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Old 04-28-2019, 01:10 PM
 
13 posts, read 11,473 times
Reputation: 15

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Hello,

I was going in the left lane in I84 to Boston on a Thursday night. I got pulled over by a cop and he asked if I knew why I got pulled over. I asked If I was speeding and when he asked at what speed, I said probably 75. I was told I was speeding at 86. The cop also said I slowed down after that and switched lanes but missed to use the blinker. He said he is going to reduce the ticket to 85 so that I don't get arrested for reckless driving. Got a $304 fine. The blinker issue was not noted in the ticket.

This is is my first infraction on my driving history and I am worried about my insurance spiking up. I did read other threads where many suggested going to the court by pleading not guilty and talking to the prosecutor and hope he reduces the fine and lowers the severity of the ticket to a 75 instead of 85. In my case will pleading not guilty and talking to a prosecutor help reduce the fine?

I honestly do not remember if I was really going in 86 and did not use a blinker because once the cop turned his lights on I just blanked out. Should I say the same to the prosecutor since that's the truth? If that is a dumb thing to say, then what is a good explanation to give in my case?

Also, if I go to court talk to the prosecutor and let's say he doesn't agree to any reductions worst case, can I still opt to pay the full fine without any points on my license? Or will I get points for just taking this to the court and talking to the prosecutor?

I have bolded my questions. If that's not recommended, apologies.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

P.S. I agree I deserve the ticket, just trying to reduce the impact if possible. Started to use cruise mode to stay on speed limit after the ticket.

Thanks,
G
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Old 04-28-2019, 02:08 PM
 
464 posts, read 306,760 times
Reputation: 876
This has nothing to do with Connecticut.

If you have legit concerns about points, insurance, etc you need legal council.

Plead not guilty, show up in court, cop may not show and that’ll be the end of it. If he does they will probably cut you a break, but who knows.
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Old 04-28-2019, 02:12 PM
 
Location: Connecticut
5,104 posts, read 4,783,801 times
Reputation: 3636
In CT its always in your best interest to plead "not guilty" to all traffic tickets. At the very minimum the fine will be reduced. Don't worry about points that's BS. The DMV will still take action against you (like suspending your license) if you gets so many tickets in a certain time frame. For example, 3 tickets in an 18 month period. DMV doesn't care about points.


Prosecutors usually offer a deal without any input from you. Don't ramble on about being tired, didn't see police car, keeping up with traffic, etc. Prosecutors don't care about that. Only answer questions that are asked of you. Never volunteer info.


Before mailing in the ticket make sure you make a photocopy of the front and back.

If you're lucky you'll get acourt date with a time in the afternoon. If you get a date in the morning expect to be there at least 3 hours. It's part of "the ride" that the CT system likes to give us. They want to waste as much of your time as possible. Bring a book - and if the court is in Vernon go to Rein's deli after and get a nice pastrami sandwich.
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Old 04-28-2019, 08:18 PM
 
21,529 posts, read 30,942,079 times
Reputation: 9619
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGompers View Post
In CT its always in your best interest to plead "not guilty" to all traffic tickets. At the very minimum the fine will be reduced. Don't worry about points that's BS. The DMV will still take action against you (like suspending your license) if you gets so many tickets in a certain time frame. For example, 3 tickets in an 18 month period. DMV doesn't care about points.


Prosecutors usually offer a deal without any input from you. Don't ramble on about being tired, didn't see police car, keeping up with traffic, etc. Prosecutors don't care about that. Only answer questions that are asked of you. Never volunteer info.


Before mailing in the ticket make sure you make a photocopy of the front and back.

If you're lucky you'll get acourt date with a time in the afternoon. If you get a date in the morning expect to be there at least 3 hours. It's part of "the ride" that the CT system likes to give us. They want to waste as much of your time as possible. Bring a book - and if the court is in Vernon go to Rein's deli after and get a nice pastrami sandwich.
This is bad advice.

The officer has laser data, dashcam and bodycam information. All of that can be and is often obtained by the prosecutors office. Your best bet is to tell the truth.

