is that correct?
NO...After you obtain a Defensive Driving/Points Reduction Certificate DO NOT take the Defensive Driving Points Reduction Certificate to court.
Instead you have to present the Points Reduction Certificate in person to a Georgia Department of Driver Services Customer Service Center (DDS/License Branch), or mail it to the DDS' mail paperwork processing center in Conyers.
Here is a link with the information on where to take or where to send the Defensive Driving Points Reduction Certificate: Points and Points Reduction
From the link above:
Quote:
Points Reductions
How do I obtain a Points Reduction?
In accordance with O.C.G.A §40-5-86, licensed Georgia residents may request that DDS reduce the number of points assessed against their Georgia driver's license up to 7 points once every 5 years.
To qualify for a Points Reduction, you must successfully complete a certified Driver Improvement (defensive driving) course and present the original certificate of completion to the DDS by mail or in person at one of our Customer Service Centers.
If you request a Points Reduction by mail, please mail the original Driver Improvement (defensive driving) certificate of completion to the Georgia Department of Driver Services, P. O. Box 80447, Conyers, Georgia 30013.
Originally Posted by Newsboy A lawyer is gonna cost you way more than $200 ... just saying. Sounds like that cop was just looking to make his quota for the day. You can plead your case before the judge and see what happens. I've never had a problem with city of Atlanta traffic court. The judges there are FAR FAR more understanding and tolerant than the ones down in Fayette County ... TRUST ME, I KNOW!
But the money that the OP spends on a GOOD lawyer (not just any lawyer) will be well worth it if it keeps both the points off of the OP's license AND keeps traffic violation from becoming a misdemeanor driving conviction that gets put on the OP's permanent driving record.
...Something which will be particularly important if the OP either currently has a driving job or may attempt to obtain a driving job in the future for which the OP's driving record and traffic violation history will be particularly important.
Hiring a good lawyer can also be money well spent if it keeps the traffic violation from being reported to the OP's insurance company.
Quote:
Originally Posted by george020106
What I am anxious is if I go to the court, will there be a risk for them to raise the fine or arrest me if I plead no guilty?
If the case goes to trial and the court finds you guilty of the full current charge then you will end up paying the fine, plus public safety fees, plus court fees.
If this is your first traffic offense or you have not had a traffic offense in awhile then there is little to no chance that you will be arrested.
Although, if you do not retain an attorney, you will be responsible for following up and making sure that the payment and satisfaction of the fine and the ticket has been properly recorded in the court's records (something that you should do even if you do have an attorney) so that you can try not to have anymore problems off of that one traffic violation (...problems like being arrested on a warrant because the court's records incorrectly show the ticket as being unpaid).
The best advice you can get is from someone who recently went through it....
Two months ago I was pulled over for "Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road." I'm a real estate agent and was downtown dropping off keys for another agent. The road I was on was a two way but I was parked on the street and needed to back up about 5 feet to make a left. There was a car parked behind me and so I was unable to back up. Instead, I made a partial u-turn to make the left. The minute I did this, I saw flashing lights behind me. The cops must have known this turn was an issue. Why else would they have been staked out??
Long story short, I got a ticket for driving on the wrong side of the street ($200) and no I.D. on person ($10). I decided I was going to plead not guilty and take my chances on the hope the cop wouldn't show up for work.
I was on time for court. Before court even started, the official announced to everyone, "If you are over the age of 18 and incident didn't result in accident or injury, congratulations, you qualify for a special program. Please come forward, fill out this form and go to some room on the first floor.
I immediately thought it was a set up. My only other ticket I got in Fulton County, I was advised to plead NoLo and it wouldn't result in any points off my license. True, no points came off but my insurance provider still found out I received a ticket and raised my premium.
The Point:
If you are over 18 and no serious violation, they will urge you to sign up for this program. Your ticket will be lowered. Mine went from $210 to $160. EVERYONE was offered this deal, if they qualified.
Fulton County has a huge problem with people pleading not guilty and the officer not showing up for court.
Specifics on the Program:
1. Your ticket will absolutely not show up on your record.
2. I didn't want to pay the full $160 at one time. They give you over a month to pay it at your leisure. You just have to make sure it's paid off before the close of business the day before.
3. You cannot make payments online. If you do, the county will recognize it as an admission of guilt.
The best advice you can get is from someone who recently went through it....
