Help with traffic ticket

Long story short, after a night of clubbing my drunk friends were acting stupid and yelling out the windows while I was trying to drive home. Cops pulled us over (friends sobered up so quick the cops couldnt tell they had been drinking -_-) and asked for license and registration. I took out my license and went to the golvebox for registration, for whatever reason the registration and proof of insurance was not there (parents car). I got a ticket for $172 for failing to produce insurance. Has anyone been in a situation like this? If so did you beat the ticket or get it reduced? I need some ideas before my court date.

Just bring your insurance and registration and show it to the judge.

And keep that stuff in the glove box next time. Save yourself the trouble.

Just bring your insurance and registration and show it to the judge.

And keep that stuff in the glove box next time. Save yourself the trouble.

airshocker

This exactly. Also take your parents to the court date so when you tell the judge it was your parents car, he can ensure that they understand that those papers are supposed to be in the car. If he doesn't throw the ticket out, your parents need to step up and pay the fine as it was their car and failure to keep the papers in the car.

Also, next time, if your friends act up, pull over and put them out and tell them to take a cab home as you do not want to be pulled over due to their stupidity.

usually if you take your proof of insurance and registration to the court they drop those kinds of tickets. It's not like you were speeding or driving wreckless. The officer should have explained this to you.

You're responsible for what you are driving. You'll have to pay the fine. Depends on the state though.

I'm not sure. If you have insurance, can't you just show it to the judge and show that you were covered on those dates?

So I should plead guilty and show the teller the papers or plead not guilty and take it to court then show the judge the papers?

I'm not sure. If you have insurance, can't you just show it to the judge and show that you were covered on those dates?

sonicare

[QUOTE="sonicare"]

I'm not sure. If you have insurance, can't you just show it to the judge and show that you were covered on those dates?

Pirate700

If you plead guilty, you will have to pay the fine. Go to court on the date listed on the ticket along with the papers showing you have insurance on the date you got the ticket along with the registration and your parents, after all it is their failure to keep the papers in the car. Once in court, you plead not guilty and when the judge asks why, you tell him that the car is your parents and that they didn't keep the papers in the car and that it is registered and was insured on the night you got the ticket and you have proof. When he asks to see it, give it to him. See my above post for taking your parents with you.

@specialzed Take your registration and proof of insurance to the magistrates office before your court date. In some states, you can get it dropped beforehand. You may have to bring it on the day of your court date.

Either way, it depends on where you are and the local laws. Worst you can do is try. You really, REALLY want to avoid going to court, and especially avoid seeing the judge. If you have to appear before the judge, you'll have to pay court costs. Period. If you get it taken care of by the magistrate or DA beforehand, you generally don't pay anything (or, at worst, a small fine). Yours is a small offense, so I imagine you shouldn't have much trouble.

If you plead guilty, you will have to pay the fine. Go to court on the date listed on the ticket along with the papers showing you have insurance on the date you got the ticket along with the registration and your parents, after all it is their failure to keep the papers in the car. Once in court, you plead not guilty and when the judge asks why, you tell him that the car is your parents and that they didn't keep the papers in the car and that it is registered and was insured on the night you got the ticket and you have proof. When he asks to see it, give it to him. See my above post for taking your parents with you.

WhiteKnight77

What if they transfer the ticket over to my parents?

@specialzed Take your registration and proof of insurance to the magistrates office before your court date. In some states, you can get it dropped beforehand. You may have to bring it on the day of your court date.

Either way, it depends on where you are and the local laws. Worst you can do is try. You really, REALLY want to avoid going to court, and especially avoid seeing the judge. If you have to appear before the judge, you'll have to pay court costs. Period. If you get it taken care of by the magistrate or DA beforehand, you generally don't pay anything (or, at worst, a small fine). Yours is a small offense, so I imagine you shouldn't have much trouble.

JusticeFromSeed

Magistrate? DA?

Is it even legal to pass a ticket on to another person? If its not then I could possibly not be guilty because the car is my parents and I was under the impression the papers were inside of it. Of course the judge could then charge my parents right there in the court room...

I've found a YouTube video that shows exactly what happens to people who can't produce proof of insurance during a traffic stop.

Here it is.

:o

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

Just bring your insurance and registration and show it to the judge.

And keep that stuff in the glove box next time. Save yourself the trouble.

WhiteKnight77

This exactly. Also take your parents to the court date so when you tell the judge it was your parents car, he can ensure that they understand that those papers are supposed to be in the car. If he doesn't throw the ticket out, your parents need to step up and pay the fine as it was their car and failure to keep the papers in the car.

Also, next time, if your friends act up, pull over and put them out and tell them to take a cab home as you do not want to be pulled over due to their stupidity.

Is it even legal to pass a ticket on to another person? If its not then I could possibly not be guilty because the car is my parents and I was under the impression the papers were inside of it. Of course the judge could then charge my parents right there in the court room...

specialzed

Tickets cannot be transferred nor will your parents be charged. Pirate is right, you are supposed to ensure the paperwork is in the car before you use it, but, at the same time, your parents have been driving the car around without the paperwork too and need to face the truth about it by the judge most likely chewing them out for letting you take the car without the paperwork to begin with since it should have already been in there.

DA=District Attorney, the city or county representative in court.

Magistrate=judge

Just bring your insurance and registration and show it to the judge.

And keep that stuff in the glove box next time. Save yourself the trouble.

airshocker

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

Just bring your insurance and registration and show it to the judge.

And keep that stuff in the glove box next time. Save yourself the trouble.

sworn-enemy