this is going to sound really lame, and i'm pretty embarrassed about it, but here goes:

i was at a stoplight this evening and when the light changed, my foot slipped off the clutch slightly because i'm not used to driving in flip-flops. a police officer was headed the other direction and ended up turning around, chasing me down, and pulling me over. apparently, he heard a "chirp" from my tires and issued me a ticket for "squeeling tires" [sic] and no proof of insurance (my card expired a week ago and i haven't put the new one in the car yet). on top of it all, he was an *******. keep in mind that i try to be a very responsible driver (no tickets to date) and i had three friends in my car to attest to the fact that the chirp was not intentional. how should i handle this ticket? thanks for any help that you guys can offer.

-tony

 

as far as the chirping of the tires, Plead no contest and make your story with the judge. Better yet, talk to the DA before the case and explaing it to him. Sometimes you can get out of the points or even a lowered fine. Points are the big thing. Be truthfull an straightforward. Be respectful and leave the stunna language at home (not saying you are, just more advice).

As far as the insurance thing. If you didn't have a lapse in coverage then you are golden. Even if you dont have a card you still had coverage. I went through that one in FL one time.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by zyg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The no proof of insurance should be easy enough, but you'll probably have to show the court the proof.

With respect to the other ticket (and your H-T title, hehe), this one might be little harder to beat. I suppose you can have the others in the car sign affidavits or declarations (whichever is appropriate) attesting to the fact that the cop was a dick (lol), but more importantly and more relevant ... that you were wearing flip-flops and that you accidentally slipped off the clutch and accidentally mis-applied the pedal. Good luck, wish my tickets were this simple. Ed</TD></TR></TABLE>

haha...i'm not worried about the insurance ticket -- i know i was covered.
the other ticket really irritates me, though. i never streetrace (i'm not sure who gave me that title) and i always try to drive responsibly. i'm thinking about actually bringing my friends to court with me. it just seems like the police are out to get any import -- i've been pulled over twice in the past three days. the first time, for no reason whatsover -- he made me get out while he searched my car (illegal?) and now this. hopefully i can fight the ticket and get it off my record because, quite honestly, it seems like this is bullshit.
thanks for your help!

-tony

 

oh...if it helps, there were no other cars at the light so there was no way he could say that i was racing or involved in a speed contest.

 

just bring your friends to court with you. the judge will see that your serious by bring in peeps with you.

 

When you show up in court, dress nicely and be courteous to the judge, prosecutor and police officer. If you feel your friends' testimony is important, bring them along. Their live testimony is worth much more than an affidavit.

 

i get the same ticket like 1.5 year ago, the difference was i did chirp my tire intentional, lunching at 5k rpm and took off ! after 4 blocks cops finally got my, but by the time he got my i was driving on the speen limit again, so he has no prove to show me that i was speeding, so he gave me a unneccessory noise, but since my insurance told me it wasnt matter it will not increase my insurance so i just paid the money and let it go. small tickets like this i dont really care.
so check with your insurance if they dont care then just forget about it.

 

if i had a camera to video some cops...

some of them just abuse their power. moreover the ones who you want to call "communist bastards"

I also unintentially lost grip in my rear tires...it was flooding, i had wet sneakers on... on the cop

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Soup **** &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if i had a camera to video some cops...

some of them just abuse their power. moreover the ones who you want to call "communist bastards"

I also unintentially lost grip in my rear tires...it was flooding, i had wet sneakers on... on the cop </TD></TR></TABLE>

that's the thing -- i used to respect police officers quite a bit. however, lately they seem to have taken a turn for the worst.

 

it will get dismissed no problem at all. say your just learning out to drive stick. everybody chirps there tires when learning. you cant help that.

 

he he, I know how you drive punk, you're all about disrespect for the man!

Anyways, call the Arizona State Bar Lawyer Referral Service at 602-257-4434

It's $15 - $20 for a 30 minute consultation with an attorney they choose for you who specializes in the are ao flaw you need. I have used them to find an attorney for every traffic ticket I have had (six total) and every time I have been very pleased. There is no obligation; the 30 minute meeting is good because the attorney can tell you if you need an attorney or what your chances in court are.

Go from there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by onyx00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">he he, I know how you drive punk, you're all about disrespect for the man!

Anyways, call the Arizona State Bar Lawyer Referral Service at 602-257-4434

It's $15 - $20 for a 30 minute consultation with an attorney they choose for you who specializes in the are ao flaw you need. I have used them to find an attorney for every traffic ticket I have had (six total) and every time I have been very pleased. There is no obligation; the 30 minute meeting is good because the attorney can tell you if you need an attorney or what your chances in court are.

Go from there.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks for the info, chris...i'll definitely look into that.

-tony

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CleanHatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it will get dismissed no problem at all. say your just learning out to drive stick. everybody chirps there tires when learning. you cant help that. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i actually tried that and the cop said something along the lines of: "get an automatic...here's your ticket."

