pleading not guilty gives you a chance. if the cop doens't show up for court, usually you win. when i went to traffic court, the clerk did a roll call with the cops and the cases where the cop didn't show got immediately and automatically dropped, no questions asked. about 40% of the cops didn't bother showing up. that's how it works where i live.

so anyway, i plead not guilty, judge found me guilty, and reduced my fine by almost one-half. it all depends on the judge.