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PacNW Traffic Ticket Advice

44K views 94 replies 36 participants last post by  SidewaysSupra 
#1 · (Edited)
I always see traffic ticket questions come up so I decided to start the NW Traffic Ticket Thread.

Please sticky as I know there are other lawyers and will update as the resources become available from valuable contributors such as *YOU*. No more shall we have a wandering noob ask the inevitible question "I got a ticket now what!?"
Look no further.


Here is my traffic ticket advice that I will repeat till I am blue in the face:
(in this case the ticket was for $242 so replace your ticket fee in its place)

1) Just pay $242 + whatever increase in your insurance for the next 3 years (at min) AND lose a clean record (this in of itself is valuable since cops look at your record when they pull you over again and see you have a ticket on it...more likely to give you a ticket)



2) Pay $350 for an 80% chance (for me at least) to have the ticket dismissed. Cop may not show up to court..personally I never cared how the laywer did it, just the results.



Worse case scenario the ticket will be reduced since the court sympathises with the laywers and figure they gotta throw them a bone at least to show that their client got something from their services.



More than likely you can plea it out to have diversion or do some class + avoid getting a ticket on your record if you don't get a ticket in the next year or 2. If you do, then both tickets go on your record (since I always got tickets every year this wasn't an options haha)



This option is a government wins (Since you have to pay for diversion) + the laywer winning since they "won" for you. I never did this since I felt it was the least dollar/time value for me. Since you got to spend a weekend at a hospital watching crap intreviewing with patients affected by speeding..blah blah...I'd rather just take the chance to fight it (it doesn't matter if your guilty..this is the system) and risk $600 hit if I totally lost.

Ultimatly, its your choice AND TIME. Remeber that.


Thats my traffic ticket logic when I get "random taxed" for the State General Fund

Lawyer Resources:

Seattle Area-
1.
Jeannie P Mucklestone $300-$500 flat fee (been a while)
(206) 623-3343
www.mucklestone.com

2.
Jag - ($300-$375)
Matto Law Firm
119 First Ave S, Suite 500
Seattle WA 98104
253 332 4879

3.
Mitch Greene - http://www.speedinginseattle.com/
 
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#4 ·
i've been pulled over probably 16 times in my life. Sometimes for just driving 24 in a 20. Or "looking suspecious".

Ticketed about 15/17 times. Only reason why percentages are so high is because some stos they've given me more than one ticket.

However i have fighted nearly every ticket i've received and only 4ish have ever sticked. Last one i could of appealed easy but due to a health reasons it wasn't worthy y time.

Definately get a laywer. Last cop pulled me over for making a yellow light towed my car and gave me a speed racing ticket admitted i wasn't speeding. Said i burned my tires too. Got pictures showing the lack of tire marks the cop says in the court room that there were no tire marks because i was airborn! WTF at 34mph?!
 
#6 · (Edited)
I've always used Scott Wonder. Don't have his info to pass out and I havn't used him in a while since I've been in Japan for years. But if you're looking for top quality he is it. Charges for it too but has never let me down. Was 500$ a pop pretty much flat fee. Probably is alot higher now. I think I put his kids through school! hahaha

For a common speeding ticket I'll give this advice: Never EVER say how fast you were going or how fast you think you were going. If you say even 1mph over the speed limit you've just admited guilt. Just say if asked "I have no idea sir" or "I really don't know sir" If he insists just say "I really don't know sir, so I don't even want to guess" It'll piss the cop off so be careful not to say it in a sarcastic manner. You're also more likely to get a ticket than a warning however.
But without admiting guilt you have a chance to have the ticket dropped in court.

Also, there is no point of getting a reduction in price of a ticket at court. It still goes on your record. So everyone hoping to get a reduction in price just remember, you're really not getting a reduction. Higher insurance and easier to loose your license with just a ticket or few more. Also as Mark pointed out you're more likely to get tickets than warnings with a record. I look at the reduction thing as just a way the system sucks you into accepting a ticket. It's like a bribe to admit fault.

