Reckless driving ticket HELP ME!

[ohshit]

Ok.

so its around 12. 1230

me and my friend are driving down past my house a bit, just to keep talking

were cruising on this road thats pretty dark, just a bit over the speedlimit


we get up to a turn, that I about missed, so I let off the gas a bit to turn


and the back end of my car starts to pull around.

well I shove it in nutral and try and slow down

and my anti lock brakes swing the car back the other way and it goes into a gutter

totals the thing.

the airbags come out from the gutter, both axels are bent horribly, and me and my friend are just like wtf happened.

so the cops come eventually.

and the first thing they say is " you were going pretty damn fast weren't you."

and me, kinda freaking out tried to talk to him about it

well everything was going good, they said I was going about 40 - 50, which would be right, in a 30 wich isn't too bad


then the " traffic expert cop" comes and says " he was doing about 85"

remember its 1230 in the morning, no streetlights, just some car headlights.


she said that if I had her measure it I'd be in trouble.
so I was like ok w/e

but then I got stuck with a wreckless driving ticket

I have to go to court on the 17th of july


I'm 16.


and I think its bullshit but thats too bad.


I just want to here from someone else whos been through this and can kind of give me an Idea of what is going to happen

I know I have a fine to pay, I already have the money for that

I know my license could be taken,
and my insurance will be hell whenever I get another car

I just want to konw what its like after that.


and also, if the judge brings up the speed, what would happen if I told him they didn't measure it? would that piss him off? or would that be ok? I really don't know what to do. I've never had a ticket, never been arrested, it was just an accident, and one Horrible traffic cop.

if you need to know I had a 2000 cavalier 4 door, stock, with the cheapest tires you could have ever found. I think my parents payed like 40 dollars a peice when they got them. Also it had a 2.2l that needed to be cleaned and maybe even rebuilt.

from the stopsign I turned from to the turn was about 1/8th of a mile or a bit over.

I don't think my car could reach 85 in that timeframe.

[alphalanos]

If they dont have proof of your speed then you should be ok. Next time just slow down and make a U turn.

[baumbr]

You may not be able to get away from the reckless driving charge, however several mitigations (things that help reduce the severity of the offense) come to mind:
1. Mechanical failure
A. Poor tires, insufficient traction to maintain control
B. Anti-lock brakes. Although the anti-locks worked, they did not work in a predictable fashion which contributed to your over/under correction of the vehicle.

2. Lack of evidence. No measurements, etc. by the police. Remember they have to prove that you were intentionally reckless. If your car had hit a speed bump or cross street gutter at 40 mph would it have sustained the same amount of damage?

3. Poor driving conditions. Unlit streets, blocked sight lines(?). Wet, sandy, or gravelly road surface.

4. Sometimes young drivers can play the inexperience card, but it can ricochet and bite your butt big time unless played very carefully.

[sickcallawayc12]

Originally Posted by alphalanos

If they dont have proof of your speed then you should be ok. Next time just slow down and make a U turn.

Maybe get a lawyer or public defender help you on how fast you were going. You had a passenger too who could vouch for that speed, he knew your speed, right?

btw, that's a funny screenname.

[fredjacksonsan]

The cops did not witness the accident, so they cannot testify as to how you were driving, nor to the speed at which you were driving. You should be able to easily beat this ticket (or at least have it lowered to "Loss of Control").

Since you're 16, a parent will have to go to court with you. I'd suggest being honest with your parents, tell them that you have learned a lesson from this and would like to fight it in court, and that you weren't driving recklessly but just a little too fast and your inexperience contributed. You should tell the same thing to the judge.

You may or may not want to get an attorney to help out, what is paid to the attorney will be money instead of your driving record, but it can't hurt to go speak to someone.

Most of all in court, be polite, dress neatly in some business casual (a suit at 16 makes things worse, I've found) and state the facts: 1) No police saw the accident. 2) You were, perhaps, going a bit too fast but the turn came up and in your inexperience you tried to make the turn and lost control (which is 100% the truth, according to your story above) and 3) You have learned your (expensive) lesson from this.

Good luck, and let us know how it comes out.