My first ticket - ends up being in the US

[SVT_Power]

So tonight I was driving to my aunt's in NJ. I'm driving on the I-90 or whatever it's called.

Limit is 65 mph, I was doing about 75-80 mph depending on amount of traffic. But as I'm passing a bunch of cars, a honda accord starts tailgating me so I sped up to 85ish to pass the line of cars so I could get out of the way. So i let the car by and I slow down to just under 80. Cop pulls me over then.

He pulls me over and asks me the usual "do you know why I pulled you over?" and I told him speeding obviously. He asks me if I know how fast I was going so I tell him i was doing about 80 when he pulled me over. Apparently I passed by him doing 86 mph. So either he was on the shoulder clocking or he was in the line of cars I passed before. But I'm pretty sure he wasn't sitting there clocking since I would have seen him.

He goes back to his cruiser with my license and registration and comes back in a few minutes with a ticket for doing 80 in a 65.

I think I'm gonna plead guilty and mail in my sheet of paper thing he gave me. They'll mail me a amount for the speeding fine right?

[Eye of the Tiger]

WTF. He should have pulled over that Accord, since he was tailgating and speeding even faster than you.

Anyhoo, congratulations

[TurboDan]

Your fine will be doubled because it's a 65MPH zone.  It would've been cheaper to go 80 in a 55, believe it or not.  Jersey, ugh.

[SVT_Power]

WTF. He should have pulled over that Accord, since he was tailgating and speeding even faster than you.

Anyhoo, congratulations

it was a she ... and she was distracted looking at her phone. wtf

[SVT_Power]

Your fine will be doubled because it's a 65MPH zone.? It would've been cheaper to go 80 in a 55, believe it or not.? Jersey, ugh.

i think i got pulled over while I was still in NY though

[TurboDan]

i think i got pulled over while I was still in NY though

You mean you don't know which agency pulled you over?  It's printed on the ticket...

[SVT_Power]

You mean you don't know which agency pulled you over?? It's printed on the ticket...

Yeah I got pulled over in NY. Does that make it any better for me?

[SVT_Power]

and I should plead guilty right? I can't even appear in court obviously

[SVT_Power]

And how much of a fine could I expect?

[Eye of the Tiger]

And how much of a fine could I expect?

It doesn't say on the ticket?

[TurboDan]

I think you gotta read your ticket.  All the info, including the fine, should be on there.

[SVT_Power]

i read it over like 5 times and it's not there

[SVT_Power]

guy printed out a long sheet of paper (worth 2 pages) and there's no mention of any monetary figures on it

[Eye of the Tiger]

guy printed out a long sheet of paper (worth 2 pages) and there's no mention of any monetary figures on it

maybe you don't have to pay because you're a foreign diplomat

[SVT_Power]

okay i just read over the thing and in the plea of guilty section it says "I plead guilty to the offense as charged and request that this charge be disposed of and a fine or penalty fixed by the court." So i guess i just mail in my guilty plea and hope for the best

[Lazerous]

Accord owners FTW. We manage to do shit and get away with it :P Just like me getting up to 105mph on a 45mph near a hospital zone in a college town infested with Mr Bob's all over 

[The Pirate]

Yeah I got pulled over in NY. Does that make it any better for me?

New York and Ontario have reciprocity (per the NY DMV website).  Said ticket could show up on your Ontario record.  I'd write a letter to the prosecutor or town justice and state your case.  Explain the circumstances surrounding being pulled over, and acknowledge your wrongdoing.  I can't make any guarantees, but it's worked well for me.

[SVT_Power]

I guess I'll write up a little letter or something and mail it in together with my guilty plea.

(actually there's like a little space where I can additionally make a statement of explanation but it's not nearly enough to write anything)

[dazzleman]

I think you gotta read your ticket.? All the info, including the fine, should be on there.

In New York State, only tickets issued in New York City have the fine printed on them.? At least that's the way it was the last time I got a ticket in New York.

When you mail in your plea, they come back to you with the amount of your fine.

Eddie -- Congratulations on your first ticket, and may you have many more.... ? You've started to fulfill your destiny as a driver....