Be safe guys!

Ishii

edit: Forgot to mention one other thing.

Fight every ticket with a lawyer no matter how small it is. Don't just think it is a small fine and small citation and accept it. You might not be able to get out of your next ticket or the one after. So you're just stacking up a record and loosing your license easier.
 
#15 ·
Fight every ticket with a lawyer no matter how small it is. Don't just think it is a small fine and small citation and accept it. You might not be able to get out of your next ticket or the one after. So you're just stacking up a record and loosing your license easier.
I did a deferral in the past as well, but then another ticket caused the deferral to go away.
Case and point. Sorry to hear that happened.

A deferral is admitting guilt and accepting a ticket. It's just the government is nice and says if you're a "Good boy" we'll let it slide, but if you mess up again "we will throw the book at you".
 
#7 ·
get prepaid legal for $14 a month and when you do, they'll go to court for you and call the radar tech, police officer or whoever and plead your case for you. usually gets dismiised because the either one of those two do not want to show up to court for it.
 
#10 ·
And if you ever get in trouble with anything else they are there as well.. AND if you ever need a lawyer for such things as buying/selling property etc...

14/month is only a 168 a year.. So you would get 2yrs of legal service for what you paid that traffic lawyer one time..

I personally don't have prepaid legal but I knew this guy who did and he praised the hell out of it.

As for tickets... Best way to get out of one I've found is to:

A. Pull over immediately
B. Have your paperwork/license ready and in your hand with both hands on the steering wheel.
C. Be respectful and if you should need to get any other documents tell the cop all of your moves before you do them.

I used to live in PA and I've gotten like 4 tickets in NJ and I took 3 of them to court and got the fines reduced. NJ has no agreement with PA to share traffic history which is extremely nice since NONE of those tickets went on my driving record :).

As for the 4th ticket it would've been a drive to show up in court and I said screw it and never paid it.. so now I have a warrant for my arrest in NJ. Which still doesn't mean shit because it'll never show up on anything and now I live on the other side of the country lol.

I wonder if Oregon or Was. share info with PA... if not then I might just have to hold on to my PA license and hell even plate/registration... My parents still live there and I doubt they'll be moving out of state any time soon.
 
#26 ·
Clarification on a subject for those who know.

I've been informed on a couple occasions to do this but cant really figure out what the consequences would be.

You get a ticket for speeding, something like $200.

You mail in a check for something slightly over the ticket amount, say.... $210.

The state refunds you the amount paid extra and mails you a check, you destroy this check so that it will never be cashed.

Ticket remains open and is not filed until financial transaction is completed and doesnt show up on your record. Amount is payed you have done your part but state cant file it until the refund check is payed.


Now, Is this possible? I dont want to be the brave pioneer and go find out by getting a ticket but would this work? I dont know where to look this up but does the DOT keep the case open and unfilled until transaction is complete? Theoretically this should come back to haunt you right?
 
#30 ·
dealing with Speeding tickets

I had a conversation with an attorney on Friday. He recommended the deferral program if you don't plan on driving crazy for the next year. You can use the deferral only once every 7 years in WA State. You do NOT have to pay an attorney to request the deferral.

The deferral program: If you make it one year with no new "moving violations," the ticket is not reported on your record which insurance and employers see. The government, however, NEVER EVER "drops" or deletes anything from your record on Big Brother's computers. During the deferral program's one year probationary period, if you get a new traffic ticket, you now have two tickets (and no mercy from judge).

So if you plan on continuing to speed, get an attorney.

Pre-Paid Legal: I have been a member of PPL for at seven years, and have been paying $17.00/mo. I was sold my membership from a friend, who was selling the memberships as part of a multi-level marketing business.

If anyone is getting it for $14.00 (or anything less than $17.00) please post details, as even three bucks a month adds up over years and years. Thanks.
 
#31 ·
So who out there is offering this mythical Pre Paid Legal. I think Mitch Greene & colleagues all had a good laugh at my expense when I brought it up to him recently...
 
