a friend is worried about a silly 80 in a 65, and im trying to tell him you will get a deal even without trying in wake county. can some of you post personal stories of traffic court WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY?

thanks!!!1

7/6/2007 8:19:14 PM

as long as your friend isn't hispanic, they'll reduce it to 9 over the minute you check in to the courtroom.

7/6/2007 8:23:23 PM

yeah i told him all about the 9 over, and trying to get a deal on your own the first date -- and getting it continued if that doesnt work out. thanks for the input, just looking more for actual stories, maybe a little "he said" and "She said" stuff

7/6/2007 8:28:05 PM

i couldn't get a plea

7/6/2007 9:12:15 PM

is there a story? background info would be cool... like were you doing 90 in a 45? prior record? i've never had a problem with it.

i'm not trying to convince the guy to go attorney free, i love lawyers. i'm just trying to get the point across that you should use that first appearance to assess the situation, and THEN call an attorney.

he has no prior record and wants to keep it that way. fucking virgins!!1

7/6/2007 9:18:38 PM

holy fuck

what a coincidence

i hadn't told this story in years till yesterday

so i had almost the exact same thing as your friend. i got busted for 80 in a 55 over on the beltline back in '02 (right where the speed drops by Glenwood). the DA reduced it to 9 over before i even saw the judge, and I showed up without a lawyer.

also, i didn't even have to talk the da down. they just offered it by saying something like "the state's prepared to reduce your charge to 9 over. will you plead guilty to the charge?" i just did it since it didn't hurt the insurance.

[Edited on July 6, 2007 at 10:01 PM. Reason : ...]

7/6/2007 9:53:48 PM

Well, the bad news is wake county has gotten pretty strict within the last several years. If I got a 80 in a 65, I would go to the DA myself. You can always ask for a continuance to be represented by a lawyer.

7/6/2007 10:06:15 PM

once again, i appreciate the effort to offer advice, but this thread was meant for stories. like "i went 2 weeks ago, and had xxx charge and they offered me yyy without me asking anything"

or

"i went today for speeding 12 over and they denied me any deal because of my prior driving record"

etc. different than the big thread on what to do when you get a ticket. but i do appreciate the input

7/6/2007 10:14:40 PM

I got pulled for 94 in a 55 and got a warning ticket, fuck the DA just talk the cop down on the scene

7/6/2007 10:30:27 PM

getting closer. that one would go in the "talking down the cop" thread that may or may not exist

7/6/2007 10:34:23 PM

i've had incidents in wake and durham counties. my first was in wake; 52 in a 35 right where the speed limit changes on gorman before the avent ferry intersection. the cop was in that alcove right where that itty-bitty bridge is. asshole. anyhow, couldn't talk him down on the spot (was the last day of the month; guess he had a quota to fill). anyhow, i went to the courthouse prior to my court date and explained the story. they reduced it to 42 (weird number, but whatever) and i paid $45. good enough
second episode (about six years later) was near exit 270 on i-40w during all of the construction. listed as 85 in a 55 but the cop was fairly nice and very giving (christmas time). he wrote the ticket for 72 and left out the fact that it was a work zone. i went to my court date and simply asked for nine over. one of the assistant DAs checked my record and reported nine-over to the judge. i paid $100 flat for court fees, no fine.
easy breezy.

7/6/2007 10:55:55 PM

ive had at least 8 tix reduced to 9 over in the past 5 years all over the state. court's getting paid, they dont care.

7/6/2007 10:56:16 PM

Just watch them or they will waste your PJC without you knowing. When I was 17 they got me like that and on the next one the lawyer could not do anything about it and my insurance got fucked. A first ticket is not worth using a PJC on ever if you can get it reduced to 9 over.

7/6/2007 11:04:49 PM

ok ive been nice long enough!!!1 mswuf excluded, you guys cant fucking read!

this thread is for stories of your interactions with assistant/district attorneys in wake county when you had a speeding ticket and no attorney.

simple really!

7/6/2007 11:29:02 PM

i've only dared to do this with tickets i've had that were 15 over or less. that's 5 of them iirc. here's how they went:

1 reduced to 5 over no problem.

3 reduced to 9 over no problem.

