Upcoming traffic court in Denver....advice/tips/suggestions?
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Upcoming traffic court in Denver....advice/tips/suggestions?
Hey guys-
Got nabbed a couple months ago for 89 in a 75 via the infamous VASCAR (beware mile marker 305 on westbound I-70) and my court date is this week. Having never been to traffic court in Denver (or CO at all) I was just wondering what exactly to expect when I get there...I was told you're required to sit down with the officer and try to work out something between you - any suggestions there? I was also curious, for those of you who have plead to a lesser ticket (for instance the standard "operating an unsafe vehicle"), how exactly does that show up on your record? Does it say "busted the bastard for speeding but cut him a break" or is there no mention of the original offense outside of the plea bargain records themselves?
Thanks!!
Got nabbed a couple months ago for 89 in a 75 via the infamous VASCAR (beware mile marker 305 on westbound I-70) and my court date is this week. Having never been to traffic court in Denver (or CO at all) I was just wondering what exactly to expect when I get there...I was told you're required to sit down with the officer and try to work out something between you - any suggestions there? I was also curious, for those of you who have plead to a lesser ticket (for instance the standard "operating an unsafe vehicle"), how exactly does that show up on your record? Does it say "busted the bastard for speeding but cut him a break" or is there no mention of the original offense outside of the plea bargain records themselves?
Thanks!!
Thread Starter
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That's what I was afraid of...
Do you have any idea how plea bargains show up on your driving record, if at all? My insurance claims to give a rat's a$$ about points, all they care about is that I got a moving violation, and they said that the "unsafe vehicle", which is the standard plea bargain, wouldn't help me at all if it was a reduction from a speeding ticket.
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My experience...
All they want is your money and if you have a clean record they will plead your ticket down to unsafe vehicle or something close to 1 point. If your nice the prosecutor may even plead it down with a bad record. And yes, my experience with State Farm has been "busted the bastard for speeding but cut him a break" -> 1-point violation cha-ching give us your money.
But that is better than all my 4 pointers.
Good luck and don't worry. They run people through traffic court like cattle. It's really no big deal.
But that is better than all my 4 pointers.
Good luck and don't worry. They run people through traffic court like cattle. It's really no big deal.
Thread Starter
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Yeah, it's not like jail time is in my future, but I hate insurance companies...
and I hate that I'm going to pay out the nose for this thing if it sticks on my record for the next three years. Drives me nuts to know that for years I pay hundreds of $$ a month, and then as soon as you have an accident, or a ticket, they raise your rates. *sigh* Oh well, live and learn.
AudiWorld Member
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If it's your preliminary hearing...
You have three choices: innocent, guilty, or plea bargain. If you have a good record they'll give you a break. I got three points and a $60 dollar fine for 70 in a 45. You can take a chance and plead innocent and hope the cop doesn't show for court which happens frequently especially if he gives out lots of tickets, but you run the risk of no reduction. Good Luck
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I gotta agree with ColoradoBrad
Its like cattle. I got nabbed for 76 in a 55 a few weeks after arriving in CO and was sweating bullets about this entire plea bargining thing. Not to worry. My 8 point violation (4 additional points for not carrying proof if insurance) was knocked down to a non-moving violation (equivilent of a busted tail light) and I ended up paying 50 some bucks. Insurance never knew, and why would I tell them?
I don't know why VASCAR would be any different than being nabbed via another technique.
I don't know why VASCAR would be any different than being nabbed via another technique.
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Most insurance companies are wise to the "unsafe vehicle", etc.. Infact, some will even count in...
those little 'windshield rock chip repair' fees as 'accident claims' when evaluating you for rate changes.
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Exactly. But the question remains...will they go to the
trouble of finding out? According to the DMV there is no record of a plea bargain on my driving record, but if they were to obtain court docs then they could see it. Be that as it may, I've already rejected the plea bargain b/c I didn't know how it would show up on my record and didn't want to box myself into a corner. According to my insurance, the points don't matter, it's all about the fact that it happened, so I'm no worse off taking a speeding ticket vs. the unsafe vehicle plea. Let's just hope that the officer doesn't show up 