#32 ·
Snobby Lawyers



Don't worry if Mitch Greene & Co. laugh about Pre-Paid Legal. Lawyers are snobs. They think they are superior to others. And in reality, some lawyers are better than others. You get what you pay for. Lawyers range from Public Defenders to high profile attorneys that charge $10,000.00 per hour.

But remember, you are not trying to beat an O.J. Simpson murder rap. Just a speeding ticket. For a lawyer, contesting a speeding ticket is like a master car mechanic doing an oil change. It is not rocket science, so why would you want to spend a ton of $$ on a snobby lawyer. Let them laugh, and fire them.

Pre-Paid legal will assign you an Attorney. In Western Washington, Pre-Paid Legal hooks you up with a well established law firm in Tacoma. You will have to pay. But the fees are discounted, because you have signed up to have $17 automatically deducted from your checking account every month. Then anytime you need legal help, it is at a discount. They also will do a will for you for free, and will write you one attorney letter for free, for each separate legal issue you may have.

I don't think the friend who hooked me up with Pre-Paid Legal is doing it anymore, but I can get you some info. I will PM you.
 
#33 ·
Isnt Prepaid legal a pyrimid scheme? Personally that type of thing turns me off...even if its a cure for cancer, makes my dick harder, or brings all the womenz home.
 
#38 ·
I'm using Jeannie P Mucklestone right now for a ticket I got doing 37 in a 35 !!!!! Damn Cop gave me a Neg2 for that sh!t I havn't had a ticket in 10 years, he said I smelled like booze, and told me I was swerving and the only reason he did aresst me was because he didn't have a breath scanner on him.... He was a REAL ASSHOLE COP. Thing was I had just turned onto the road less then 50 ft from the road and were talking at 6:30 in the morning. I don't drink and I was on my way to pick up my kids from my parents house.... sometimes COPS are asses, I went down to the police station to complain to the cheif of police ( I train his kid in taekwondo) to say something, and the dumb sh!t cop was there to yell at me in the lobby, and wouldn't let me see the cheif of police. Hence Jeannie P Mucklestone. I told her all of this, and she even think I could go and sue the damn cop. Yes I was speeding (2 mile over) but still....
 
#40 ·
Just learned something this week. I got a speeding ticket in January in Snohomish county (more specifically Everett) and went to court this week to fight it. The cop got my speed by pacing me. When I went to court I gave my testimony of what happened the judge looked and saw that there was no maintenence records on the patrol that pulled me over, there were none. The ticket got dismissed due to a lack of proof of speed. Keep that in mind folks. If you get pulled over and the cop gets your speed by pacing, you can fight it and probably have it thrown out.
 
#43 ·
well saw a discussion on the exhaust thing here a while back and its up to the ticketing officer. The law states that to loud is 1% louder than stock and the measuring tool is the officers ear. As for expired tags GL Unless they were together and they pulled you over for the to loud exhaust then if you can get that thrown out you might get the expired tags tossed as well.
 
#44 ·
Hey Guys! I really need help to find good lawyer! I got into accident and got a citation for "speed too fast for condition"! Basically someone cut me off in front of me and I ended up hitting him. I wanted to fight for it and found a lawyer who can help me. Got a court date but my lawyer didn't show up to the court and telling me he did. I called Jeannie Mucklestone and she checked my case number and told me that he's lying and not telling me the truth. Now my license will be suspended and Have to pay the court. Jeannie Mucklestone told me that she can not do anything since the Judge made a decision. I have no choice but to pay the fine to the court and I don't know what's gonna happen to my license! Anybody know any good lawyer who can help me out?
 
#45 ·
I've gotten one ticket dismissed by having the court case continued long enough to voluntarily attend all 4 sessions (1 per week) of a "driver improvement clinic" in North Carolina. These "clinics" are just 1-hour classes put on by DMV employees. I got the instructor to sign a statement of attendence and completion for me on the last day (told him up front what I was doing), went to court, presented the statement and told the judge that I had voluntarily enrolled in it, and he dismissed the case!
 
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