Customer Rating: Summary: Legal techniques to beat speeding tickets Comment: Traffic citations, especially seatbelt citations are almost always about power and money. If it were about safety, they would put more focus on straightening out all the dangerous curves, force property owners to cut back brush, obstacles, and hinderances that causes unseen intersections. They could also install traffic control devices where necesary and work that much harder to get the most dangerous class of drivers, the aggressive ones, and those who are intoxicated - off the roads and into jails. There is no need to not know what you can do if you are a victim. Customer Rating: Summary: Great preparation Comment: I bought this book because I received a ticket for running a stop sign. Seems simple enough, except he went so far to conceal his location that he put himself in a bad position to see the intersection. After stewing for a few days, I decided to buy this book and determine if I was going to fight it. After reading the info, I decided to plead not guilty and meet with the prosecutor.
He mentions it in the book, and there were 10+ people in the courtroom today that didn't do it, which is make sure that you are prepared. A defense of "I didn't do it" isn't going to work. I broke my defense into 5 parts:
Obstacles - the officer couldn't clearly see the intersection because of bridge pillars which blocked part of his view.
Distance - the officer was over 200 yards (2 football fields) from the intersection where the alleged violation took place. Police have a tendency to really try to hide themselves from you, but in doing so may put themselves in a poor position (which you can bring up in court).
Traffic - the officer put that there was heavy traffic on the ticket. He was on the opposite side of the traffic when he observed me (which further obstructed his view).
Time - I got the ticket at 8 am and the officer was facing due East. This is the time of the morning where he is looking into the sun (he had his hand up in front of his eyes to block the light).
Driving Record - I printed out my driving record (which I had to request online) which shows that I have a clean driving history. This shows that I am a responsible driver and lends credibility to my testimony.
****Side note*****
Unless the lights on the cop car are on, they probably aren't recording video. The officer made it a point to tell me that his car was equipped with video and that I should know it if I chose to fight it. The judge told me today when I requested a copy of it that in most situations they are erased after 30 days (it was 45 days from the ticket to my arraignment).
All of these factors cast doubt on his ability to accurately see me traveling through the intersection, and I am using them to raise reasonable doubt. Hand signs and noises don't convince the prosecutor that you are innocent (I saw a bunch of people doing it today). The prosecutor told every other person there fighting their ticket to take defensive driving (or that they would have to present their testimony at trial), he told me I had a good case and to take it to trial. He said that he doesn't care if I was guilty or not, he only cares about what he can prove (at this point it is very little). Once he verifies the officers vantage point, we should be able to put this to bed.
I am not off the hook yet, but I recommend this book as a good starting place. Buy it and read it, it will help you decide if it is worth fighting.
Customer Rating: Summary: Great book, Best way to get direction... Comment: Used this book to get a sense of how to fight my ticket. While the book did not specifically cover my citation (HOV), it did give me some direction on how to approach it and the best way to go about it. It is an excellent way to start and most beneficial for those who have minor violations dealing with stop signs, lane changes and speeding. I highly recommend it.
I took my case to court and won! Customer Rating: Summary: singing its praises Comment: you need to get this book if you were ever a victim of the traffic codes that plague our country. attorney brown does a great job in breaking down the court procedures and even provide dialogue to use in certain circumstances. Customer Rating: Summary: Sticking it to the Man Comment: I've been to traffic court many, many times and I always feel like I'm misunderstanding something because I get shafted left and right. As it turns out, I was misunderstanding something. I flew through this book, which is odd because it's technically a law book, but it's written in a very accessible way. It's good to just have the knowledge of how to stand up for yourself, and even if you don't stand a chance in court, you at least know what to sat, when to say it, and what the heck is going on. I highly recommend this to anyone considering buying it.
We've all received one --a traffic ticket that seems completely unfair, the result of an officer's evening quota rather than a serious moving violation. But do you have to pay the penalty and watch your driving record crash and burn?
Not if you choose to fight back with Beat Your Ticket.
Beat Your Ticket simply and clearly lays out the best strategies for beating tickets in court. The book explains in plain English how to:
*use the law to fight an unwarranted ticket
*find out what the police officer plans to say at your trial
*attack radar and other detection methods
*pick a jury
*present your case
*cross-examine the ticketing officer
The 4th edition is extensively updated to reflect your state's current traffic laws and court procedures.