1 the da agreed to reduce to 9 over, but the judge was extra pissy for some reason and denied accepting the reduced charge. got a continuance/lawyer.

everything else i've had has been either higher rates of speeding or multiple charges, so i've always gotten a lawyer (james crouch ftw).

i will agree that most of the time you won't have any issue getting one dropped to 9 over if you have a clean record. the fact that the speed isn't over 80mph helps also. you do have to consider what your time/effort is worth to you to go down there and deal with it, but if you've got it to spare go for it. worst case you get denied and get a continuance. i've never heard of anyone being denied a continuance for a traffic offense unless it was the third one or more.

i am completely convinced that wake co. is just in the minor traffic offense business for revenue. that is why they willingly accept reduced pleas, have set up the whole 1a courtroom thing, and faulty equipment is a not allowed as a defense. if you think about it, it's really a win win for everyone. the public is happy because they get a reduced charge, the county is happy because they get money, cops are happy because they have a job, lawyers are happy because they have a job, and the list goes on.

7/7/2007 12:20:41 AM

about 6 months ago i got pulled for speeding... it was 41 in a 25 i think. i waited in line while listening to the DA reduce just about everyone's speeding ticket, and surely when i got to the counter he reduced mine as well. if its a basic case, and its not much past 15 over, it just about always gets reduced to 9 over. without a lawyer, without even trying.

7/7/2007 3:29:49 PM

my brother got his reduced because he was wearing a State shirt and the DA went to State

go Wolfpack

7/7/2007 3:47:28 PM

Quote :

"Well, the bad news is wake county has gotten pretty strict within the last several years"

What the fuck are you talking about, I worked there day in and day out and they reduced almost EVERY ticket to 9 over just to get your ass out of the overcrowded courtroom. The only times they didn't was when people were going way way over or were a complete cockbag to the ADA.

[Edited on July 7, 2007 at 3:55 PM. Reason : .]

7/7/2007 3:54:56 PM

i keep reading this as 'taking down the DA'

7/7/2007 4:50:05 PM

cant remember the date, but a 19 over reduced to 9 over without even having to ask for it. i brought a certified copy of my driving record in case they wanted to verify i had a clean record but they never even asked. standing in line it looks like the people who dress like they give a fuck get better deals than the people who havent bathed. so your friend should dress for court.

7/7/2007 6:03:38 PM

I have had 7 tickets in Wake County over the last 6 years (and 2 outside of wake) and they have ALL been reduced to 9 over by the various DAs. I never even had to ask for it. Like has been mentioned, unless you were speeding excessively or in a school zone or something, it is not even an issue. DA drops it to 9, doesn't hit your insurance and the state gets their money. everyone is happy.

7/7/2007 6:39:22 PM

Quote :

"the da agreed to reduce to 9 over, but the judge was extra pissy for some reason and denied accepting the reduced charge. got a continuance/lawyer. "

what a douche

Quote :

"court's getting paid, they dont care. "

exactly

Quote :

"Just watch them or they will waste your PJC without you knowing."

yeah, don't waste a PJC on a little 15-over ticket.

Quote :

"the fact that the speed isn't over 80mph helps also. "

yep

Quote :

"(james crouch ftw). "

yep. had his number in my cell phone when i lived in NC.

Quote :

"worst case you get denied and get a continuance. "

yep

Quote :

"i am completely convinced that wake co. is just in the minor traffic offense business for revenue. that is why they willingly accept reduced pleas, have set up the whole 1a courtroom thing, and faulty equipment is a not allowed as a defense."

oh yeah, no doubt. there are individual cops here and there who think that speeding really is dangerous, and think they're doing some great deed and keeping the public safe by writing you up, but mostly, it's just a tax. that's pretty much how i look at it--i drive more or less how i want to, and as a result, have to pay the Supplemental Highway Usage Tax occassionally.

Quote :

"cant remember the date, but a 19 over reduced to 9 over without even having to ask for it. i brought a certified copy of my driving record in case they wanted to verify i had a clean record but they never even asked. standing in line it looks like the people who dress like they give a fuck get better deals than the people who havent bathed. so your friend should dress for court. "

yeah, pretty much my experience, except i never bothered to bring a copy of my driving record. You walk up, hand them your paperwork that you take to court, and they glance at it and say "Nine over sound ok?" You reply "Yep, sounds good." they then reply "Alright, take a seat and wait for the judge."

as far as dressing for court, you don't need to wear a suit or shirt and tie or anything if you don't want to...pair of khakis and a polo will be quite sufficient and put you in the top 2% of Best Dressed in Court.

