Traffic court: The system always wins.

[Alphaboy]

Lmao @ fighting a $35 parking ticket. You sound poor.

Took you long enough. You're slacking.

 

[HelloJapan]

This is the definition of "pick your battles".

 

[No MSG]

 

[Alphaboy]

I see a lot of hindsight bias going on in here.

I wouldn't have known it was a waste of time until it was already too late (after I already decided to fight it).

The argument that "you shouldn't have fought it" without this prior knowledge suggests no one should ever fight a traffic ticket.

 

[Broken arrow]

Bro, the entire traffic system is about making money. Speed traps, red light cameras, motor cycle cops, etc... all exist to create revenue.

For example: when my city sends me a picture running a red light or speeding, there are a couple problems.
1. The fucking constitution guarantees that I can face my accuser - they circumvent this with a cop looking at each picture and deciding it’s you. They only need to see 80% of your face and then they presume that it’s you if you’re the registered owner.... this leads me number 2...
2. what if it’s my twin brother, or a friend that looks similar? They don’t “know” it’s me.
3. The ticket comes in the mail.... you have 7-10 days to reply or it’s considered “failure to appear”.... soooo, there’s no fucking law that says I have to open my mail and there’s no proof I ever received the letter. Maybe my mail got stolen, maybe I was on vacation, maybe I saw the envelope and threw it in the garbage because I fucking hate the local goverment... ultimately if enough time passes I could be looking a serious punishment. When a cop pulls me over it’s my signature on the ticket and I know I got a ticket


It makes me furious and I’d love to burn down city hall

 

[Wet Blanket]

I got traffic courted too. Kept try if to make deals with me to pay the fine and they'll remove the points. I felt I was completely innocent so I wouldn't budge and did the trial.

Not even a real judge, just a justice of the peace who just sided with the crown. Total BS.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

After all of this I may still have to pay court fees? If that's the case, what was the point? You pay one way or another, right?


Okay, thanks for listening.

As a truck driver that has been pulled over and ticketed for bullshit that I KNEW was bullshit, its always better to just pay the fucking ticket than having to waste hours of your day, taking off of work, being bored shitless, and you get fucked over anyway by being forced to pay the ticket AND court costs.

The cops are low on city/state revenue to fund their pensions, and you're the unlucky fuck they just so happen to be shaken down for money that day.

 

[TheNinja]

You know this is just a parking ticket? Lol

Well. Still. . Now you know. I’d advise against a lawyer then.

 

[TheNinja]

Strange. My city if you plead not guilty to a small ticket like that they just drop it.

It's not worth there time and effort for a jury trial (city prosecutor will see it on the agenda/schedule and drop it before they select a jury).

The city knows the jury would be pissed if they wasted there whole day on a BS traffic citation.

You don’t immediately get jury trial. They won’t likely just drop it.

 

[BEER]

If there is no signage, it should have been dismissed outright. Or signage to the contrary of the ticket (I once got a ticket for doing 40 in a 25 because the idiot cop didn't realize I had entered the 40mph zone on the particular road l).

How is this not traffic court? How are they going to order a trial for a parking ticket?

 

[Protectandserve]

trial by declaration
google it

I fucking hate trial by declaration. I am required to do them. Then they lose and go to court anyway.

Huge waste of time.

 

[ralphc1]

TLDR: I should've just paid the friggin' ticket.

So I stepped out of the school I was teaching at one afternoon and lo and behold, a parking ticket was on my window. It said "ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING: $35"

Hell to the nah. I've been parking on that road forever. I specifically choose it because it's the only one that's ever really open and there are no restriction signs anywhere.

I decided I'm fighting this, I'm not gonna pay a red cent because some meter maid didn't know what they were doing. Yes, I know... audreyhepburncigarette.jpg I don't care. I'm gonna go to that court, plead my case, and have this dismissed damnit.

View attachment 673419

Now, I've only ever been to traffic court once somewhere else. I went before the judge, the dude didn't show up twice and it was dismissed. I thought it would be the same simple procedure.

I was wrong...

I went there, and it wasn't just traffic. All sorts of riff raffs were in there on petty charges. We waited in a long line to speak for the prosecutors in a tiny room... There was a parallel line of lawyers, and whenever a lawyer was there, they could skip us. It happened over and over and we waited and waited...

The prosecutor would ask us how we were pleading, during which time I tried to name drop my status and professional proximity to their police department (which I don't think he cared about) then we went back into the court.

Pretty much everyone was pleading guilty to their crimes. I finally stood in front of the judge and boldly proclaimed my innocence


View attachment 673429

The judge told me: I'll get a trial date for my ticket.

