The last time I got a speeding ticket, I tried fighting it by mail using a radar trap speed defense. I didn’t win, but I did get the fine reduced and got to attend online traffic school to have the ticket wiped clean from my California driving record. Following last week’s 80 in a 65 ticket in Pennsylvania, the ominous yellow ticket sits on my desk as I decide how to handle it. I had 10 days to respond to the ticket and it’s already been 6 days. Part of me just wants to pay the $144 fine and be done with it, especially considering this info on NY drivers who receive out-of-state violations:
The NYSDMV does not record out-of-state violations committed by NYS drivers in other jurisdictions. The exceptions are alcohol-related violations, drug-related violations, and moving violations committed in Quebec or Ontario. Under special agreements, traffic convictions in Quebec or Ontario are recorded on NYS driver license records and carry points. Except for violations in Ontario and Quebec, points are not added to your NYS record for out-of-state violations.
But the part of me that enjoys a good fight and battling injustice — injustice not because I’m necessarily saying I wasn’t speeding, but because there were many cars on the road going faster than I was — makes me want to fight the ticket. I certainly don’t want to drive the 8 hours back to Pittsburgh for a court date, so I’m considering getting free advice from a ticket lawyer in the Pittsburgh area via TixNix. In searching online for info about fighting speeding tickets, many signs point to TixNix.
I wonder if TixNix is any good. Anyone have any success with the service? Is it worth the effort and potential cost? Or is it a wash, considering that this ticket won’t go on my New York driving record anyway?
4 responses so far ↓
1 Alex // Jan 18, 2006 at 9:25 am
yeah, uh…that’s not good. My advice is to pay it and let it serve as a reminder to slow the F down in your Impreza (dorky car name, no wonder everyone calls it a “WRX”). Anyway, save your fight for an in-state ticket. I have been issued two NY speeding tickets in the last 3 yrs by the po-po and they were both plea-bargained down to parking-on-pavement and talking-on-mobile-phone. Turns out small towns are eager to keep the fines, whereas speeding is a state offense and hence the fines are sent to Albany. The fines cost me $100 and $150 respecitevly, but I have no points on my license. word.
PS- What? No discussion on the loss-of-life and lower fuel efficiency attributed to speeding?
This website sold out. You changed, man. 😉
2 Gabe A_nderson // Jan 18, 2006 at 9:35 am
Loss of life, Alex? Geez, don’t you know that it’s the people who drive 40 in the fast lane who are more dangerous than those of us who cruise with or set the pace for the flow of traffic?
And fuel efficiency? The WRX is a fine-tuned sport machine that thrives on high speed. 🙂
3 Jonty // Jan 18, 2006 at 10:03 am
“…there were many cars on the road going faster than I was.”
Dude, you ever go fishing? You don’t get to catch all the fish. =)
Remember my rule of space/time.
Space is what exists so that not everything happens to you.
Time is what exists so that what does happen to you doesn’t happen all at once.
You got caught. It sucks. How many times have you passed a speader and chuckled? Now it’s someone else’s turn to chuckle.
Pay the fine….
-J
4 Anonymous // Jan 18, 2006 at 11:41 am
What would happen if you just ignore the tix? Do you loss your car the next time you get caught in PA?