Quote :

"DA drops it to 9, doesn't hit your insurance and the state gets their money. "

not exactly correct. your insurance finds out, but they are bound by law not to charge you for a single 9-over ticket within a 3 year period. it has to do with a cutoff on the number of INSURANCE (not license) points you accumulate in any given 3 years. without getting into the details, you won't be charged for a single 9-over ticket if you have a clean record in the last 3 years...but if you get another 9-over ticket, you'll be charged for BOTH of them until 3 years from the first one has passed.

7/7/2007 8:29:24 PM

Quote :

"there are individual cops here and there who think that speeding really is dangerous"

As it turns out, speeding really is dangerous.

7/7/2007 9:01:23 PM

About 2 or 3 years ago I got a 73 in a 55 on highway 64 headed out to Jordan Lake. I just showed up to court by myself one day checked in and shit and waited for the ADA to call me up. When he called me up he asked what I wanted to do and I told him I was willing to plead guilty to 64 in a 55 and he immediately agreed and used his big ass black sharpie to write 64 in a 55 on the ticket. The judge then called me up and asked what I would plea to 64 in a 55 and I pleaded "responsible" (or something like that, another way of saying guilty) and the judge said alright and because I was still a student she waived the fee and only made me pay court cost. It's easy as shit and if you have some asshole ADA that won't reduce it you can just ask for it to be continued in order to get a lawyer. I would definately not pay for an attorney the first time.

7/8/2007 12:28:09 AM

^Normally they offer this without you even having to speak. There are no asshole ADA's, this is standard policy (everyone wins you're happy/the state gets money).

The juniors ADA's do rotations and trust me they bitch about it as much as us having an 8am class with that asshole professor with the low grade distribution, they just want to get it over with.

This works in Wake County, but each county has their own way of doing things so don't count on the 14 or 19 overs being dropped to 9 over in all counties in NC.

7/8/2007 8:05:31 AM

im gonna put 10 page story here since my thread failed

ok fuck it, this thread was doomed i guess. i was asking for someone, though. cause i dont like in big bad wake county anymore. i got a speeding ticket and didnt know the courthouse, so i got myself an attorney for mine last month or so.

dismissed. totally. no fine, no silly PJC bullshit. as a matter of fact, i didn't even go. and with the exception of my seatbelt habit, i'll be right back on the phone if i get another ticket for some reason. i'm sure within a few years it will actually be financially feasible for people to hire attorneys for a seat belt ticket

Quote :

"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

That is the 8th Amendment of the Constitution of the US of A. they might be able to justify charging 100 for the seat belt violation... but the only things that have gone up 400% in price in that amount of time are seat belt tickets and oxycontin.

7/8/2007 9:58:03 AM

I've had 77 in a 55, walked into the courtroom area where you check in ~8am (waited in line for ~15-20mins) and they asked how I wanted to plea and I asked about getting it reduce, she said go see the DA, I walked up to the DA and asked for a reduction due to a good record and he marked it down to 9 under. Paid $110 and walked out.

I recently got a 55 in a 35, walked into the courtroom (it was ~noon and was EMPTY!), went up to a lady next to the DA to check in, took a seat and DA called my name one minute later, went up and asked for reduction due to a good record and she marked it to 9 under, went in front of the judge and he asked if I accepted the plea, I said yes, paid $110 and left.

7/8/2007 2:15:08 PM

well looks like me along with 4-5 others, maybe more I saw on the way back got a ticket on Gorman/Avent Ferry intersection. got caught goin 51 on 35 and that was me speeding up for the yellow light. it changed right at the point where i'd have to slam my brakes or just go so i sped up a little bit. i still was speeding i guess but dang that was just bad luck. i kinda lost focus on what i was goin but i knew i wasn't goin crazy fast.

so it's my first traffic violation ever in 7 years of driving. i guess i'm gonna pay a visit to the DA. does anyone know if I could see the DA before the court date or can you only do it on your court date? anyone think i'll have problems getting it reduced to 9 over with my driving record?

9/3/2007 3:57:58 PM

^ no you can't see them before the courtdate, and yes it will be reduced with no trouble to 44 in a 35.