Points are not BS. If you pay the ticket, you get no points. If you fight the ticket and lose, you get both a higher fine and points. It has nothing to do with “the ride” that the CT system gives you, as most leftists like to complain about, and everything to do with whether or not YOU are wasting the court’s time by pleading not guilty when, in fact, you are.
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Old 04-29-2019, 05:59 AM
 
Location: Fairfield, CT
6,981 posts, read 10,889,201 times
Reputation: 8821
Going to court in Connecticut is a two-step process. If you go for the initial hearing and plead not guilty, the state's attorney will usually offer a lower fine and maybe a reduced charge. If you're guilty, it's generally best to take that offer and cut your losses, and it will leave you better off than just mailing in the ticket with a guilty plea (technically nolo contendere) and payment.

If you reject the state's attorney's deal, your risk increases because then you go to full trial, and if you're found guilty, you get a heavier fine and court costs, so you're worse off than you would have been just paying the ticket initially.

The information on the back of the ticket is a bit misleading. It's true that you get no points if you plead guilty and mail in payment, but the infraction is still on your record and still counts against you. When I went to court for my speeding ticket, I got the fine lowered from $131 to $35 but I got 1 point from it. Either way, 4 speeding tickets in 3 years could lead to a license suspension whether you have points or not.

I know that part of I-84 that you're talking about. I like to speed on that stretch also but I usually keep it to 82-83 mph rather than 85 mph.

Best of luck. I've been there more than once.

Last edited by dazzleman; 04-29-2019 at 06:27 AM..
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Old 04-29-2019, 08:06 AM
 
996 posts, read 372,677 times
Reputation: 453
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdnmaximus View Post
Hello,

I was going in the left lane in I84 to Boston on a Thursday night. I got pulled over by a cop and he asked if I knew why I got pulled over. I asked If I was speeding and when he asked at what speed, I said probably 75. I was told I was speeding at 86. The cop also said I slowed down after that and switched lanes but missed to use the blinker. He said he is going to reduce the ticket to 85 so that I don't get arrested for reckless driving. Got a $304 fine. The blinker issue was not noted in the ticket.

This is is my first infraction on my driving history and I am worried about my insurance spiking up. I did read other threads where many suggested going to the court by pleading not guilty and talking to the prosecutor and hope he reduces the fine and lowers the severity of the ticket to a 75 instead of 85. In my case will pleading not guilty and talking to a prosecutor help reduce the fine?

I honestly do not remember if I was really going in 86 and did not use a blinker because once the cop turned his lights on I just blanked out. Should I say the same to the prosecutor since that's the truth? If that is a dumb thing to say, then what is a good explanation to give in my case?

Also, if I go to court talk to the prosecutor and let's say he doesn't agree to any reductions worst case, can I still opt to pay the full fine without any points on my license? Or will I get points for just taking this to the court and talking to the prosecutor?

I have bolded my questions. If that's not recommended, apologies.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

P.S. I agree I deserve the ticket, just trying to reduce the impact if possible. Started to use cruise mode to stay on speed limit after the ticket.

Thanks,
G

If this is your first infraction, and you have been driving for quite some time, you may be able to have the Prosecutor nolle the charges when your appear to answer the summons. Offer to contribute an amount up to the amount of the ticket to charity. Half of that amount may be acceptable. I have seen this done numerous times.


Good Luck, and my advice is to Never drive over 72 in CT when the posted speed limit is 65.
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Old 04-29-2019, 12:37 PM
 
13 posts, read 11,473 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by dazzleman View Post
Going to court in Connecticut is a two-step process. If you go for the initial hearing and plead not guilty, the state's attorney will usually offer a lower fine and maybe a reduced charge. If you're guilty, it's generally best to take that offer and cut your losses, and it will leave you better off than just mailing in the ticket with a guilty plea (technically nolo contendere) and payment.

If you reject the state's attorney's deal, your risk increases because then you go to full trial, and if you're found guilty, you get a heavier fine and court costs, so you're worse off than you would have been just paying the ticket initially.

The information on the back of the ticket is a bit misleading. It's true that you get no points if you plead guilty and mail in payment, but the infraction is still on your record and still counts against you. When I went to court for my speeding ticket, I got the fine lowered from $131 to $35 but I got 1 point from it. Either way, 4 speeding tickets in 3 years could lead to a license suspension whether you have points or not.

