some good advice there. pits especially.
in my numerous dealings with the court, i've plead guilty to lesser offenses 80% of the time. first things first. dress up for court. shave, yada yada. know what you're going to say before hand. be respectful and don't talk like an idiot. show the receipt for the tail light and plead your case. it might even be helpful if you talked to the cop before hand. he might have had a bad day that day and could possibly put in a word to the prosecutor for you. it's a long shot but WTF have you got to lose? don't forget to mention your clean record. thats a must.
next, start looking for a different insurance company. if they are going to screw you over this, then fuck them. it's a bullshit charge and does in no way reflect the kind of safe driver you are. if i had seen this post before i would have told you to leave your ins co out of it. it's not like they look at your driving record every month. they usually only look at it during renewal time. and even then, it's my understanding that they don't pull your record at every renewal. now they might be keeping an eye out to see if they can jack you. $600/yr for 3 yrs is obscene.
i don't think i would get a lawyer for this. they usually charge in the $500 range for shit like this. and even then, there is no guarantee that he can get you off. whether thats worth it or not is up to you.
now, if the cop and prosecutor are dicks and don't want to give you a deal, you can just say that you would like your court date postponed as you will be seeking legal advice.
my last ticket, 95 in a 65, i went to court 5 times stretched over almost 6 months. the prosecutor was threatening me with a possible loss of license for 30 over and didn't want to do anything for me. i got a lawyer($600) and he got it knocked down to to a 78 in a 65, 2pts and $200 roughly in fines. so you might want to delay. you could catch them on a day when their wives gave them anal and their happy and willing to deal.
good luck
|