First Speeding Ticket and Best Way to Handle it? (Worcester: car insurance, buying)

[RhoninFire]

Hello,

I just received my first speeding ticket today. I just got of the highway in NH onto Route 16, but it still looked like a highway. So I kept going roughly the same speed as I was on I-95 this early Saturday morning. He told me the radar said I was going at 78 in a 50 MPH zone, but put to down to 70 (though I can see a little note that says FSC 78/50).

To honest, I feel it is fair and it seems I already got a break from the officer. While I'm not happy about it, I guess I should have checked a speed limit sign as I went from I-95 to the RT 16 Turnpike. But I still decided to Google First Speeding Ticket to see the best way to conduct.

Then I realized this might jack up the premiums like crazy (the car is currently registered to my mom and my name is under their insurance - company is called Commerce Insurance).

There some other material out there, but a lot of stuff is seems to be here, but I have extra factor to figure for myself.

About a week and a half before, I got into an accident pulling out of the parking spot at the company I work at with a co-worker. So yes, I been having a very bad driving experience the past 10 days or so.


So all that said. I need to figure out what to do.

Is my only option is swallow the risen costs from the speeding ticket and parking lot accident and hope I can weave it off by being more careful over the next 3-5 years?

There's also the fight the ticket option I seem to have read the various forums around too, but can it backfire along with the ethical issues?

Can the pain be lessen if I separate myself from my parent's policy (I suspect I might have just single handed killed some discounts from them)?

Is there other options or route of actions I should do?

[ogre]

I'd advise asking this question at the NH forum. That's where you can get info from people familiar with the way these situations usually work in NH. I've had a couple of speeding tickets, and I just paid them and had done with it, so I don't know from experience how this works in MA, but I frequently hear that if you go to court to fight the ticket and the officer doesn't show up, your case gets dismissed. You would need to get info from people in NH about how it works there.

In any state, one thing you don't want to do is go in front of a judge with any sort of lame excuse. Judges aren't inclined to be swayed by any excuse that does not involve truly unusual extenuating circumstances, and some judges may get irritated by excuses and go harder on you if the laws in the state in question give them that option.

I'm not sure I understand why you're asking about buying your own insurance policy, unless you want to take the burden off your parents by paying for your own policy. The accident and the ticket will add insurance penalties no matter whose policy your name is attached to. If you want to demonstrate responsibility to your parents, another option would be to stay on their policy and offer to pay the penalties.

[Cape Cod Todd]

I would say pay it and chock it up to a costly life lesson. 78 in a 50 is pretty fast and you really could have hurt someone so in the long run you might have gotten off lightly. When I was a youngster I got caught speeding like 50 in a 35. The cost hurt but I made a vow to never do that again and it has been over 20 years since I have had any problems getting pulled over. You made a mistake, own up to it and don't do it again.

[tigerclaws]

listen to the wise.....pay up and move on

[KenInMA]

I'm going to echo Cape Cod Todd. This wasn't going 65 in a 50, which is still pretty fast, this was way over, and in my experience with MA roads, a 50 MPH zone is usually marked down from 55 MPH in years past due to accidents (Route 20 in Charlton, 290 in Worcester, to name a couple). That may or may not be universal truth, but whenever I see 50 MPH, I have in my mind "OK, I can go pretty fast here -- 55-60ish -- but be extra-cautious about it." That said, and again it's my own, possibly strange, take, but going 78 in a 50 blows my mind. The cop cut you major slack. Pay up and be done with it.

[wheelz]

You could offer to pay the damages out of pocket to fix the car you smashed into. Keep it out of the Insurance company's hands and either pay now or pay later. Depending on what the estimate to fix the damage is, it might be worth your while to pay for and fix the car with your own loot.

As far as the ticket goes, I would fight it if it doesn't cause you to miss work and/or a days pay or some other more important obligation. It's worth a try, all you will do is go in front of a magistrate if the cop/prosecutor shows up. All you have to do is say you are sorry, but you don't think you were going that fast and you're having a rough time in this economy. Most always they will at least lower the cost of the ticket if not give you break entirely. They don't want to waste the court's time.

[hamster21]

You have the right to go into court. Considering this is your first offense,
it's all the more likely you'll get a break and have the ticket completely waived.

What happens when you appeal a ticket is you go to court and see the "magistrate."
This costs $25 usually, if I'm not mistaken (used to be free!).

You sit at a desk in front of the magistrate and a representative officer from the district where you were pulled over.
You tell your story, that part is up to you how you want to handle. They decide whether or not to honor your story, on the spot.

If you don't like their judgement you have the right to appeal it on the spot. Upon 2nd appeal you have the right to go in front of a judge,
and in front of the officer that gave you that ticket. This costs $50 nowadays (used to be $20 a few years back!).
If the officer doesn't show up upon the 2nd appeal (this is not uncommon), your ticket is completely waived.

It's up to you whether or not that's in your best interest, but you have high chances of being forgiven on this one.
Is the $25-$75 dollar investment and 1-2 day half-days of going to court worth most likely saving hundreds on car insurance over the next years? Up to you.

PS: Your accident has absolutely nothing to do with your speeding ticket and is irrelevant to your appeal.
Keep that in mind if you appeal your speeding ticket.