What to do when you got a traffic ticket?

Answer 1

The only safe way to avoid a traffic ticket is to avoid breaking the law in the first place, but if you’re asking this question, you’re past that point. In the United States, an average of 125,000 people receive speeding tickets each day. A single speeding offense can increase a driver’s insurance premiums by 25 percent, depending on the nature of the offense and other factors, so it’s no wonder that drivers look for ways to avoid tickets.

The bad news: The police officer who pulls you over will ultimately decide whether or not to give you the ticket, and there’s no magic phrase that will work 100 percent of the time. Still, there are a few key ways to minimize your risks:

Remain friendly and considerate throughout the interaction.

Smile, answer the officer’s questions, and don’t try to butt in with explanations for your behavior. Even if you feel that the police are being rude, don’t respond in kind.

"Never tell a police officer that ‘I pay your salary’ because, well, so do they, because they pay taxes too," traffic ticket attorney Jay Ruane told Urbo.

A former NYPD officer, who asked to remain anonymous in the Urbo piece, agreed with that assessment.

"Don’t huff and puff, roll your eyes, or imply for them to hurry up because you have more important things to do," he said. "Most cops don’t like ruining your day, but we get paid to try to make the roadways a bit safer for our families and everyone else’s. Don’t minimize that."

Don’t admit guilt.

If you don’t think you did anything wrong, resist the urge to apologize. Remember, if you get a ticket, you may be able to fight it in court, but admitting guilt will seal your fate before you get a chance to speak to a judge. If the police ask if you know why you were pulled over, you can always answer with, "No, sir."

By the same token, you shouldn’t lie. Don’t make up excuses or insist that the officer’s wrong. Stay calm and collected. When in doubt, say nothing and allow the officer to make their case.

Show consideration for the officer’s safety.

Police constantly deal with dangerous situations. Pull over as soon as the officer signals for you to do so, and where possible, pull far enough off the road that the officer will be able to easily access your car without standing near oncoming traffic.

Keep your hands on the steering wheel. If you need to get your license, insurance cards, or other documents, ask the officer before reaching for them. Follow all of the officer’s instructions to the best of your ability.

Ask for a warning.

Contrary to popular belief, most police departments say they don’t have traffic ticket quotas, and some cities and states have prohibitions on such quotas. Generally speaking, the officer will decide whether you get your ticket, so if you don’t want one, ask for a warning.

Remain polite and respectful while making your request. If you have a reasonable explanation for your behavior—for instance, it’s the end of a long day, your kid’s hungry, and you accidentally rolled a stop sign—feel free to share, but don’t tell a long, drawn-out story. If your offense is minor, asking for a warning might work. Then again, it might not, but what’s the harm in asking?

Never try to bribe or intimidate the officer.

That’s a quick way to turn a minor traffic ticket into a much more serious charge. In New York, for instance, bribery carries a possible penalty of up to seven years in state prison.

If you get a traffic ticket, you still have options. You can fight the ticket by appearing in court, and in some circumstances, you can request court supervision instead of a conviction (meaning if you abide by your sentence, the blemish on your record won’t be as serious).

Just remember: During a traffic stop, your goal is to be civil, reasonable, and conscious of the officer’s safety. Whether you’re avoiding a traffic ticket or trying to fight it in court, a polite attitude goes a long way.

Originally posted on Urbo.com

Answer 2

hmmm..... oh yea! DON'T SPEED.By "beat the ticket" I'm assuming you mean "win in court". This is an easy one. Don't be a loser, and go in court trying to "beat the ticket" like you were unjustly setup. When you go to court and try to "beat" the ticket, you end up making yourself look like a liar in front of all the major players of your cities court room. People will remember you for your overreactions, and obvious fabrications of the truth considering the Police Officer that wrote you the ticket will be telling the truth, and everyone is going to believe him/her. You will anger the judge who will then lay the maximum penalty on you - AND - the officer will be more likely to remember who you are for all future interactions. If you go in there and act like the officer is the one At Fault.... be prepared. Lol

In the future try not endagering all of our lives by speeding.

This answer was definitely given by a Police Officer. Seek legal counsel and you will more than likely get the charged reduced to some lesser charge that will not count for any points on your driving record.

Answer 3

I personally beat a red light ticket in Florida by proving (with the same video evidence from their camera) that the yellow light cycle was shorter than the 4.3 seconds that is required for the speed on that street (45 mph). I created a video and inserted a timer with seconds and miliseconds that started on the frame of the video when the light turned yellow, and when the light turned red. Because it was shorter than the Florida DOT required time, the case & ticket was dismissed.

**I am NOT an attorney, and this should not be considered legal advice!**

Answer 4

Legally, you can't. You went to fast, got caught, and now it's time to pay the fine.

In some states though, you can attend drivers school, usually given at times that are the most inconvenient to you of course, and that may erase the points from your record.

Slow down - the life you save might be your own.

If you can provide evidence that the driver photographed speeding is not you, then you cannot be charged with speeding or given points. For example if you were wearing a large mask, and were unidentifiable, the police could not charge you - you could say it was someone else driving your car.

Also having the license plate that spins around like James Bond's could help.

But yeh, stop speeding.

Answer 5

If you have gotten a ticket and feel that you have gotten it unfairly, there are ways in which you can beat your speeding ticket. Many people think that they have no choice but to pay once the ticket has been issued. Really, this is not the case. You can take action to get out of having to make the payments. You will have to pay the court fees if you do not win the case, however, so you need to be fairly sure that you were innocent or you will just be adding more costs on top of what you already have to pay.

The first way to beat your ticket is just by filing a challenge and then hoping that the police officer does not show up to court. He or she has to come in and testify that you were in fact speeding in order for the charge to hold. It may sound surprising, but many officers are too busy to do this. If you file and they have too much going on, they simply will not show up for the court date. When this happens, your ticket will be thrown out and you will be good to go.

You can also write a letter to the officer of ask to meet with him or her in person. You will need to do this after you have gotten the ticket but before you have to pay it, so act quickly. If you go to the officer and talk to him or her about how you do not believe you were speeding, they may still let you off without a ticket. You will not want to communicate with them in an angry fashion, however, but just as a common person seeking to talk intelligently about the situation.

Finally, you can fight it. Even if the officer shows up to court, you can hire a lawyer and attempt to prove that you were not speeding. These extreme measures will show the judge that you are serious. Just be sure to follow all of the court regulations and treat the judge with respect, and you can quickly get the law to work on your side. These things sound strange because people never do them, but they really do work. You can save yourself a lot of money if you put a little time into trying to beat your speeding ticket.

Answer 6

The best way to get out of a traffic ticket is to just pay the ticket or to drive safe i would drive safe but if i got a ticket i would just pay the ticket i know this is a short awnser but listen to this advice

Answer 7

the bes way to get out of a traffic ticket is to say im sorry it's my birthday and I need my cake so can I pass. thank you very much.

Answer 8

contest it in court

Answer 9

If you already have one just pay it off..

Answer 10

always be early before traffic starts