Ticket!

The results are in.

Had my day in court yesterday. It was rather simple, actually.

I met with the prosecutor prior to my scheduled hearing at 3:00 pm. Told him my license is clean, this is my first moving violation in 10 years or more, etc. etc. They offered me a plea of "Unsafe Driving". Court costs of $33. Ticket fine of $150. And the lovely state of NJ gets a one time fee of $250. No points, no further assessments. I then waited patiently for 3.5 hours to meet with the judge, plead guilty, and 30 seconds later I was out of the courtroom and paying my fine. Case closed.

Thanks all for your help and suggestions, everyone.

 

I assume the officer was in court?

Regards,
Rollin

 

To be honest, I never saw him. In retrospect, I think the only cop I saw in the court was the bailiff. And there must have been... 100 people in court?

I also cut the deal with the prosecutor 45 minutes before court even started, so I don't know if that would have had any impact on whether or not the officer needed to be there.

 

Did the prosecutor give you the KY Jelly that was still in the tube? You paid for it.

 

Well you weren't assessed any points but you kinda took it in the 5-hole on that one. In addition to all your fines/fees you spent half a day sitting in court. I don't know about you but my time is worth money and not being at work for 4-5 hours would cost be a good chunk of cash as well but if you are satisfied with the outcome then good on you.

 

Yes, it is a fair amount of cash. Fortunately, I am self employed, and while time is money, I' in a position where I can time like this for myself. But 4 hours in court sucks no matter how you slice it. :biggrin:

Bottom line is I am satisfied with the results. As I mentioned in an earlier post, insurance companies in New Jersey can surcharge huge amounts - up to $300 per point - for up to 39 months. They make it for 39 months because this way they really get you for 4 years, rather than 3 (meaning if it was 36 months). And of course, they can now increase the policy rates since you're considered to not have a clean record.

Check any report you want - NJ and MA have the absolute worst and highest auto rates in the entire country.

For $430 to walk out of there with no points, no forthcoming surcharges from my insurance company and to be able to keep my insurance rates where they are, I'll take it.

And you know - I broke the law, and I got caught. If I had to take it the 5 hole , no one to blame but me. :smile:

 

Yep. They get more money. You get no points. Isn't it neat what the right dollar ammount will do?

I'm so glad that I don't live in Communist New Jersey. :biggrin:

 

Like Mr Pilskin said, $430 is a bargain in the CPRofNJ. Especially since he has no more fines/points/assessments/etc. I would pay that much in a hearthbeat to keep points off my license in NJ.

Luckily, I have USAA for my insurance. They don't play the "You're now a higher risk" BS. Considering I've never had points assessed onto my DL in my entire life, it's a moot point. It is nice to know my insurance wont rape me if I do get a ticket one day.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

This is a good read for those who think they know how it all goes down. Way at the bottom New Jersey is specifically mentioned.

Speeding Ticket FAQ

What I think you ended up with is a deferment. This is just one more thing IMO that you should become aware of. A deferment in my state is a free pass with a sort of baloon payment at the end if ya mess up. ie no moving violations for a certain period and you walk. Get another moving and you get all sorts of points and there goes your insurance rates through the old roof.

The fella at the top of the ad column is good. His sister Jeaney is even better. She is on retainer at MS. Billy and crew want all those hotshot computer geeks who make big bucks and buy really fast cars and bikes at work and not in court of jail.

That prosecutor probably has something similar to what fighter pilots used to paint on thier fusilages when they shot down an enemy aircraft. You have just become the latest addition to that.

I even betcha he was "real nice" about the whole thing. He probably paid his way through law school selling used cars.

 

I have checked. The State of New Jersey has laws that do not apply to major or minor deities.

USAA is a very large corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Prior to 1996 auto insurance was not available to enlisted ranks. What are your rates for your bikes through USAA? I also have it on good order that the top guys at USAA are straight.