[ZTWsquared]

(06-25-2012, 03:29 PM)adamzx5 Wrote: So im going to court to lower a ticket or possibly get rid of it all together , ita my first time going so what should I do , everyone says plead guilty and they usually lower it. I got pulled over merging on to the exspress way , doing 120 in a 100 also I was going up a hill. So yea I have no idea what to say so any help will be appreciated.

For a few years now the Crown Attorneys have been "meeting" with folks just prior to the first appearance. They talk to you about lowering the charges and fines and make it sound like they're being fair to you. But in reality it's all about reducing the load on the courts. They will either flat out state or strongly hint that their offer may be a one-time offer only. This isn't true.

But the fact is the fines are just the tip of the iceberg - it's your future added insurance costs that will be the real cost.

If this is your first appearance then I'd recommend you wait your turn in front of the judge and ask for time to "get a lawyer" ... (it will usually be 4 to 8 weeks depending on the court) but make sure you ask for a couple of months) then contact one of those x-copper type of organizations and talk to them about your case.

My wife, who got lost driving her dad to a downtown hospital for his dialysis, was charged with an illegal u-turn, failing to stop at a stop sign, not having her ownership etc ... it cost about 400 to have x-copper represent her, but they managed to have all charges dropped.

The fines might have been a bit less than the cost of representation, but in the long run it probably saved us a lot in insurance.