Beware of Misinformation to Beating Speeding Tickets because you will PAY FOR IT

Once upon a time if I read some of the articles that are now blatantly posted online as factual, I too would have considered them to be reliable. I would have eaten them up and even shared them with individuals closest to me. I would have been one of those who would freely consent that not only do these pockets of notations be plausible, but probable. Now that I comprehend the truth, I cringe to think how such dogmas are so far off base it's like viewing a spine-tingling, teeth-clenching, horror clip.

What I am going to do right now is go over one of the numerous documents that I found indicating how to beat speeding tickets. You may wander how would you know if what I am saying is true, well let's read on and you decide?

I don't like to seem that I am personally attacking the integrity of this writer, rather I am going after the misinformation he, who I truly believe had respectable intentions, had presented. I will omit the person's name, but I will tell you that this piece was posted October xx, 2006. The article begins like this...

Statement 1:
I have something like thirty speeding fines in my short life, but I have zero tickets on my record. That's due to no matter how conventional the processes may seem, when it comes to law enforcement, you are still dealing with human beings with hearts and minds just like yours. Appeal to them as such, and you will be astounded by the findings.
Even though I am a law student, I employed this proposal before I ever went to law school, and my education has only reinforced these theories. My method isn't foolproof lawful advice - it's simply my knowledgeable opinions with a little law mixed in. That said here are my secrets to getting out of a speeding ticket prearranged sequential, from the purpose of being pulled over to your final options in the courtroom.
Note: All of this advice accepts that you are purely breaking traffic laws. If you're trafficking a kilo of crystal meth... Well, if you traffic meth, you're probably not reading Life hacker, so read on, non-meth-heads.
Blue lights... You're getting pulled over.

Response to Statement 1:
At first when evaluating this document I thought, wow, 30 fines, no tickets on his record and-so-on-and-so-on. After that when I read on about his formulations, I was astounded. Every cop I know, and I dare to say, including the ones who may have stopped me in the past would incline their eyebrows, and say something to the effect of, "OH REALLY!!!" I know they would love to see him try it with them! Besides that I'm trying to only question his style, because in the world I've lived in for 40 plus years, this barely occurs as he describes. At least it's highly unlikely. Okay, granted yes, the officers are human too! Yes, they do give breaks! Yes, for the most part they hate facing this kind of paper work, but if you were to go along with the order of events as to what was posted to get out of a speeding ticket, well let's say you'll become public annoyance #1, and you will be fined. Let's move on.

Statement 2:
Get your mind-set right.
Arguing with the police officer does in no way increases your probability for leniency. You want him to like you. Prepare to accomplish this goal.

Response to Statement 2:
I concur that not only will battling with the officer not get you anywhere encouraging, but you and your actions will be remembered if you consider going to court. High members of the law - Judges - ordinarily stick up for other members of the law if they feel that there's some sort of disrespect shown by the defendant. Do you get my point?

Statement 3:
Turn your car off and turn the interior lights of your car on.
Put your hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel and remove your sunglasses or hat. Some individuals even advise you to place your keys on the roof of your car as a sign of absolute submission. Never, ever get out of the car.
The whole purpose of this is to take any avoidable tension out of the encounter. You want the police officer to be comfortable. Imagine the types of people and the dangers that most officers have had to deal with. Be just the opposite.

Response to Statement 3:
The above lines of reasoning made note of the proper methods of conduct when one is being pulled over. He's doing pretty good so far with the recommendations.

Statement 4:
Be very polite and do exactly what the nice cop with the big gun says.
Save your pleas until after the basics are finished. Many officers will never speak to you until after they've done the basics. It's almost a litmus test for jerk drivers.

Statement 5:
After the officer has received your information, ask him courteously if you may speak to him about your ticket.
If you know you broke the law, concede to it vehemently and tell the police officer that he was absolutely right for pulling you over. Trustworthy officers will admit that there is a lot of pride in police work, and, if you can satisfactorily satisfy the pride factor, now and again officers don't feel it necessary to punish you any more. The better you make the officer feel; the more likely he's going to like you enough to let you go.

Response to Statement 4-5:
Yes, being polite gets you further than being arrogant, cocky or confrontational (no matter how small). When you plea for leniency with the officer you run the huge risk of admitting you were guilty of speeding (the first reason why you were stopped). There is a fine line to plea successfully, and when I say successfully, I mean no lost demerit points, no payment of ticket, and no insurance hike because of it. I won't fixate too much here, but I will say an admission (admitting) of guilt (speeding) makes you guilty and worthy of the charge, PERIOD! Look, by admitting your fault you've all but nailed your hopes of getting out of a ticket to the cross yourself.

Statement 6:
Ask to view the radar then ask a few questions.
Many jurisdictions request that the police officer allow you to see the radar. Don't push it if the officer says no since that's what a courtroom is for. But, at least ask, and after that ask a few more questions to prove that you are watching.
You might ask, "The last period your radar gun was calibrated was when?" or "Where were you when you clocked my speed?" or "Were you in motion when you clocked my speed?"
Do not ask these in an aggressive tone or disrespectful, know-it-all way. All that will do is make the pride in the officer fight you harder.

