failure to signal changing lanes ticket - Sportbike Addicts

ronin_01r1 · 11-21-2005, 09:39 AM

is it worth showing up for court for this?

i was driving to work in my car this morning. i don't even know when it happened because usually i signal. the cop says it is a moving violation. will i be getting points for this? i need to call my insurance to see how much my premium will go up for this. what a way to start my monday. i can't believe it, hardly anyone signals when changing lanes on the highway i was on! wth. i have a spotless record; no tix for 7-8 years. if this is a no points ticket, i'd prefer to just pay it.

i'd appreciate your experience/feedback with this type of ticket.

**FigNewTon** · 11-21-2005, 09:44 AM

Yes you will get points for this. Failure to signal is a 2 pt moving violation. I have had a couple to my credit as well.

You can always go to court and speak with the prosecutor. You have had a clean record for a long time and this is not a major offense they may just up the fine and let you off with no points.

As for your insurance...unless 2 pts knocks you into another rating tier you will not see any increase.

ronin_01r1 · 11-21-2005, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WSprtuaL

Yes you will get points for this. Failure to signal is a 2 pt moving violation. I have had a couple to my credit as well.

You can always go to court and speak with the prosecutor. You have had a clean record for a long time and this is not a major offense they may just up the fine and let you off with no points.

As for your insurance...unless 2 pts knocks you into another rating tier you will not see any increase.

thanks!!

ronin_01r1 · 11-21-2005, 10:32 AM

just called my insurance. she tells me premium will go up $300 every 6 months for 3 years! wtf. im going to court for this.

***Cakes206*** · 11-21-2005, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin_01R1

im going to court for this.

Definitly go for any moving violation...talk to the prosecuter in the am before court, ask to be dropped to a lesser charge...9 time out of 10 they'll drop it to a non moving but you'll have to pay the fine minus the points...the town just want to make money...carefull thought, because although the town will do it, I think at the DMV level, you're only allowed to do this 3 times...after that, you're point won't drop I don't think.

ronin_01r1 · 11-21-2005, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cakes

Definitly go for any moving violation...talk to the prosecuter in the am before court, ask to be dropped to a lesser charge...9 time out of 10 they'll drop it to a non moving but you'll have to pay the fine minus the points...the town just want to make money...carefull thought, because although the town will do it, I think at the DMV level, you're only allowed to do this 3 times...after that, you're point won't drop I don't think.

the court date is set for 6PM december 6. i didn't know they did cases that late in the evening. what time would you recommend i go there and where/how can i find the prosecuter? do i just ask around for him? hopefully i can get the points dropped since i have a clean record.

***Cakes206*** · 11-21-2005, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronin_01R1

the court date is set for 6PM december 6. i didn't know they did cases that late in the evening. what time would you recommend i go there and where/how can i find the prosecuter? do i just ask around for him? hopefully i can get the points dropped since i have a clean record.

What town was this in? I would try to get there at least an hour early...there should be an office near the coutroom that sayd Prosecuter...or they might just set up in the court itself before it starts(smaller towns will d this somethimes) and yea, depening on your last name you can be there all night cause they go by alphabetical order(don't ask how I know all this

)

ronin_01r1 · 11-21-2005, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cakes

What town was this in? I would try to get there at least an hour early...there should be an office near the coutroom that sayd Prosecuter...or they might just set up in the court itself before it starts(smaller towns will d this somethimes) and yea, depening on your last name you can be there all night cause they go by alphabetical order(don't ask how I know all this

)

this happened in burlington county near the florence area of I-295, going south.

it's not too far from my work (south philly). i'll leave work around 3. that should be plenty of time to get there early. i know i'll be there for a good while, my last name stats with Y..! doh!

PitsVtec · 11-21-2005, 12:14 PM

In NJ Statute 39:4-126 Failure to give proper signal is a 2 point ticket, and is also $85.00 + court costs. Go to court and fight it. If you buy a bulb, maybe you can show the court the receipt and say that you fixed it b/c it was out and maybe they will lessen the ticket to Improper auxiliary driving lamps or something similar to that, which is no points and $54.00.

soda7o · 11-21-2005, 01:36 PM

go to court...

Smokes35 · 11-21-2005, 01:40 PM

drive your motorcycle right into the magistrates office and say...

"give me a ticket for this--"

then piss on his desk.

i'll bail u out.

High_Revs_17 · 11-22-2005, 12:53 AM

Damn that cop had a humungo stick up his ass...

skid vicious · 11-22-2005, 01:40 AM

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

stealth r6 · 11-22-2005, 03:51 AM

ok, here you go. for this 2 point moving violation you need to go to court. In the state of new jersey we do have a statute that will allow the prosecutor to drop the ticket to a no pointer. 39:4-97.2 - Unsafe Operation of a Motor Vehicle. There is a good thing and a bad thing about this violation. Obviously the good thing is you will not receive any points. The bad things are, you will pay for this one. 33 court costs, 139 for the violation, and 250 state surcharge for the first offense. Same fees for the second offense except they add 100 for the violation making it 239. The other bad thing is if you get any tickets amended to this for a 3rd time in a 5 year period you are walking out paying a shit load, and 4 points added onto your record. they give you no points for the first 2 times within a 5 year period, but on the 3rd time its automatically 4 points. And as for the court, some go in alphabetical order, some go by what time you get there. Before you speak to the prosecutor, they usually make you check into court so they make you pay something for going there. I say go into court, speak to the prosecutor and try to get him to drop it to something else other than unsafe operation so you dont dont bend you over. If that doesnt work, bend over and take that unsafe driving cause sure you pay more now, but u save it all in insurance premiums. and for you guys wondering how i know all this, ive gotten two unsafe in the past year, and have to stay clean for the next 4 years or im screwed. ive been in court plenty of times and i pay close attention to everything. I drive to fast.

stealth r6 · 11-22-2005, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skid vicious

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

Really, i had the same ticket on my bike on the parkway, and another one for unsafe lane changing all from the same cop. 7 points, i got a lawyer, paid 1000 for the lawyer, but he got the two tickets merged, and go the 30 over dropped to unsafe driving. I walked out of court with no points and 539.00 in fines. I dont think that was to bad.