Traffic Tickets

[brownkc]

Hypothetical:-) You go 16 years with no tickets then you get a speeding ticket (78 in a 65) and a ticket for running a stop sign within a month of one another.

In Texas, you can take defensive driving once a year to get rid of a ticket. Which would have the greatest impact on insurance and is it worth it to try to have the other ticket pulled because of insurance increases?

Thanks for your help.

[Asonyexec]

what does the term "pulled" mean in this context?

[Black240SX]

Dispute both tickets. If you do your homework you have a good chance of being acquitted of at least one of them.

[paul79uf]

where I live, south florida, a $50-$80 lawyer fee will make any ticket go away

How did you go 16 years with no tickets??? that's amazing

[CkretAjint]

where I live, south florida, a $50-$80 lawyer fee will make any ticket go away

How did you go 16 years with no tickets??? that's amazing

speeding is definately a icky looking thing on your record. BUT... If you take it to court and the jusge orders you to take traffic class, it does not count as your 1 times. 1 time is only voluntary

[brownkc]

Because I have never had tickets before, I had never really investigated the meaning of pulling a ticket. My basic understanding is you pay a fee to an attorney that specializes in this sort of thing and the ticket goes away. I don't ask questions.

I had already asked to take the defensive driving (dd) class for the speeding ticket (1st ticket) but have not taken the class yet. Amazingly, the speeding ticket is only about $130 while running a stop sign is $250. The cost for the dd path is about $150.

Contesting the speeding would be difficult because it was on a trip and the court is a couple of hours away. I could try seeing if I could just pay that ticket and take dd for running a stop sign. I don't know if they would transfer the payment for the dd request to paying the ticket.

In researching on the Internet, I saw some sites talking about insurance companies giving a 25% discount for good drivers (no tickets in 3 yrs). If you get a ticket, you lose that discount plus pay a premium for the mark on your record. This could easily cost a bundle over 3 years.

As for no tickets ever, let's just say I have been lucky and am reasonably cautious even thought I speed most of the time.

[White95Max]

Amazingly, the speeding ticket is only about $130 while running a stop sign is $250.

That's not amazing to me. Running a stop sign is much more dangerous (to yourself and other innocent people) than speeding.

[brownkc]

It depends on how egregious the infraction is. Running a stop sign covers everything beyond coming to a complete stop. If I had run the stop sign at the posted speed, I would have made an almost 90 degree turn at 50 MPH onto a 55 MPH highway. Yes, that would have been dangerous, and rather difficult to do in a family sedan. But not making a complete stop is less dangerous than cruising through a school zone at 3 in the afternoon doing 120.

The situation here is not coming to a complete stop before merging on to a 55 MPH highway. Honestly, I may have even come to a complete stop just not at the line. I drive this road every day and wasn't even sure why I was being flagged down by a cop that had been hiding in the trees about 150 yds away from the turn.

By the way, I'm giving traffic court a try.