Just got a bull**** ticket. Should I get a lawyer?

Never, ever just pay a ticket. ALWAYS fight it. A traffic ticket is the most common way most people get into legal trouble. When you get a ticket, you need to know you have the right to fight your traffic ticket. With the point system and surcharge that Texas has implemented, it is more important then ever to keep a clean driving record. Not to mention insurance rates. The money you spend on a lawyer will be money well spent. Google Texas Surcharge. After two tickets within three years it gets expensive to keep your drivers licence.

 

Yeah, that's how one typically concludes that a driver is following too closely.

 

I would say get a traffic lawyer since you got the citation from a small town PD. Their courts are not as busy as a bigger city and the cops are more likely to show up. Hopefully you didnt get a ticket from a state trooper.

 

Not sure about small towns but cops will rarely show in Houston. So get a lawyer. Your lawyer will work out something with the DA. Charges will be dismissed early in the morning before the other cases even get heard.

 

from the descriptions here, it sounds like the ticket was not bull**** but the process is...

a make work program for lawyers.

 

Sometimes it is deferred adjudication or defensive driving, both of them you still pay fine but ticket stays off your record. Sometimes in small municipalities it is the kickback system, so you just pay for lawyer. Or they can go jury route and roll the dice.

 

****in pigs man. Texas pigs are the worst... next time keep some donuts in your passenger seat. If you give him one, he'll let you go without a ticket. Fat ****s.

 

Sorry XeroBull - Your best bet honestly is to just ask for deferred adjudication. Especially with a small town. It won't go against your insurance. Curious - which town were you in - so I know to watch it when I go through there :grin:

 

no mechanism except greed. They'll claim they are buddies with the jusge but it's a joke. Ziggy is right..Lawyer will get you the same deal you can get yourself. The only difference is you may have to stay a little longer.

Request trial by jury and plan on DA telling you that you 'don't have a case' or that the 'judge is in a bad mood today' but it's all a big scam. If you have a solid case which it sounds like you do then take it to trial and fight it and get off all the way.

Lawyers for traffic tickets are a scam.

 

Cops are trained to visually "clock" a vehicle without actually using their radar gun, aren't they?

 

same **** happened to me about 2 months ago. It was 5 freaken AM and I was going to work early since I was super busy. The freeway was super empty. The posted speed limit is 65. I was giong at the speed of traffic which at the time was around 75. Out of no where I see lights and the cop pulls me over and writes 80 in a 65 zone. I was definitely not going 80 and I have a device in my car that logs my speed to back it up. Anyways I got the ticket and the total damage was 385 freaken dollars!! Plus traffic school it came out to $440. I didnt want to go to court and waste an entire day since my job keeps me busy so I just paid the damn thing.

Out here in California they are definitely trying to increase revenue and meet quotas. I see like 2 to 3 cop calls pulling people everday to and from work.

Well best of luck to you.

 

... because he was following too close?

 

True, but worst case scenario, the thing goes to trial then you tell the judge you want to get a lawyer. It should be reset. Or, you just go in guns blazing and win that sucker.

 

What if they asked you what speed you were in?

 

How is what you did a Class B Misdemeanor? I mean can they really take you to jail over simple speeding violations?

 

I'm only guessing but failure to sign lane changes and speeding could be charged as "reckless endangerment".