Wtf?! All that for one friggin' miniscule ass parking ticket that someone shouldn't have even given me in the first place?

After all of time I wasted, I seriously wish I just paid the ticket I regret my "muh principle" mentality (not that I was wrong to have it). I thought it was gonna be a quick thing like the last time I went to court to fight a ticket.

Besides, I can't stand courts... They have that tense feeling like airports... You don't wanna breath too loud so you don't get killed.

After all of this I may still have to pay court fees? If that's the case, what was the point? You pay one way or another, right?


Okay, thanks for listening.

Does the city have alternate side parking for the winter months? Many cities do to make it easier to clear snow from the streets. It started Nov 1st in the city close to me.

 

[Rek Rekington]

You CAN win but it's not easy. And the judges don't give 2 shits about your name dropping . That judge is seeing hundreds of cases a week and probably didn't even look up to see you or look at the evidence. You are a case number that he wants to get out of the way as soon as possible so he can go drink whisky in his chambers.

Your first hearing you had was just your arraignment. That isn't a trial date. I'd always plead "Not Guilty" like you did. Then they'll give you your next court date - which is your trial date. If you are lucky (which you likely won't be) the DA may look at the charges and if they are flimsy, drop it or offer a plea bargain right before you see the judge at your next court date. It's very likely the DA will offer you the mimimum sentence to plead guilty, or basically pay the mimimum fine and tell you no jail time, no blah blah blah to make you tihnk you are getting a good deal.

IF you still plead not guilty at your first trial your next step is a big step up. From there they likely bump the case to an upper level DA and you'll need a public defender or lawyer or they'll burn the crap out of you for "wasting the court's time" in their eyes. At THAT court date you'l either be offered another final plea deal or you can ask for trial by jury. If they have a strong case that deal will suck. If their case is a little weak and your lawyer is OK you may get a better deal than the first plea bargain.

Well at least that's how my DUI case went.....which I was innocent of and fought it. But it's a LONG process and the courts are designed to beat you down with more and more court dates and more and more pressure and more and more money if you need a lawer. It's a scam to get you to plead guilty b/c most people don't have the time or money to fight it.

TLDR. Ya, you can't win. Unless you want to roll the dice with professional players you may be better off pleading guilty, or plead innocent and first and then try to plea deal with the DA at your hearing (not your arraignment....that's different)

 

[Graves The Elder]

I'd rather pay police off on the side of the road like mexico if that's how its gonna be

no es problema, Senor

 

[560ti]

You don’t immediately get jury trial. They won’t likely just drop it.

Depends on the state. In my State (Texas) they have to legally give you a jury trial if you plead not guilty to a traffic offense.

All not guilty pleads are automatically set to Jury trial unless you waive your right (if you waive your right then it's just a bench trial where the judge himself hears the case).

For something as minor as this (a sub $50 ticket) it would like I said in my original post, immediately get dropped the moment it popped up on the trial agenda. My local judge would get legitimately pissed at the prosecutor if a legal trial actually happened for this (I've heard him literally bitch out a prosecutor and immediately drop a standing trial for someone going 2 miles over the speed limit)

 

[TheNinja]

LOL - Ya, I got a little carried away.....personal experience brought back some emotional memories....lol

 

[breadfighter]

no es problema, Senor

Are they carrying slingshots?

 

[moreorless87]

Fuck that , you did right by going and fighting it. Imagine how many people get extorted every day on bs and rather than fight it just pay the extortion fee.

I'd rather pay police off on the side of the road like mexico if that's how its gonna be

From a UK perspective its generally not the police, its some private company looking to maximise profits and they do probably bank on people not being willing to challenge a lot of the time.

 

[Alphaboy]

If there is no signage, it should have been dismissed outright. Or signage to the contrary of the ticket (I once got a ticket for doing 40 in a 25 because the idiot cop didn't realize I had entered the 40mph zone on the particular road l).

How is this not traffic court? How are they going to order a trial for a parking ticket?

If there is no signage, it should have been dismissed outright. Or signage to the contrary of the ticket (I once got a ticket for doing 40 in a 25 because the idiot cop didn't realize I had entered the 40mph zone on the particular road l).

How is this not traffic court? How are they going to order a trial for a parking ticket?

Same question brother. I thought that would be the process too, only reason I bothered fighting it.

It's a municipal court in a small town, I'm guessing that makes a difference (?)

 

[Alphaboy]

Does the city have alternate side parking for the winter months? Many cities do to make it easier to clear snow from the streets. It started Nov 1st in the city close to me.

Not to my knowledge, the ticket was for the alt. Side cleaning, which there is no mention of on that road.