Fighting traffic tickets in Boulder

[gwenlove]

We are staying in Boulder for the month of August. We were coming up out of hwy 72 (where speed limit is 45 on a lesser road!) and turned onto 119 S heading to black hawk casinos. I got a ticket by state patrol coming down the sweeping hill at Last Shot cafe (?)...he said i was doing 64 in 40 mile an hour zone. Frankly, I think maybe it was more like 55 -- my husband and i re-drove it later and coasting out of 35mph turn at top you end up going around 55 towards the bottom of the hill. The state patrol pulled me over about 200 yards from a 40 mph sign. He told me the limit on hwy 119 is 40 mph -- we drove back and the last 40 mph sign was 4-5 miles back. The speed limit into my subdivision in Florida is 40 mph! Anyway, I certainly lacked local knowledge of this ridiculously low speed limit throughout the area...on a major hwy thru the back country? (Except at curves of course!). Anyway, court date is not until Sept 29th!! I forgot to ask him if he used radar...Any suggestions on what I can do to contest this? It is is Gilpin County court. Thanks

[Funkymonkifyd]

I got a ticket but didn't get pulled over so it must have been a speed trap. Do I have a good chance fighting that? I was going with the speed flow of traffic

[lilshoin]

Hello all.

I had the misfortune of sliding off the road and down an embankment during the snowstorm last weekend. There was no damage to my vehicle or any property, and I was not injured in the incident. While waiting for a tow, state patrol stopped by and I was charged with a careless driving/4 point offense. I have been advised by one source to pay the fine and get the 2 point reduction. Another source (assistant DA in another county) suggested I do not pay the fine as it carries with it an admittal of guilt to the offense. It is the "careless driving" offense that I would like to see lowered. It is my understanding that the 2 point reduction for prompt payment does NOT change the charge of careless driving.

Will attending my court date provide me the opportunity to plead to a lesser charge (such as defective vehicle)? I have not received anything more than a warning in 20 years of driving and took time to photograph the scene of the incident to document that there was no damage to vehicle or property.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[whoisjongalt]

Were you in Boulder County or Jefferson? I drive 93 all of the time so I know what you mean. I'd definitely go to your court date and take your evidence. If it's Jeffco, you will meet with someone from the DA's office and I guarantee you'll probably get a plea deal. They'll say something like "how about we change it to a speeding ticket for 2 points".

I sat in the court for over an hour and EVERY single person who showed up got their charges lowered. It's just a money making scheme. They'd much rather "bribe" you and get paid than have a court date with the judge and witnesses. I refused, asked for a court date and then had all charges dismissed because the cops didn't show up. Even the DA rep said I had a good case. Don't do it if you think you will lose or you won't get the plea deal. From what you say I bet you can get it dismissed.

[whoisjongalt]

Get the Waze app on your phone. It's free. It has saved my so many times I can't count. Plus, you can tag the cops every time you see them so that no one else gets busted. I'd say I get warned at least 80% of the time when one of those f***ers is hiding.

[lilshoin]

I was in Jefferson County, or so says the ticket.
Do you know what fees are associated with going to a court even if it is to take the plea bargain?

Thanks!

[whoisjongalt]

I didn't take the plea bargain so I'm not positive but I think you only have to pay the (reduced) fine and that's it. All the judge does is ask you if you accept the new charge (like broken tail light etc.). Then you pay it before you leave. But you have to agree to the plea with the DA before that. If you don't take the plea, they set a court date possibly months away. If you are found innocent or the police don't show up, the whole thing is dismissed and you don't pay anything. I don't know what charges you incur if you lose in addition to the fine.

[alphacoyle]

I drove taxi up there while in college and have plenty of frustration with tickets as it does seem to primarily seem to be a revenue thing--officers might even have a quota, don't know. My first time in Longmont was dropping off someone from a bar in Boulder; was on that little frontage road where Korte Pkwy turns into just past Sunset; it was after 2am, I thought I was already on Diagonal hwy, got stopped by butch cop who wouldn't listen, no priors, new to driving up there; she was instigating me, standing in my personal space, I literally felt like my head was going to explode; dealing all night with drunk college kids, long hours; I feel she was trying to provoke me, as shortly after a 2nd police car pulled up. And the setup to get to the airport, that's whacked, a long drive but you can only go, what 45 the whole way. The last ticket I got was turning off Colfax to one of the streets that feeds right into the downtown mall area, like Weston or something; and maybe it's changed now, was almost 20 years ago now, but the street intuitively feeds to turn there, but the cops just sit there doling out tickets when you do, supposedly somewhere like 40 ft back there's a sign saying no left turn, but if they really didn't want people to turn there why not have the sign closer to where you turn; they don't put no u-turn signs 40 ft before an intersection; $100 ticket. Oh and I came to court for a ticket once in Boulder, the officer showed up, had to pay, didn't even really listen; but the person ahead of me did a good job, had taken pictures of all the angles, explained very well how he was innocent. And lastly, in my little ticket rant was at Rocky Mountain National Park, someone had parked their huge 4 door truck at an angle, taking up 1 1/2 spaces leaving a little at the end; there was a sign at least 10 ft away that said no parking past this point (of the sign) came back big truck of course was gone, got ticket, harassed, feel that if I wasn't driving a gray primered Internation Scout it wouldn't have went the way it did. But found out it's federal, so to fight a ticket etc you have to go to a federal court, had pictures of everything like I had learned from the guy in Boulder court, but reading up on it, federal court is a whole different thing. Personally I mostly used the area between Rollins Pass to Eldora Resort, no hassles