Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

Today I was on my way back from Halifax, VA with my mother, after going to see my grandmother in the hospital. So around 6:00pm we get back on the road and are conversing back and forth about my grandmother. At this point the last thing I'm thinking about is my speed. It just completely slipped my mind. Long shory short, I see a State Enforcer traveling in the other direction, and look down to notice that I am travelling 74mph in the 60. I know I'm fucked when I see the brake lights come on so it was just a waiting game from there. About a half a mile later I have a speeding patrol car in hot pursuit behind my mother's Volvo stationwagon (thank god I wasn't in the slammed catless WRX).

After he takes my info I knew I would be getting my first ticket (ever) because it was taking him awhile. The end result is that I have a ticket for 14 over which comes out to be $131.00 and 4 points on my virgin license (4 years of driving and no tickets).


Now, after looking into traffic school online I see that offers one class that you can take in hopes of getting your ticket dismissed in court, and another that gives you 5 points to deduct from what is already on there. My question is, is it better to just pay the fine, get the the 4 points, and then take a class for a 5 point credit, or take the class, then go to court and hope it gets dismissed? What do you guys usually do? If I go in there with a paper saying that I completed traffic school and a nice shirt, is that really going to get me off? Or should I just pay the fine and take the class?

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

i've always done before. brought the class info and certificate to court.

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

With this being your first ticket, especially after 4 years, when you go to court, the first ones they call will be for those eligible to go to driving school. Just dress decently and the judge will let you go anyway.

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

I wouldn't worry about doing it ahead of time, unless you just want to get it out of the way. Maybe I understood this wrong about traffic school online- but don't take the online course, they don't accept that. I'm not sure if that's what you meant by looking into traffic school online.

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

Yes , I was wondering about that. I thought they might accept it, but it seems like they might take an actual in-class school a bit more seriously. Can anyone suggest a decent one in the richmond area?

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

A+ driving school is decent- it's cheap, and somewhat amusing if you get the instructor I had lol. My friend also had a good experience with them.

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

Come to hopewell and go to the hopewell/ prince george driving school. The dude is cool and u get a break every 30 min. lol and u grade your own test at the end and he tells u to make sure u didnt miss more than 5. So i mean just got to court tell him its your 1st ticket, and can u take a class. He will say yeah and go back in like 3 months and show him u took it and he will throw it out most likely for your clean record, and for taking the class u will make your points get better.

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

And it wont be 131, dont forget the court cost. 56 bucks i believe. Most citys are the same in this area. I know from expierence. lol

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

I'de say go beforehand, go to the judge show the certificate, you will already have points on your record from the class to beef it up.

So you will have:

Clean Record
Certificate Saying you PAID To Learn how to drive again

Easy as shit :)

Worst case: Reduction of Charge
Best: Dismissal


win/win

Re: Advice on a ticket. Traffic school now or later?
 

You all bring up good points. I think it sounds like taking the driving school before court is the best idea.

So what is the procedure? I go in, pleed guilty? and then does the judge give you time to say what you need to say (such as explaining that you realize that you were speeding but you went to traffic school, etc)? I'm guessing the officer and the person ticketed both have a chance to say something?