-tony

 

I am a criminal defense attorney. Here are a few tips.

1. Written statements are not admissible in court hearings. The actual person has to be there because the State has to have the right to cross examine any witness.

2. Your friends could not testify as to your intent. They don't know what was going on in your head unless you told them. I doubt if you told them that you were going to pull out from the light without squealing your tires.

3. It doesn't really matter that your foot "accidentally" slipped. You are required to be in control of your car. If your foot had "accidentally" slipped and you hit another car then you would be at fault. If your only defense to squealing your tires is that you "accidentally" lost control, then you don't really have a defense.

So this is my advice. Appear on your hearing date and speak to the officer and prosecuting attorney before court. There may not be a prosecuting attorney if this is just traffic court. The officers prosecute their own cases here where I practice. Sometimes the officers don't even appear. If the officer is not there then ask the court to dismiss the ticket. If the officer is there (or if the judge refuses to dismiss the ticket without the officer there) then tell them that you are sorry, and ask if the case could be dismissed if you pay costs or attend driving school. This will keep the points from appearing on your license. DO NOT contact your insurance company before you go to court. This is probably a reckless operation ticket, and the insurance WILL care about it. If you do not have a bad driving history, and you act courteous and mature in court then then the judge will probably do you a favor.


BTW I notice that your H-T name is "Delinquent" and your e-mail address is "just another punk@hotmail.com". I strongly suggest that you leave your "gangsta wannabe" mentality at home on your court date. I have seen a lot of "tough guys" screwed more for their immature attitudes than for their actual crime.


Modified by fredtoast at 4:02 PM 6/9/2003


Modified by fredtoast at 4:06 PM 6/9/2003

 

I was going to put in my two cents, but Fredtoast pretty much covered it all...Well put

 

Great post Fred. Definately gave me a lot of info.

 

Hey Fred.. are you familiar with something called "Probation before Judgement"...

Where, instead of getting the ticket if they refuse to drop it, you can go on probation for something like a year. And, as long as you dont get pulled over again within that year (Pulled over and ticketed), this ticket will be dropped? Also, that it will not appear on your record unless you break the probation?

Just curious if thats a local-only thing here in DE., or if its something pretty nationwide.

 

never heard of that one.. whats the penalty if u get another ticket? just that both go on your record now?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Batoutahell &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When you show up in court, dress nicely and be courteous to the judge, prosecutor and police officer. If you feel your friends' testimony is important, bring them along. Their live testimony is worth much more than an affidavit.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yup. Also, make sure your friends dress nicely, too. "Nicely" doesn't necessarily mean a suit and tie, but (for example) a tucked-in shirt with a collar and long khaki pants will be perceived much better than a t-shirt or blue jeans or shorts.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sneakychaos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey Fred.. are you familiar with something called "Probation before Judgement"...

Where, instead of getting the ticket if they refuse to drop it, you can go on probation for something like a year. And, as long as you dont get pulled over again within that year (Pulled over and ticketed), this ticket will be dropped? Also, that it will not appear on your record unless you break the probation?

Just curious if thats a local-only thing here in DE., or if its something pretty nationwide.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't know if it's everywhere - each jurisdiction is different - but we do have that option here in Illinois, where it's called "supervision".

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RiCE On IcE 2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">never heard of that one.. whats the penalty if u get another ticket? just that both go on your record now?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes.

 

Go to court .. they will though it out. They did for me the first 20 time.

 

fredtoast -- thank you for all of the information...i'll definitely keep all of that in mind.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fredtoast &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">BTW I notice that your H-T name is "Delinquent" and your e-mail address is "just another punk@hotmail.com". I strongly suggest that you leave your "gangsta wannabe" mentality at home on your court date. I have seen a lot of "tough guys" screwed more for their immature attitudes than for their actual crime. </TD></TR></TABLE>
haha -- if you knew me, you'd know that i'm about as far away from a gangsta wannabe as possible. the honda-tech username is actually a joke -- i'm usually as law abiding as possible. that is actually why i have no tickets to date (except of course for this one).

thanks again, everyone.

-tony

 

always take it to court...

usually if you have a good record, the traffic hearing officer will withhold adjudication and only have you pay a fine (no points for you) and court costs (less than 100 total for your offense here in FL). That depends on your state.
I would recommend getting a traffic ticket lawyer to represent you, as the courts have a good rapport with the attorneys and are willing to help out their clients (it's one big looping scam, but that's how it is here).

If you need any more help, feel free to hit me up....let's just say it's part of my profession

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jason &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">always take it to court...</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's true. I don't mean going in there and demanding a jury trial, but if you go to the trouble of appearing for court you may get a break. You may not get a break, but you have nothing to lose. If you just mail in the fine then you are admitting guilt to whatever the charge is.