hi everyone

i recently got a ticket for running a red light at another city that's like 3 hours away. normally i would just pay but i want to fight it this time b/c i know i wasn't at fault. i also recently just took traffic school so that's not an option. what i can do at this point:

1. plead not guilty - pay and request court trial date or trial by written declaration
2. appear in court

does anyone know how the process of option #1 works? can i request the court to be relocated to my own city? a lot of people say you can postpone the court date so chances of officer showing up is less, but should i do that with option 1 or 2? what should i do to maximize chance of winning?

any insight will be greatly appreciated thanks!

 

abc123acb123

 

Postpone the bail amount date as long as possible. I normally do it online for the first couple of extensions but after that I call the court and tell them that I can't make it. They're usually pretty helpful.

After you've extended it x amount of months, you have to request the written trial by declaration and send that in along with your bail amount. And then the waiting game begins.

Good luck

 

I still want to hear more about how you weren't at fault, lol.

If you didn't do it, then why are you trying to postpone it? Go fight it and win..

 

Yes, please explain how it wasn't your fault. Did the officer issue the ticket? Or you get one in the mail? If you got one in the mail then you are most likely guilty. They should have a link to the picture and video of the actual offense. The video usually clearly show whether one ran the light or not. Good luck.

 

Not worth the hassle if it's a red light camera ticket.
Small fine(at least in NJ at about $75) and no points.

 

Man, we could only wish that is the cost here in CA. Not sure where the OP is from but typically the cost of running a red light is $490 for California drivers, while rolling through a*stop*sign*will cost $238 (except for illegal aliens, driving without driver licenses/insurance). Welcome to the People Republic of California!

 

I didn't check where the OP is but have read the cost of traffic violations are ridiculous in CA before.$490 for a red light ticket is nuts.
Surprising with the cost of everything here in Jersey,traffic violation fines are very low compared to CA.

 

How is it not your fault though? I've seen people stuck in intersections on yellow/red lights because the lane gets backed up and even then they'd still be at fault for not waiting till it cleared enough.

If Ur guilty just go to court and say so. Cop no shows its dropped... cop shows the judge will lower the fine for you taking the time to show up if agree you are guilty.

But what happened that makes you not guilty just really interested in this1

 

Unless the camera snapped your photo while making a legal right on red, how is it not your fault? Running a red light is a pretty bright line standard.

Right--legally, you are not supposed to "block the box", and you should not be entering the intersection if you can't go all the way through.

Just own up and pay it--they are generally no points.

 

You should be getting inundated with letter from attorneys - pick one of them to get the ticket reduced to a non-moving violation. Sounds like you have a lead foot ("I just took traffic school") - don't try to fight it yourself with your record!

 

so i would pay the fine, and in that same envelop request a court trial date and just keep on postponing the trial date? when do i request the trial by declaration?

 

it was issued by an officer at 10pm at night. the light was a close call but i accelerated enough to make sure i could make it past the line when light was still yellow. afterwards, the cop followed me for another block before pulling me over when i was getting into my apartment parking lot, which i thought was really odd because he could have pulled me over much earlier. and if he was behind me, he couldn't have been able to tell if i made it past the line when light was yellow or red. the mail i got did not have a link or any pictures so there is no actual proof that i was at fault. plus it was really dark..
yep, ticket was 499
are you saying just to appear in court without paying the fine? or pay it first then request trial date and if you win they give you a refund?
there was no picture, officer said "i saw it with my own eyes" when he was behind me and it was dark..the officer didn't even know if there was points involved in this violation or not when i asked him..
wow attourneys? is that really necessary

 

You can fight it yourself; but you run the chance of "his words vs your" sort of thing. Plus, seeing you just did driving school, won't help you chances. Best bet is to get a lawyer.

 

^^ I would agree. A cop's word is always taken over your word in court. You will lose if you have to contest it in court.

Delay it as long as you can. Then you can contest it in writing, explaining your situation. Most likely you'll lose this way. But you can still request a court date after this.

Hopefully the cop is a no show and you win. Then, even if he does show up, hopefully he won't remember it clearly. You may be able to win this way.

I think there are companies that will fight the ticket for you. Can't remember the companies but you can do a search.

Good luck! Hope it works out...at least with a lower bail amount.