You might want to call the court to find out the amount of the fine before you plead guilty.

The Pirate makes a good point, though.  For some bizarre reason, the only jurisdictions with which NYS has reciprocity on moving violations are the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario (there's no reciprocity with any other US state), meaning that the ticket will show up on your driving record if you plead guilty or are convicted.

So it might be worth a letter explaining your circumstance.  I suggest you call the court and explain the situation, and ask find out the procedure for how a plea like this would be handled.  You may regret just pleading guilty, if it ends up jacking up your insurance rates.  I imagine your parents won't be too pleased when they find out about the ticket.

[TheIntrepid]

I have nothing to add to this thread but my note of congratulations.

[the Teuton]

I've gone something like 80-85 on the highway before in my car without so much as a cop problem.  Eddie, either you need a radar detector or a better awareness of where you are and who's there with you.

[TurboDan]

That's weird that NYS doesn't put the amount of the fine on the ticket.  Why wouldn't they?  How could anyone just mail in a ticket without knowing the fine beforehand?  Can they just levy whatever fine they feel like? 

All those years living in NYS and I never got a ticket there.  Weird.

[dazzleman]

That's weird that NYS doesn't put the amount of the fine on the ticket.? Why wouldn't they?? How could anyone just mail in a ticket without knowing the fine beforehand?? Can they just levy whatever fine they feel like??

All those years living in NYS and I never got a ticket there.? Weird.

NYS has an antiquated justice court system.  NYC delegated the handling of its tickets to some other agency, so they're handled through a whole different adjudication process.  They put the fine on the ticket in order to automate the process, and if you challenge the ticket, you go to an adjudication center rather than municipal court.

But outside the city (and maybe one other county), traffic tickets are handled by the local justice court at the town or village level.  The system is totally antiquated.  You mail in your ticket, they mail you back the fine, and then you have until a certain date to pay.  You can of course challenge the ticket in the local court.

There is not necessarily consistency between the courts either, for some reason.  I received two different fines for the same offense in neighboring village courts.

The other nuisance with the justice courts is that they don't take personal checks, and seem to only accept postal money orders.  What a PITA that was.  I ended up going to court a few times to pay in cash in order to avoid having to get the postal money order.  If the court is local, that is easier.

The justice courts in NYS are politically entrenched and have survived several attempts to modernize and/or do away with them.  I'm guessing a person with a ticket can call the court to find out the amount of the fine before deciding how to plead.  It seems only fair that you should know the maximum penalty before deciding how to plead.

[dazzleman]

I've gone something like 80-85 on the highway before in my car without so much as a cop problem.? Eddie, either you need a radar detector or a better awareness of where you are and who's there with you.

Even the best of us slip up sometimes.  You'll get your turn.... 

[SVT_Power]

So it might be worth a letter explaining your circumstance.  I suggest you call the court and explain the situation, and ask find out the procedure for how a plea like this would be handled.  You may regret just pleading guilty, if it ends up jacking up your insurance rates.  I imagine your parents won't be too pleased when they find out about the ticket.

I was driving with my mom and brother in the car. My mom laughed at me and asked me how I felt after my first ticket. She just said I had to pay for it with my money

[The Pirate]

I was driving with my mom and brother in the car. My mom laughed at me and asked me how I felt after my first ticket. She just said I had to pay for it with my money

What town (or county) did you get pulled over in?  It should say on the ticket. 

[the Teuton]

Even the best of us slip up sometimes.  You'll get your turn.... 

Hopefully not. I've lucked out a few times so far.

[SVT_Power]

What town (or county) did you get pulled over in?  It should say on the ticket. 

Town of Verona, Oneida county 

[The Pirate]

Town of Verona, Oneida county 

Alright, it's probably just a town justice or something like that.  I'd write a letter, and hope for the best.  Mention that you have no problem with a fine, since you know you were guilty of speeding.  Ask for a fine reduction, for the purpose of keeping points off of your license.  Be sure to explain the circumstances around the citation (the officer can corroborate that), and say that you don't usually speed.

[SVT_Power]

Should I ask them to change the charge to something that doesn't involve points but they can still fine me?