So I got pulled over doing an 80mph in a 55 a month or so ago and I finally got around to calling and asking how much the ticket cost will be. They told me $800 for a speeding ticket between 25-33mph over the limit. What are my options here? I currently live in Atlanta but am moving in 3 weeks and my trial date is in August. It's my first speeding ticket and I'm pretty unclear on what I can do to: a) reduce the fine b) reduce the number of points I'd get on my Texas license c) reduce whatever hit may come to my insurance rates I read some stuff on the web about fighting a ticket and they include offering to go to driving school or pleading with the prosecutor for a lower charge or even hiring a lawyer. Does anyone have any experience with speeding tickets in GA or suggestions about how to get them reduced in general? Thanks
Well, I know this isn't the best advice, but anytime I've gotten a ticket outside of Texas, I've blown it off. (Tennessee and New Mexico) Neither time did I get any warrant or other nonsense.
What county/city were you in? I've gotten tickets in Butts, Twiggs, Houston, Bibb, and Truetlen, but the only one I went to court for was in Houston and the judge that time reduced your speeding down to a lower speed which would take you from 4 points to 3 I believe, but you still had to pay the full fine.
Two summers ago, my family got pulled over while vacationing in North Carolina. We found out the same thing happened to a family friend, who gave us the name of a lawyer. Apparently, it is a pretty common occurrence and certain lawfirms specialize in this sort of thing. My dad called them, paid them like $200 bucks or something, and we didn't hear from them again until they called us to let us know that the ticket was taken care of. It might be a little more expensive, but it was worth it to know someone else was taking care of it (not to mention the nightmare of having to appear in a courthouse 1,000 miles away during the middle of the week). So I'd recommend looking into if any lawfirms specialize in this sort of thing in Georgia. Hope that helps.
Regardless of what anyone says here, the folks in the Georgia courts should be able to give you the best information.
I've driven HOU-ATL several times (just did it again on Friday) and 10mph over the limit is acceptable in almost every area along I-10, I-12, I-65, I-85. There are a lot of state troopers perched along the side of the road in MS and AL so I wouldn't go much faster than 10mph over in those states.
