Speeding ticket in West Los Angeles. Should I or should I not fight it? ?

Question

Hello everyone,

My question is simple. I got a speeding ticket and I would like to know if it's better for me to fight it at court or pay for it.

I was driving on a big commercial street (4 lanes each way) in Los Angeles. The posted speed limit is 30 and it changes to 35 a couple of blocks before the intersection where I was pulled over.

This was the first time I was being pulled over and I was obviously uncomfortable throughout the process, nevertheless, I pulled over as soon as I heard the siren and was very polite to both the officers that asked for my information. They initially said I was going with 55 on a 30mph limit street. I was very surprised to hear that I was going that fast and I explained that I speeded in order to avoid another car that was trying to change lanes. I literally speeded for a few feet to avoid the car and then when I reached the intersection (where I was pulled off)I suddenly slowed down (maybe I slowed down too fast). To be completely honest, I didn't slow down due to the speed limit. I take that street almost everyday on my way to work and back and I knew that there was a big bump on the street.

I am assuming that this is why the officers pulled me over. Maybe they thought that I spotted them and tried to slow down to avoid a ticket.

To make a long story short, they realized that the speed limit was 35 and they wrote that I was going with 54mph on the ticket.

One thing that I need to point out here is that everybody on that street is speeding and you can tell cause there is a speed meter posted. You will never see speeds less than 50mph when the street is open. The reason I am mentioning that is that there were a couple of cars in front of me or besides me which were going with a similar speed as me.

Once again to be quite honest, after I stopped I thought that maybe I shouldn't have cause they could just as easily be pointing at another car. Then again maybe it was me.

This is my first ticket ever. I have only been driving for about a year. I am old and mature enough to know that speeding is dangerous and unnecessary. (In other words, I am not a 20year old who just got his first car and wants to show it off)

I looked it up on the internet and I know that I have a solid case. I can either start questioning the radar (which I didn't ask to see) or the officer and how trained he is to use this radar or even blame it on the car behind me. The place I was pulled over also happens to be a well known speed trap - a term I recently learned after my research.

Please try not to start posting comments like "that's what you get for speeding" and such. I know I was speeding but I am a new driver and I did it for a reason - to avoid an accident. I am a MBA student on a scholarship and can't really afford the ticket.

Please advise.

Thank you all in advance and I am sorry for the length of this question. I just felt that I needed to fully clarify the situation. Please ask me if you have any further question.

Answer 1

I don't live in LA so I'm not too familiar with how it works over there. However, if you are honest about it and explain to the judge your situation carefully and confident, you should have a case. One thing to not say is: Everyone else was doing it. With that being said, I have learned that is a good way to increase your chances of getting a ticket. The reason is: Cops will say that you were following traffic rather than the speed limit. The limit is posted to ensure safety and all that. I think it's retarded but it's a law. And having it be a law for so long, it won't look good if you say that. However, I would just tell the judge that you noticed a car that would have hit you and you did not want to end up causing an accident. With that being said, I increased my speed and then ended up getting spotted surpassing the limit. However, in my defense, I backed off my speed but got radared and ended up getting a ticket. Cops and all them understands that everyone speeds at one point in their life. What they want to hear is that the person they pulled over (yourself), learned your lesson and admit to your mistake. Just say you understand that it was wrong, and have learned to obey the limit. It is there for a reason but you did it to avoid an accident. I'm sure if the judge is somewhat human, he/she will know that everyone makes mistakes and might dismiss your case. Good luck!

Answer 2

"I looked it up on the internet and I know that I have a solid case."  WOW!  WHAT?

You have absolutely no case whatsoever.  If you decide to go to court and plead not guilty, it is up to you to prove that the officer's were not correct.  Good luck.

All the traffic in an area going above the speed limit is not a valid excuse.

Speeding up to avoid another vehicle is not an excuse.  

You were speeding and you got caught.  Oh well.  It happens, deal with it.

Try challenging the officer's on their knowledge of radar.  Any officer trained in its use can easily discuss, legally, how to use it, how it works, and how they know exactly which car was speeding.