Two months ago I was pulled over for "Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road." I'm a real estate agent and was downtown dropping off keys for another agent. The road I was on was a two way but I was parked on the street and needed to back up about 5 feet to make a left. There was a car parked behind me and so I was unable to back up. Instead, I made a partial u-turn to make the left. The minute I did this, I saw flashing lights behind me. The cops must have known this turn was an issue. Why else would they have been staked out??
Long story short, I got a ticket for driving on the wrong side of the street ($200) and no I.D. on person ($10). I decided I was going to plead not guilty and take my chances on the hope the cop wouldn't show up for work.
I was on time for court. Before court even started, the official announced to everyone, "If you are over the age of 18 and incident didn't result in accident or injury, congratulations, you qualify for a special program. Please come forward, fill out this form and go to some room on the first floor.
I immediately thought it was a set up. My only other ticket I got in Fulton County, I was advised to plead NoLo and it wouldn't result in any points off my license. True, no points came off but my insurance provider still found out I received a ticket and raised my premium.
The Point:
If you are over 18 and no serious violation, they will urge you to sign up for this program. Your ticket will be lowered. Mine went from $210 to $160. EVERYONE was offered this deal, if they qualified.
Fulton County has a huge problem with people pleading not guilty and the officer not showing up for court.
Specifics on the Program:
1. Your ticket will absolutely not show up on your record.
2. I didn't want to pay the full $160 at one time. They give you over a month to pay it at your leisure. You just have to make sure it's paid off before the close of business the day before.
3. You cannot make payments online. If you do, the county will recognize it as an admission of guilt.
Closing:
Go to court. Sign up for the program and move on.
Thanks Gemini_Jones! Your experience is very important to me. Thanks again for sharing it with me!
The best advice you can get is from someone who recently went through it....
Two months ago I was pulled over for "Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road." I'm a real estate agent and was downtown dropping off keys for another agent. The road I was on was a two way but I was parked on the street and needed to back up about 5 feet to make a left. There was a car parked behind me and so I was unable to back up. Instead, I made a partial u-turn to make the left. The minute I did this, I saw flashing lights behind me. The cops must have known this turn was an issue. Why else would they have been staked out??
Long story short, I got a ticket for driving on the wrong side of the street ($200) and no I.D. on person ($10). I decided I was going to plead not guilty and take my chances on the hope the cop wouldn't show up for work.
I was on time for court. Before court even started, the official announced to everyone, "If you are over the age of 18 and incident didn't result in accident or injury, congratulations, you qualify for a special program. Please come forward, fill out this form and go to some room on the first floor.
I immediately thought it was a set up. My only other ticket I got in Fulton County, I was advised to plead NoLo and it wouldn't result in any points off my license. True, no points came off but my insurance provider still found out I received a ticket and raised my premium.
The Point:
If you are over 18 and no serious violation, they will urge you to sign up for this program. Your ticket will be lowered. Mine went from $210 to $160. EVERYONE was offered this deal, if they qualified.
Fulton County has a huge problem with people pleading not guilty and the officer not showing up for court.
Specifics on the Program:
1. Your ticket will absolutely not show up on your record.
2. I didn't want to pay the full $160 at one time. They give you over a month to pay it at your leisure. You just have to make sure it's paid off before the close of business the day before.
3. You cannot make payments online. If you do, the county will recognize it as an admission of guilt.
Closing:
Go to court. Sign up for the program and move on.
^^^^This is EXCELLENT advice that you (the OP) should definitely take heed of if it applies to you.
It is possible you could get good results going to court yourself, but there is a better chance of good results with an attorney. So if you can afford an attorney I would get one.
My ex wife was a regular in Atlanta traffic court. She always went with an attorney, and she would end up with lower points or nothing.
It is possible you could get good results going to court yourself, but there is a better chance of good results with an attorney. So if you can afford an attorney I would get one.
My ex wife was a regular in Atlanta traffic court. She always went with an attorney, and she would end up with lower points or nothing.
It really depends on the offense, and the fine. Paying $300+ for an attorney does not make sense if all they can do is reduce the fine by less than $300. As others have said, you can get points taken off via. a class if this is really necessary, and many minor violations are never even reported to the State or to your Insurance Co.
My wife and I retained an attorney to represent her for a Reckless Driving citation in Virginia several years ago. He charged $250, and got the charge reduced to speeding, with a $200 fine. This was probably worth it, since we don't live in VA, and since a serious moving violation such as reckless driving can cause a major spike in your insurance premium.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
From Recent Experience