Response to Statement 6:
First of all, "Are you crazy?" I'm sorry! I did say that I was not going to personally attack the writer, so let me try this again. "That's crazy!" Suppose he/she permits you to view the radar and it says you were going 70 m/hr in a 40 m/hr zone, what are you going to say now in court? "I didn't see it?" And, if you challenge the integrity of the officer because he/she didn't show the reading to you, you will definitely lose. Unless you have irrefutable proof the officer's motives or integrity was not in proper behaviour, you will pay the ticket and possibly more...

Statement 7:
Plead your case.
After you've completed with some preliminaries with the officer and developed a temporary understanding, ask for leniency. Make it sincere and let the officer know that it's a sizeable deal to you. Hold back all your urges to confront and get upset and simply beg as much as your dignity will allow. But, there is no sense to grovel.

Response to Statement 7:
DON'T! For reasons mentioned in the latter part of Response 4-5.

Statement 8:
Leave the area as a non-memorable, nice person.
If the police officer didn't let you go on the scene, then you want him to never remember you. Your subsequent steps are in a more official arena, and the less the officer remembers you, the better. Ordinarily, officers only remember you if they care for to remember to show you no mercy.
You've received a ticket, but you still want out

Response to Statement 8:
If you commence to "vehemently" plead your case then you will be remembered. Just so that you understand, when the officer takes your driver's license, insurance information, and vehicle registration to make certain everything is valid, he/she is also writing down everything you said "vehemently." Therefore, the extra you say, the more it can be held against you?

Statement 9 - 11:
Call the officer at work.
Ask courteously if you can orchestrate a time to meet with the officer to negotiate with him or her about a fine you got recently. Ordinarily, officers will readily meet with you, the taxpayer, and this meeting has gotten me out of numerous tickets.
But, don't go to the meeting and just say, "Will you let me out of this ticket?" You better have a story or some rationale to compel the officer to let you out. Now, that's solely up to you. However, just be really polite, and try to bridge that officer-civilian gap with a private story, and plead for mercy. The more the officer can identify with you, the more likely he is to want to offer you mercy.
Remember always, the officer has full authority to drop your ticket, so remember how valuable he is in this process. Consider him and pursue him as the gatekeeper to your freedom. Don't be frightened, though. You have a justification to try to talk to the officer. You pay his salary.

Write a letter to the officer.
Even if you met with the officer, it can't hurt to write him a letter pleading your case to him. Write it professionally, orderly, and include complete contact information. I've even gone so far as to offer alternative punishment. Although that alternative wasn't accepted, the officer was pretty surprised at my determination, and it motivated him to let me off the hook. He could tell that I really did care about this one ticket.
Make the fine a bigger deal to you than to him, but you have to carefully do this in a expert, civil way. Anything in addition and you're playing with fire.

Repeat calls and letters to the judge and/or the prosecutor.
If the officer won't take note to you, feel free to contact the judge that will manage over your case. Also, find out who the prosecuting attorney will be and call him at his office. They are just people, and the worst they can say is "no." You have nothing to lose at this point. Plead your case to either of them, but do not be a pest and be consistently remorseful for the lengths to which you are going to get out of your ticket. You must be apologetic, or don't bother going at all.
In steps 8-10, you stand the risk of being labelled an annoyance or a menace. If you get this impression too much, then bail out with apologies. But, do not be scared to at least try to talk to the officials face-to-face. They are, after all, civic servants, and you are that public.
The court is your friend

Response to Statements 9-11:
Here me when I say, DON'T YOU DARE! You want individuals (plural) to call an officer of the law in their place of sanctuary (office), manning calls of people who can't abide by the speeding law, a place (besides their home) where they can be at ease and get away from people like us? Look, the ticket is already written, the proper channels to contest it are already set, and now you want to reinforce the fact even more that you were speeding, but really, really hope that he/she can rip up that ticket, or dismiss your case before it even goes through the due process?
Oh I'm sure you will not only be remembered, but, I assure you, the officer would barely be able to contain his/herself for your court date, and report all that has transpired up till then. The court is not your friend unless you know how to play the game.
I repeat, "Don't you dare call or write all those people!"


Statement 12 - 14:
Follow all court policies.
Make the court clerk your best friend. Call the clerk often, and address him or her by first name. You want to make all court employees' jobs as easy as possible. Furthermore, you do not want to avoid any deadlines.

Delay.
Once you've gotten to know the clerk, ask for as many continuations (delays of your trial) as you can honestly ask for. Do not tell untruths, but do plead for continuances to delay your trial date as long as possible. The farther you are out of the officer's memory, the better. I have heard of one case where the case was extended so long that the ticketing officer had transferred... Case dismissed automatically.

Ask for another punishment.
Usually, your chief concern is maintaining your ticket off your insurance. Often times, court clerks have the jurisdiction to let you off to driving school and keep the ticket off your record. Sometimes you have to pay court costs and the ticket, but at least your insurance premiums aren't going up. This absolutely depends on the court.
You can't handle the truth!