9/3/2007 4:54:48 PM

I got pulled over going 45 on Edenton (downtown) right after it switches from 40 to 30, so the ticket was for 45 in a 30, but the cop reduced it there to 39 (however they do...she wrote down 45 on one part but wrote 39 on the part that matters). When my court date came, I went up to the DA and asked what I had to do to get it dropped, and he seriously looked at me like I was up in Pizza Hut and asked what I had to do to get some cheese on my pizza.

9/3/2007 7:20:46 PM

If you got the ticket in Wake County and won't lose a shitload of money to take a half day off, then do this yourself. There are so many lawyers who make a living just because people don't know they will reduce it for you without trouble. Don't pay a lawyer who is basically doing what you can get done for free unless you have lots of tickets or your time is worth a ton of money.

Quote :

"The ADA's do rotations and trust me they bitch about it as much as us having an 8am class with that asshole professor with the low grade distribution, they just want to get it over with. "

[Edited on September 3, 2007 at 7:30 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2007 7:26:28 PM

I was passing someone on wade ave right off 40 and got clocked doing 27 over. I was going to get a lawyer, but the it was going to be real expensive. She told me to go in, and if I got a judgement I didn't like that i could ask for a continuence for legal advice. Well I was real worried, I went in there and before I could open my mouth the DA dropped it to five over. I payed the 100 dollar court fee and went on my way.

9/3/2007 9:57:49 PM

I've been in Raleigh 12 years now, and been pulled several times.

Just show up, they'll drop it to at worst 9 over.

9/3/2007 11:00:18 PM

my story is about the same as everyone. Speeding, 83 in a 65. Went to the DA, without me saying a word they dropped it to 74 in a 65, I paid the $100 court costs and was on my way.

9/4/2007 3:47:53 AM

I've had 2, one for 77 in a 55 and one for 55 in a 35 and both got reduced to 9 over. I did have to ask for a reduction when I arrived though and they asked how I would like to plea... the second one I cannot go into detail on, but I essentially got off RIDICULOUSLY WELL from the cop who pulled me over.

9/4/2007 10:06:57 AM

The cop got you off?

9/4/2007 10:08:59 AM

Quote :

"There are so many lawyers who make a living just because people don't know they will reduce it for you without trouble. Don't pay a lawyer who is basically doing what you can get done for free unless you have lots of tickets or your time is worth a ton of money."

But if we already have a 9 over on our record, then wouldn't it make sense to avoid a second 9 over and hire a lawyer for a few hundred bucks?...assuming what theDuke866 said is right about having two 9 overs and getting charged for them?

and don't lawyers have better odds of getting tickets dismissed totally, or pleaded down to some charge lower than a 9 over...which doesn't impact your insurance at all?

9/4/2007 10:19:08 AM

I got tagged for 80 in a 65 in Alamance county this past weekend.

Never gone to court myself. I've had 3 tickets in the past, but got lawyers for all of them and they were all dropped.

This was also like 3 years ago since my last ticket.

I should be fine just going in and talking to the DA to get it reduced to 9 over, right? Is Alamance county any different than Wake county?

9/4/2007 10:30:18 AM

lawyers have a much better chance in geting a ticket moved to a nonmoving violation or a serious reduction. The ADA knows that you are paying $200-300 for the ticket and that is punishment enough.

If you get two 10 and under reductions in a 3 year period, you will get insurance points for the second ticket. That is why the ADA is so quick to reduce a ticket. They know you will get popped later on.

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 11:31 AM. Reason : k]

9/4/2007 11:30:51 AM

i've never ever seen that law
plus, ive had more speeding tickets than most of you combined in this thread [16] and i've lost out on 2 of those and the rest were either handled by a lawyer or me having it reduced to 9 over

i've only used 3 lawyers so the rest were handled by me

i've never seen my insurance rates go up

i think you youre getting a PJC confused JennMc

9/4/2007 11:36:17 AM

If it's your first ticket, they will automatically offer you to plead guilty to 9 over. The beauty of this is, your first one, insurance doesn't find out about it if you plead guilty to the 9 over. BUT, if you get another one within the next three years then you'll get popped with both by your insurance. I was told this by a cop that used to come into this gas station I used to work at, and by god it was true. He said that people always make the mistake of using their prayer for judgement on the first, when you can plead guilty to the first, and then if you get another ticket, use your pjc. Now, if you get a third, you're royally fucked as you get stuck with all 3 tickets.

