I just got a speeding ticket and the officer mentioned the new law where you can;

• Pay the ticket and take the points
• Request a waiver hearing - Plead Guilty
• Request a trial date

I'm not looking to fight the ticket, it's a 38 in a 25. I'm fine with pleading guilty but really don't want the points. My record currently has 0 and I have no speeding tickets in the last 5 years so my record is clean. Normally I would go to court, judge says your record is clean so no points but pay the fine and I'm on my way. Is that the new option B or do I still go through requesting a trial?

TIA

 

In your situation Id check item B. You basically still show up at court but the officer wont. You tell the judge your story....blah blah...whatever. You have an extremely good shot at getting a PBJ due to your record. Basically no points, maybe a few hrs of community service.

 

If your record is otherwise clean - I would go the PBJ route. Dress well, be respectful and contrite - and note that your record is otherwise excellent and ask for the court's consideration of that record and PBJ.

 

So option C? Option B automatically admits guilt and asks you to provide an explanation. My concern with that is I don't have any say, I have what I write which may/may not ever be read. I also don't have the possibility of the officer not showing. I feel option C would be best but I haven't been through the new system yet.

 

I don't know anything about that request waiver deal but I can tell you what I am convinced is the best way. It has worked for me last 2 times I got a ticket, one was speeding can't remember how bad, other was spinning wheels in a Carrera GT.... which was pretty much purely incidental to just driving car. And I'm talking MD, I luckily knock-on-wood don’t have any experience dealing with those fascists down there.

Go to court to plead not guilty. Come up with some kind of logic / reasoning as to why you should get off so you have something worthwhile to say (prob something beyond "I'm a good guy w/ clean record"). As always cop may not show, there is always some pct. chance of that.

But if you are found guilty - and here is the part I think a lot of people totally disregard - appeal to Circuit Court. It isn't that expensive and it is totally within your right. If guilty in District Crt. you will have to pay whatever fine and crt. costs and appeal fee but if win in Circuit you get it all back, except I think maybe for some nominal crt. fee.

In District dedicated traffic court it is easy to be made to look like the worst guy in the world when there are little old ladies in there with tickets for changing lanes with improper signaling etc. and you come up there for speeding and cop says "driving Porsche sports car blah blah".

In Circuit crt. it isn't dedicated traffic, a lot of the people coming in before the same judge in the same session are brought in in handcuffs straight out of lock-up for whatever reason. You go from being big fish bad guy in little District crt. pond to wee little fish in big nasty vicious pond over in Circuit. Plus I've found the prosecutors are far more overwhelmed on the Circuit docket and they really don't want to deal with traffic stuff. And I've gotten the feeling the Circuit judges kind of think "if this guy is coming all the way over here for traffic citation he must really take it seriously and have some kind of legitimate gripe", they will actually listen to you, not like the District judges who seem like they are always just rubber stamping "guiltys" so they can go home. AND.... you are allowed to talk to the prosecutor out of crt. room and you can just talk to them and say look "here is the deal... let’s make a deal" (wouldn’t recommend that if you’re charged with murder), offer something like pay a fine and do a safety course for stet, or pbj w/ no points.

I highly recommend at least trying it. It has worked for me every time and for several friends I steered that way. The penalty you'd get on guilty in Circuit won't be any worse than in District, almost for sure lesser I'd say.