WA - 1st Speeding Ticket - HELP!

I got a '60zone - going 75+ (82)' in StateHighway 12 Grey Harbor county
in Washington State.

Its 100 miles away from where I live (Seattle). I would like to fight
the ticket, but to drive 100miles to do that is discouraging. I would
like to know, under the cicumstances, what are the options ?

I have a clean record till now, I would like to keep it that way - I
speed, I do it responsibly within limits (usually 80mph) I drive a 325
BMW, and its a pretty good handling car at higher speeds.

1) Can I admit guilt and go to traffic school ? - do I have to appear
in court for that ?

2) Can I admit guilt and ask for probation(1 year with no ticket) ? -
do I have to appear in court for that ?

3) Can I fight ticket remotely ? over phone ? or mail ?

4) WHEN will the ticket get into my record ? Now ? After I admit guilt
? or if I fight after the judgement ?

5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
$150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
with $8 pending they hold off.?

6) Another sneaky one, My Insurance company has my old driver licence
from CA (expired 1 month back). I switched it to WA last month. But
they donno it yet. Should I just play mum, as the ticket is given for
WA lic#. Yeah, eventually they will come to know or ask for updated one
- this just extends the inevitable...

already a week has passed, and I need to make a descision - please give
some suggestions...

thanks!!

Around 12/6/2004 10:20 AM, redindian wrote:

> I got a '60zone - going 75+ (82)' in StateHighway 12 Grey Harbor county
> in Washington State.
>
> Its 100 miles away from where I live (Seattle). I would like to fight
> the ticket, but to drive 100miles to do that is discouraging. I would
> like to know, under the cicumstances, what are the options ?

Legally, you have three options:
You can plead guilty and pay the fine.
You can plead guilty with mitigating circumstances and /maybe/ pay a
slightly reduced fine.
Or, you can plead not guilty and take your chances with a judge 100
miles away.

> I have a clean record till now, I would like to keep it that way - I
> speed, I do it responsibly within limits (usually 80mph) I drive a 325
> BMW, and its a pretty good handling car at higher speeds.
>
> 1) Can I admit guilt and go to traffic school ? - do I have to appear
> in court for that ?

I don't think that WA has a traffic school program, at least not state-wide.

> 2) Can I admit guilt and ask for probation(1 year with no ticket) ? -
> do I have to appear in court for that ?

I don't know if you can ask for that, or if you can ask for it whether
you'll get it, but if you want any chance of actually getting it, you'd
probably have to show and ask in person.


> 3) Can I fight ticket remotely ? over phone ? or mail ?

Most likely, no (maybe Grays county is different than Snohomish, King,
Kitsap, and Thurston).

AFAIK, the only thing you can do by mail is plead guilty with mitigating
circumstances, and write the judge a nice letter explaining the situation.


> 4) WHEN will the ticket get into my record ? Now ? After I admit guilt
> ? or if I fight after the judgement ?

That I don't know.


> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
> with $8 pending they hold off.?

Nope. That's an urban myth; it's no skin off their nose if you don't
cash their check.


> 6) Another sneaky one, My Insurance company has my old driver licence
> from CA (expired 1 month back). I switched it to WA last month. But
> they donno it yet. Should I just play mum, as the ticket is given for
> WA lic#. Yeah, eventually they will come to know or ask for updated one
> - this just extends the inevitable...

Doesn't sound too smart to me, but I'm no insurance expert.

> already a week has passed, and I need to make a descision - please give
> some suggestions...

Talk to a lawyer who deals with traffic violations in Grays county, and
ask him these same questions.
<http://www.motorists.org/Attorneys/washington.html> is a good enough
place to start.


--
~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie.
Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave.
******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."
for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

Around 12/6/2004 10:20 AM, redindian wrote:

> I got a '60zone - going 75+ (82)' in StateHighway 12 Grey Harbor county
> in Washington State.
>
> Its 100 miles away from where I live (Seattle). I would like to fight
> the ticket, but to drive 100miles to do that is discouraging. I would
> like to know, under the cicumstances, what are the options ?

Legally, you have three options:
You can plead guilty and pay the fine.
You can plead guilty with mitigating circumstances and /maybe/ pay a
slightly reduced fine.
Or, you can plead not guilty and take your chances with a judge 100
miles away.

> I have a clean record till now, I would like to keep it that way - I
> speed, I do it responsibly within limits (usually 80mph) I drive a 325
> BMW, and its a pretty good handling car at higher speeds.
>
> 1) Can I admit guilt and go to traffic school ? - do I have to appear
> in court for that ?

I don't think that WA has a traffic school program, at least not state-wide.

> 2) Can I admit guilt and ask for probation(1 year with no ticket) ? -
> do I have to appear in court for that ?

I don't know if you can ask for that, or if you can ask for it whether
you'll get it, but if you want any chance of actually getting it, you'd
probably have to show and ask in person.


> 3) Can I fight ticket remotely ? over phone ? or mail ?

Most likely, no (maybe Grays county is different than Snohomish, King,
Kitsap, and Thurston).

AFAIK, the only thing you can do by mail is plead guilty with mitigating
circumstances, and write the judge a nice letter explaining the situation.


> 4) WHEN will the ticket get into my record ? Now ? After I admit guilt
> ? or if I fight after the judgement ?

That I don't know.


> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
> with $8 pending they hold off.?

Nope. That's an urban myth; it's no skin off their nose if you don't
cash their check.


> 6) Another sneaky one, My Insurance company has my old driver licence
> from CA (expired 1 month back). I switched it to WA last month. But
> they donno it yet. Should I just play mum, as the ticket is given for
> WA lic#. Yeah, eventually they will come to know or ask for updated one
> - this just extends the inevitable...

Doesn't sound too smart to me, but I'm no insurance expert.

> already a week has passed, and I need to make a descision - please give
> some suggestions...

Talk to a lawyer who deals with traffic violations in Grays county, and
ask him these same questions.
<http://www.motorists.org/Attorneys/washington.html> is a good enough
place to start.


--
~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie.
Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave.
******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."
for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
> with $8 pending they hold off.?

http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/ticket.asp

> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
> with $8 pending they hold off.?

http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/ticket.asp

redindian wrote:

> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
> with $8 pending they hold off.?

People must burn the midnight oil thinking up these urban myths.



John

--
To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address


Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. --Beethoven

redindian wrote:

> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
> with $8 pending they hold off.?

People must burn the midnight oil thinking up these urban myths.



John

--
To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address


Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. --Beethoven

In a previous posting, The Lindbergh Baby
> had the audacity to
say:

:redindian wrote:
:
:> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
:> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
:> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
:> with $8 pending they hold off.?
:
:People must burn the midnight oil thinking up these urban myths.

Well, that one's one of the oldest in the book.

--
E.R. aka SJG aka Ricardo
present location: vancouver bc canada
refugee from the european union's evil bureaucracy

In a previous posting, The Lindbergh Baby
> had the audacity to
say:

:redindian wrote:
:
:> 5) Hear this out, dont laugh --- The ticket is for $142, if I send
:> $150 and when the court sends back $8, I dont cash it. I heard the
:> court books must be balanced before ticket goes into my record ? So
:> with $8 pending they hold off.?
:
:People must burn the midnight oil thinking up these urban myths.

Well, that one's one of the oldest in the book.

--
E.R. aka SJG aka Ricardo
present location: vancouver bc canada
refugee from the european union's evil bureaucracy