Just got a ticket! in california .. ?

Question

ok i got a ticket for

going 35 at a 25 zone.. loud music and modified lighting. anyways. i asked him about how much it would be and he said around 150.. but my mom got a ticket from teh same cop last month for going 12 miles over and it was 300... she was going 52 on a 40 zone. so what is your guess my ticket will be?

Answer 1

It will most likely be about 250 to 300 bucks. You could get it off of your record if you take a defensive driving course which would stop your insurance from going up the extra 50 buck a month.

Answer 2

Your "Courtesy Notice" will state the maximum fine, which is what you will pay if you do not contest the charges, and simply mail in your payment.  If you appear in court, you should receive a discount for pleading "No Contest."  This is essentially the same as pleading, "Guilty," but the offense cannot be used against you later in a civil trial.  While this may not seem to matter, if you are ever involved in a speed-related accident in the future, a "Guilty" plea could come back to haunt you.

The amount of your discount varies by jurisdiction.  When you go to court and are asked to plea, ask the judge if you may plead "No Contest" to the first count (speeding), and have the balance of the charges dismissed.  You may be able to have an officer sign-off that you have removed the modified lighting, if it is truly not a legal set-up.  You don't provide details with regard to that, so I can't really address the charge.

In California, speeding is speeding, with regard to the charge, but jurisdictions charge additional penalties based on your speed in excess of posted limits.  In school zones and construction zones, these penalties are greater than on the highway.  Perhaps, was your mother was in a construction zone, and you were simply in a residential area?  This could account for her higher fine.  Keep in mind that officers do not set fines, and he may have been guessing.

Good luck.  My advice is generally to fight every ticket, but it depends on your comfort with going through that process and the amount of time you have to dedicate to it.  Be sure to ask for traffic school, so that the charge will not appear on your permanent DMV record.

Good luck!

Answer 3

whatever the court tells you to pay  mom was 12 over the limit you were only 7 over the limit