so i was driving down this main road and was looking for a place to grab dinner with my gf
we turned right at this one street to see if the restaurant was open and it wasnt so we turned right again and saw coulple cops and got alittle nervous and turned right again to go back to the main street and as soon as i turned i found my self being honked at by a car and realized that i was going the wrong way at an one way street. so i quickly turned into the closest ally way which was like 2 seconds from where i had turned and got back on the right road.
about 5-10 mins later a cop pulled me over and asked me if i knew i went the wrong way on a one way i admitted i made a mistake and didnt see a one way sign. as it was an ally way with no visible sign that said one way. he gave me a ticket for failure to obey the L way designation and my fine was $336!
what should/can i do to lower this fine? this was my first ticket and i think $336 is too much
Update:oh and if i do goto court do i need to hire an attorney?
Update 3:oh and if i do show up for the court date do i need to pay additional money for court if im found guilty?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
"saw couple of cops and got a little nervous"....
I am a bit curious and have to respond with why is it that someone is nervous about police officers! If you've done nothing wrong nor are you going to do something wrong...you have nothing to fear from the police.
Because you were "nervous" and took a wrong turn...you could have caused a serious head-on accident....simply because the cops made you nervous?!
My suggestion is whatever you were hiding....get rid of it and pay the fine!
Nervous or not (or even if you were doing something illegal) has absolutely nothing to do with this situation.
Were you going the wrong way? Yes.
Should the cop have let you go when you explained the situation, especially since you were in unfamiliar territory, no signs were visible, and you immediately recognized you mistake and corrected it. The answer is also YES.
I would take the time and go to court on this one. The fine seem excessive and once you plead "no contest" in court explain the situation and you might get a lesser fine. Who knows...maybe the cop won't show up in court and it will get dismissed.
Sometimes DA's will offer people negotiated deals on their tickets to reduce the fine and the cost - but that also can vary from state to state and judicial district to judicial district even with in a state. You may want to call your courthouse first for some general info on that, find out what your options are.
However, the overall best advice I can give you is to find a lawyer in your state that deals specifically in traffic tickets. Many will often do a free consulation to see if they can even help you or not first - I'd suggest trying to find one of those. And yes, you may spend more than $336 on a lawyer, but if it keeps points on your license, its worth it.
Each states traffic laws are often similar, but never the same. Perhaps the lack of a sign will help you, perhaps it doesnt matter in your state. A lawyer in your state would know. If you don't know how to find one, you can always look up your states Bar Association on the internet...
ps
whatever you do, DONT lose that ticket! when you call the courts or police in reference to the incident, they WILL want either the ticket number or the case number on the ticket.
edit:
Police make plenty of people nervous, even if we've not done anything wrong. Hell, I used to work for a police department, and even I still get a little nervous when around officers I don't know!
Wow, that's a high ticket! Usually if you go to court, instead of paying it, you may get off on a "good drivers' record". They do this once for you usually if you have never had a ticket or other moving violation. Just make sure to be honest with the Judge and tell him the whole story and good luck!