my first ticket

[highteknology]

alright, i have read some of the posts on here and am hoping that some of you can help me.

yesterday i got pulled over doing 43 in a 30. the cop was nice enough to bump it down to a 40 in a 30. my main problem is, i signed the damn ticket instead of asking for a court date. (i was more preoccupied trying to remember stuff for my calculus test and not thinking about a court date). the fine is only 59 dollars, but i'm more worried about my insurance. this is my first driving offence since i have been driving, 6 + years.

obviously if i was thinking clearly i would've asked for a court date. is there anything i can do to not have it reported to insurance or did i tottally F myself on this one?

on a side note, the cop was a total douche. seeing how it was my first offence i asked him which would effect my insurance more, (probably not the best question) but i mean he could've given me a little bit of advice. i used Sir and Officer whenever i could, that's just how i was raised. oh well.

[ec437]

Here in Oregon you have to sign the ticket no matter what... AND you get a court date... did you read the ticket?

[4trackmixtape]

You always have to sign the ticket. Look on the back of the ticket, there should be a couple of options on how to handle the ticket, here in Washington it's #1- pay in full, #2- I didn't commit this infraction, or #3- I want to explain the circumstances. Even if you plan on paying go to court, they'll usually knock some money off just for showing up.

[lamehonda]

Your insurance probably won't take much of a hit at all. That is a very minor offense.

[Igovert500]

Depends on which state your in, as to how many points it is, and which insurance company you have, as to how they will grade the infraction.

But as was said above, on the back of hte ticket, there should be an option to get a court date. They will probably want you to pay a portion of the ticket, just to make sure you show up for court.

Generally, in every court I or a friend have been to (experience limited to PA and NY) you either meet with the cop or a district attorney or ADA, and they offer you some sort of lower infraction, as a compromise. The court still makes money, and you don't waste the judge's time.

I would suggest trying this. Even if you get it reduced to a 0-5mph over the limit, or a 'disobeying a traffic control device' your insurance will not be AS affected (MAY not be at all, depending on state and company).

You did well to be polite, even if the cop was a prick. That can always only help. If you do go to court, dress up, be polite, and don't use stupid excuses. Just explain you know you were in the wrong, you have no excuse but stupidity, and you were hoping that they could let you slide this once due to your otherwise clean driving record. Best of luck.