Response to Statement 12-14:
If you did all that pleading to the officer, before you contact the clerks, I wouldn't be surprise if those same clerks already know all about you. You can ask them all what you want and they can delay refuse or give you whatever, but this is not the way to stay low profile.
You can try and delay your court dates but you run the risk of missing it yourself (where there may be extreme repercussions for that against you), upsetting the wrong group; officer, prosecution and Judge. This is not the way to stay low profile. To a matter of fact, the insurance company would probably be hearing about your story by now: Just a joke, you hope!
Frankly, I would rather show you how to beat it as an alternative of watching you dig yourself into a larger hole.


Statement 15 - 19:
Understand your trial and your rights.
If you received a ticket, you have been accused of a crime. The ticketing officer signed a sheet of paper swearing that you broke a particular traffic law, and he saw you do it. That sworn statement is called an affidavit, and generally tickets say that at the top. Don't get worried, though; it's just a misdemeanour.
First, you'll have a hearing where you plead guilty, not guilty, or some other plea. Then, you'll have your trial where you plead your case. Then the judge decides your fate. It's really not terrifying at all, and you have every right to participate fully in this process no matter how much you are frightened.

Show up to your first court date and plead whatever thing but guilty.
Whatever you do, show up to your first hearing on schedule and dressed properly. It's probably not a good idea to wear a suit, though. In most traffic courts, you'll look ridiculous. If you really want to know, go scope out the court ahead of time to see what to wear to blend in best.
You'll then be asked "what you plead." Pleading not guilty is a safe bet, although there are other pleas (e.G. Nolo contendre) that have strange repercussions in some courts. In some courts, a plea of nolo contendre has the strange effect of making your ticket just disappear to the court's files. You'd want to talk to a local lawyer about that one, though.
Most of the time, just courteously say, "I plead not guilty, your honour." You'll be assigned a court date, and spend the next few weeks repeating steps 8-13. This is your second chance before the big day.

Go to court and duke it out.
If all else has failed, you ought to then go to your trial. Do not fail to attend this out of fear, or you will unquestionably be found guilty. For instance, if the police officer doesn't show up, for any reason, you're automatically out of the ticket. This is not unheard of.
Also, you may be able to talk to the officer or prosecutor before trial and cut a deal, just like the real convicts do on TV. If the officer is nervous about his case against you, he might let you off. This just depends on your case, but you can, at least ask.
The trial is pretty regular. The prosecution will submit their case in opposition to you. You get to respond and call witnesses if you want, and then the prosecution rebuts you. You cannot screw this up. At the very worst, you're found guilty, and you've lost nothing. Do not be scared to do this. It is your right, and you should claim it.

Suck it up, or fight on.
The judge will rule on you... guilty, not guilty, or some other punishment. You either take it or appeal it to the court of appeals. Rarely would it be financially sensible to appeal a traffic decision, but that is up to you. And you do have the right.
Chances are you let it die here. Try to make friends with the officer and prosecutor for next time, though.

Suck up... Err, I mean write more letters.
It can't hurt to write the officer and prosecutor a letter telling them how nice they were and easy to deal with. Also, copy this letter to the mayor and the chief of police, and make sure you show the cc: At the bottom of the letter. That's your investment in next time.
Rage against the machine (without all the rage)
This stuff isn't rocket science. You're just dealing with people and trying to get them to see things your way. You have very little to lose, and it's a fun way to get to participate in the very government under which you live. I push all of you to use all these steps in a friendly, civil manner. Put out of your mind everything you've learned about courtrooms and lawyers and cops, and just go in there as a human being. It's your right, and it can really be fun and exciting. Think of it as your own private crusade, and, if you push on, you will be astonished at how straightforward it is to find justice.
Slow it down there, speedy. This is not legal advice. I am not a lawyer, but I am a law student. These are roundabout discussions of life experiences, and any legal statements are simply journalistic opinion and fact. If you've got actual problems, remember everything you've learned about lawyers, and go hire one.
Stewart Rutledge is in his final year of law school at the University of Mississippi.
It pays to elude a speeding ticket -- or battle one
The best suggestion: Don't speed. But if you get nailed, fight it -- since a $50 speeding ticket can cost you thousands once your insurer gets wind of it.

Response to Statements 15-19:
It's exasperating just reading all this stuff, as well accepting that this writer beat 30 speeding fines this way? I seriously question this! Plus the court is not a happy-go-lucky place. It is very intimidating and cold, and the Establishment prefers it this way. You could have everything you want to say prepared and in an instant the prosecution flips the script on you. These guys are the henchmen/henchwomen for the Establishment, and they take pride in making challengers look foolish. People, there are easier methods to beat your speeding ticket, which will not take so much effort, the need of taking so many chances, using much less private time consumption, and is far more rewarding and effective. It's true that your fine can end up costing you thousands in insurance increases, but what you need it to do is visit us and we'll show you some other myths to be aware of right on our site.

This is your fellow Speeder, so until next time, "Watch your back!"