9/4/2007 12:07:07 PM

I post the NCSU Legal Services link with the law in every speeding thread and you always argue with me. Here is the statute, it does not read as nicely.

Quote :

"§ 58-36-75. At-fault accidents and certain moving traffic violations under the Safe Driver Incentive Plan. (f) The subclassification plan shall provide that with respect to a conviction for a "violation of speeding 10 miles per hour or less over the speed limit" there shall be no premium surcharge nor any assessment of points [b] unless there is a driving record consisting of a conviction or convictions for a moving traffic violation or violations, except for a prayer for judgment continued for any moving traffic violation, during the three years immediately preceding the date of application or the preparation of the renewal [b]. The subclassification plan shall also provide that with respect to a prayer for judgment continued for any moving traffic violation, there shall be no premium surcharge nor any assessment of points unless the vehicle owner, principal operator, or any licensed operator in the owner's household has a driving record consisting of a prayer or prayers for judgment continued for any moving traffic violation or violations during the three years immediately preceding the date of application or the preparation of the renewal. For the purpose of this subsection, a "prayer for judgment continued" means a determination of guilt by a jury or a court though no sentence has been imposed. For the purpose of this subsection, a "violation of speeding 10 miles per hour or less over the speed limit" does not include the offense of speeding in a school zone in excess of the posted school zone speed limit."

When you get a reduction, you are pleading guilty to a moving violation of 10 miles or less over the speed limit.

Darling, I have handled more tickets in court than you have received. You would not believe how many people come in to see a lawyer after their rates increase in this situation.

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 2:39 PM. Reason : k]

9/4/2007 2:38:45 PM

question

driving on 264 west, sudden storm popped up, hit some standing water in the bottom of a curve, and my truck slid off the road into the median and ended up on the guardrail facing the opposite direction. thankfully, i wasnt speeding or else i wouldnt have walked off without a scratch like i did.

however, trooper showed up and gave me a ticket for doing 70 (excessive speed/conditions). i was doing at least 20mph less than that, which is evident from the minimal damage to the truck and the lack of damage to myself. i know what i would have hydroplaned in that standing water no matter what my speed.

do i have any chance of getting this charge completely dropped?

9/4/2007 4:21:01 PM

^^^^then you've just been lucky. probably your insurance hasn't picked up on it for some reason or another. it's definitely what the law is.

Quote :

"plus, ive had more speeding tickets than most of you combined in this thread [16]"

if i need to qualify myself for agreeing with JennMc, i've had 20-25 tickets. that's only for speeding, chalk up another 5-10 for things such as careless/wreckless, etc.

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 4:29 PM. Reason : .]

9/4/2007 4:29:02 PM

thanks JennMC...i've really never seen that before and im sorry if youve posted it and i have missed it.

i will not argue with you about that again.

^i must have been lucky....about time im never lucky
and im glad someone has more tickets than me thanks for speaking up BBRam

9/4/2007 4:30:56 PM

This is where we thank god for james crouch I've only had maybe 8 speeding tickets in wake county and I believe 3 careless/reckless

9/4/2007 4:36:46 PM

^^^^ help?

9/4/2007 4:53:09 PM

Quote :

"^ no you can't see them before the courtdate, and yes it will be reduced with no trouble to 44 in a 35."

I went to see the DA right after getting a ticket in Pitt County one time so that I wouldn't have to drive back again on a work day. They dropped my ticket from 50 in a 35 down to 9 over so I paid it and left.

9/4/2007 5:18:28 PM

Quote :

"This is where we thank god for james crouch"

i'll give an "amen" for that.

9/4/2007 6:49:34 PM

bassman803, that is quite serious; at least I have no idea what to tell you. Go to court and hopefully the DA will treat you the same way as they have treated everyone else here: 9 over. If not, then get a continuance and then a lawyer.

As there was a ticket issued for the accident, if you don't have coverage for such an accident (just liability) then I would not recommend informing your insurance company of the accident, they might ask if a ticket was issued. And an at-fault accident sucks for your insurance bill, as I understand it.

9/4/2007 7:31:58 PM