bagodoosh

i've seen, and read about officers lying in court. it's not about putting a bad person away. most of us walk out of that court commiting the offence again and again on a daily basis. it's about the state spending time & energy to get more money out of your pocket, and your efforts to keep that money to yourself. you saved $150, but ended up paying about a 7.5% surchage for 6 years. with a $1000 premium, that's about $450.

a clean record goes a long way if you make yourself seem sincere. hell, the state even honors 3 years with no offenses by dropping any points down to 14. it makes a difference.

i'm guessing the magistrate just didn't like you that day. personality makes a difference. my last court date i saw person after person walk out of the room with a smile. they got off. this guy was all pissed off and his offense was 37 in 35. he seemed to have an attitude. he didn't get a break. oops.

BroncoOne

To get abreak, you have to be a person that the magistrate (and the cop prosecuting) WANT to give a break. The mag always asks the police prosecutor if they object to finding you not responsible. If you're a decent guy about the expeerience and didn't insult the cop who wrote the ticket in your explaination, they usually won't have a reason towant to slam you.

That said---If you were clocked at 100mph in a 45, you're cooked no matter how nice you are. If you have a real defense, you'll be using it in a courtroom.

Chuckie T

that there was no way the officer could have used radar to check my speed based on his location and direction. I also contended that where he COULD have checked my speed was indeed a 35mph zone, exactly the speed I was traveling when clocked. Ergo, I was not caught "speeding".

At the meeting, I was all buddy buddy with a big smiles and lots of respect. I did not continue to state my case after the ruling nor did I interrupt/refute the officer's testimony. Following the ruling, I simply took the offer ($200 down to $50) and felt lucky to get it.