![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Heather66 on October 13, 2003, at 7:34:25
I cried all week because I got my third speeding ticket in a year and now I have to go to court. I am obsessed about it and can't stop crying. I think it will make me feel better if I know I am not the only one who this happened to. Or maybe I am... it was bad luck all three times... and this last time i freaked out and was rude to the officer. I am freaking out about what will happen to me now. I wish I could just stay at home every second of every day. And hide from society following me around whereever I go.
Posted by octopusprime on October 13, 2003, at 11:43:22
In reply to Speeding Tickets, posted by Heather66 on October 13, 2003, at 7:34:25
Heather66 - do you actually have to appear in court? maybe a legal representative can appear for you?
I suggest talking to a traffic lawyer or paralegal - yes, the scummy-looking ones in the dreadful little offices. i was never called into court on account of my tickets, however i found that talking to somebody knowledgeable about the implications of such things was helpful. also, i was able to negotiate a better deal on the ticket. the $350 i spent i more than recovered in saved auto insurance premiums.
be prepared to find another auto insurance company, if necessary, at renewal time. i was booted from my insurance policy because i was high-risk. i called every agent in the phone book, and got the same rate i was paying pre-boot.
what specifically will happen to you will depend upon where you live and how much you were speeding. talk to somebody more knowledgeable in your area. usually you do not lose your license or anything silly like that - just pay a bunch of $$ and go to traffic school or something.
good luck. it's a big pain to deal with traffic and autos and things. take care of yourself, and hire somebody to deal with the nasty bits to relieve your stress.
ps - after a few years of keeping my nose clean, my spotty traffic record is not a problem. it also helps that my car is incapable of going faster than 75 mph so i'm never the lead car in the pack any more!
Posted by madwand on October 13, 2003, at 12:34:53
In reply to Speeding Tickets, posted by Heather66 on October 13, 2003, at 7:34:25
Heather,
I want to second Octopusprime's suggestion -- get some legal advice. I was once in your situation -- looking down the barrel of losing my license on points. I went in for a free consultation with a traffic lawyer.
It turns out I did not have to do this (as I never got the "final" ticket) but she had an interesting approach (which may not work in your juridiction). If you get the final ticket, what you do is "forget" to pay it and thus deliberately incur a failure to appear (she made a point of conveying this in a way that did not "suggest" I violate the law of course <g>). Then you get a lawyer, who goes into court and pleads you guilty on the FTA in exchange for dropping the actual charge (an FTA carries no points, at least in my jurisdiction).
Apparently this has actually worked. Again, it might not work for your situation or in your juridiction, but it illustrates the value of getting input from a lawyer who knows the system -- they might think of something you do not.
Good luck!Michael
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.