Well after two and a half years of driving i got my first ticket. I am upset as it could not have come at a worse time. I do however need some advice on how to handle this issue.

Situation:

I came to a stop sign and was slowing down. Almost at a complete stop i popped it into first and accelerated through the 4-way stop (there was no one at the stop sign.) From up the road some distance to my left in the intersection the cop saw me not come to a complete stop. He pulled up behind me and put his lights on and i pulled over.

He asked me if I had ever had a ticket and i said "no." He said, "since you have never had a ticket i will just give you a citation."

He went back to his car and came back with the ticket.

Now my questions:

1. What does he mean by i will just give you a citation?
2. Under Approx. Speed it says 30mph... but i was nowhere near that speed when i went through the intersection. Is that what this speed is refering to?
3. He marked that i was the owner, however my mother is?

Could i use any of this to my advantage in court. I am going to openly admit that i did not stop COMPLETELY, but did a rolling stop.

Thanks for any advice... i am upset but realize that full stop is legal.

BTW on the way back i saw him with another person pulled over in the same spot.

 

any help?

 

why fight it?....you came to a rolling stop...he cited you for it...end of story...

sorry to hear u got a ticket tho...

edit:
well actually...now i that re-read it...are u being cited for a rolling stop or for 30mph?

 

To be completely honest with you, none of that matters. A citation is the same as a ticket, same as a summons. Just different wording. As for approxamate speed, it's not a speeding ticket, so for you to try and fight that would be pointless, and just piss off the judge most likely. As for marking that you are the owner, and not your mother, doesn't matter either, because you were driving the car. Believe me, I write tickets like that all the time. We have 1 4-way stop in town that I usually sit at and will pull people over for going through. Now, I only will go after someone if its blatant, not even coming close to stopping, just slowing down to about 5-10mph before going, etc. I can also tell you that I usually sit about 1/2 to a full block away, so people don't notice me sitting there. Which is probably what the cop was doing. Go to court, and see if the cop and prosecutor will drop it to somehing thats no points. That should be no problem considering your dirvers history. Also one thing to remember, If a cop asks you how your driving history is, DON'T LIE, even if it was something that was dropped down, or you were given a stupid ticket, like a seatbelt or obstructed windshield, instead of speeding. I already know the answer, and want to see how honest a person you are. If you lie, you get a ticket. Whenever I pull someone over, I always run their history, it helps me decide wheter or not I'm going to cut them a break. If someone has a clear record, I will cut them a break and usually either let them go, or write them something with no points and minimal fine.

 

thats whats throwing me off is the 30 mph part being written down as the speed. It honestly makes no sense... why would i shift to first at 30? This is what makes me wonder if i should question the case?

 

What should i say to the judge when i appear in court?

 

it almost doesnt matter whats written on the ticket.. point being u did something* to violate traffic laws and u got caught..take the ticket as a lesson

 

just pay the ticket. show up on time, and dress nice, a suit if possible. and whenever you get stopped by an officer, always use sir or ma'am.

 

You didnt get a ticket for driving 30mph, you got a ticket for running the stop sign. The speed is irrelevant. It doesn't matter. Go to court and try to make a deal for something without points. If they won't do that, just pay the fine, and save yourself some court fees.

 

k... thank you everyone... i did not think that i could get out of the ticket as a whole i was just wondering if that would present any questions of its validity and somehow reduce the fine and/or points to my record.