I know that part of I-84 that you're talking about. I like to speed on that stretch also but I usually keep it to 82-83 mph rather than 85 mph.

Best of luck. I've been there more than once.
Thank you very much for the reply dazzleman. So I can plead not guilty by mailing the ticket/doing it online. And then the two-step process kicks in, correct?

You might not know the answer, but I'll still give it a try -- Will there be a scenario where I don't get a chance to negotiate with the state's attorney and instead I get into a full trial?

If I accept the state's attorney's deal then I will not incur court costs, correct?
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Old 04-29-2019, 12:41 PM
 
13 posts, read 11,473 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuele View Post
If this is your first infraction, and you have been driving for quite some time, you may be able to have the Prosecutor nolle the charges when your appear to answer the summons. Offer to contribute an amount up to the amount of the ticket to charity. Half of that amount may be acceptable. I have seen this done numerous times.


Good Luck, and my advice is to Never drive over 72 in CT when the posted speed limit is 65.
Yes, this is my first infraction and it would be great if I get the charges nolled. I have been driving for around 3.5 years. Not sure if it qualifies for the 'quite some time' category.

Thank you for the tip on the charity. I will definitely give it a try.

Yes, I am planning stick to +5mph than the posted speed limit to be on the safer side.
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Old 04-29-2019, 12:47 PM
 
13 posts, read 11,473 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGompers View Post
In CT its always in your best interest to plead "not guilty" to all traffic tickets. At the very minimum the fine will be reduced. Don't worry about points that's BS. The DMV will still take action against you (like suspending your license) if you gets so many tickets in a certain time frame. For example, 3 tickets in an 18 month period. DMV doesn't care about points.


Prosecutors usually offer a deal without any input from you. Don't ramble on about being tired, didn't see police car, keeping up with traffic, etc. Prosecutors don't care about that. Only answer questions that are asked of you. Never volunteer info.


Before mailing in the ticket make sure you make a photocopy of the front and back.

If you're lucky you'll get acourt date with a time in the afternoon. If you get a date in the morning expect to be there at least 3 hours. It's part of "the ride" that the CT system likes to give us. They want to waste as much of your time as possible. Bring a book - and if the court is in Vernon go to Rein's deli after and get a nice pastrami sandwich.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kidyankee764 View Post
This is bad advice.

The officer has laser data, dashcam and bodycam information. All of that can be and is often obtained by the prosecutors office. Your best bet is to tell the truth.

Points are not BS. If you pay the ticket, you get no points. If you fight the ticket and lose, you get both a higher fine and points. It has nothing to do with “the ride” that the CT system gives you, as most leftists like to complain about, and everything to do with whether or not YOU are wasting the court’s time by pleading not guilty when, in fact, you are.

That gives me some hope on my plan. I plan to plead not guilty online so I should have my ticket safe. On an insurance perspective, I am not sure if getting points on my license will have any more impact than having the infraction on my driving record. If it doesn't then I don't care about the points either, since I don't intend to accrue any more points. But if it does, then I am fine paying the full fine amount so that I can reduce the insurance spike.
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Old 04-29-2019, 01:20 PM
 
21,529 posts, read 30,942,079 times
Reputation: 9619
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdnmaximus View Post
Thank you very much for the reply dazzleman. So I can plead not guilty by mailing the ticket/doing it online. And then the two-step process kicks in, correct?

You might not know the answer, but I'll still give it a try -- Will there be a scenario where I don't get a chance to negotiate with the state's attorney and instead I get into a full trial?

If I accept the state's attorney's deal then I will not incur court costs, correct?
That’s correct. You’ll only incur court costs if you go to a hearing and are found guilty. That usually only happens when the driver is a Dbag, badmouths the officer or the courts. Judges and prosecutors don’t take kindly to that behavior (but it happens more than one might think). If you go in there, respectfully and humbly, and tell the prosecutor about your clean record (which they’ll already know), and admit you weren’t aware of your speed, they’ll likely reduce the fine by about half (or more). If you go in there with a chip on your shoulder, expect to receive the same in return.
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