Don't ever give up on a ticket. Hire a lawyer.

Those are civil violations for that very reason. You don't have to pay them, the court won't come after you, BUT... And it's a big BUT, You usually won't be able to renew your registration on the vehicle until that's paid.

You pay those to a service hired to instal and monitor and collect the fines. They share a portion with the hiring jurisdiction.

 

Here's an example where you can't confront an accuser. I got caught in a speed trap. Typical one, one officer running radar, another directing you to a parking lot, and a third one writing the ticket.

Get to court date postponed, get it moved to a different court and when the court day comes, if the officer who wrote the ticket shows up, the first question is "Where you the radar operator who clocked the speed" when the answer is no, the next question is "is the operator present" if the answer is no, motion to dismiss. The Officer wrote the ticket on hearsay evidence, he did not observe you speeding.

 

Around here, Portland metropolitan area, those are traffic citations from the municipality that erected the cameras. The citations are not from a 3rd party and come in the mail and you send your remittance back to the municipality. There are 3 basic types of cameras. Fixed location for speeding and fixed location for red light infractions and the more devious one, the mobile vehicle camera. That one is usually an unmarked white van parked on the side of the road and they have to by law post signs about 100 yards before the vehicle alerting you that there is a mobile traffic camera ahead.

 

Where in Beaverton? Were you hazmat on 26 east of 217?

 

I sold a vehicle several years ago, and didn't take my plates off because it was a pile of garbage and I figured the guy was buying it for parts. A few months go by and I got a ticket in the mail for running a red light in Houston, which is a few hundred miles from me. On the back of the citation that they mailed me was the fine print stating that failure to pay the fine would not result in a warrant, it could not be reported on my credit, and the vehicle would not be able to be registered until the fine was paid in full.

I didn't own the vehicle anymore, so I threw the ticket in the trash and never heard anything else about it.

 

Sometimes I can't help but get a good laugh reading some comments on this subject. Not just in TTR, but other websites and in places where Truckers and Trucker Wannabees gather.

First point that date printed on the ticket or the letter you get later is NOT a trial date. It is what's called an arraignment. If you have already paid the ticket, you are excused from this action. If you are going to fight the charge, this is where you/Attorney enter your not guilty plea. In states like Georgia that allow you to demand a trial by jury, this is where you make that demand. The cop who wrote the ticket is NOT required to be in attendance. Because I am not knowledgeable about all the traffic courts in the lower 48, I will agree there may be some courts that do both the arraignment and trial on the same day, but in all honesty, I doubt there are any.

Now allow me to issue a clear warning. Years ago, one of my favorite pastimes was sitting in Georgia State Courts watching the actions. Many times, I have seen the Judge grant the State Solicitor a continuance because a cop was either out of town or otherwise not able to attend the trial date. I am not saying it is guaranteed to happen, but a Judge has a huge amount of discretion when it comes to their courtroom.

Anybody who wants to argue with me, all I am going to do is ask you to post a link to where it says in the US Constitution or a State Constitution where it enumerates this as a right. Or show me in BINDING caselaw where a Judge is forced to dismiss a case just because a Cop is not there for trial.

To sum this all up. If you get a ticket on the road hundreds of miles from home, and you decide to fight the case. You are going to make 2 trips to court, NOT just one. Figure your cost at around .14 cents a mile round trip. Not just gas, but wear and tear on your vehicle. Depending on the distance, now add a hotel room and food. If you are fighting a case, say 1000 miles away, this is at a minimum a 4000-mile trip. Now add hotel rooms unless you have an RV or a good friend who will allow you to crash. Now I have not even added the lost time from your job.

Fighting a ticket 1000+ miles away could cost you thousands of $$$ with no guarantee you will win. Now, let me remind everybody of 384.226. The USDOT/FMCSA has made it clear to the states that they risk losing federal monies if they engage in this illegal masking.

I would NEVER attempt to talk a person from fighting an unjust charge. I just think before you do so to give some serious thought to your overall chances at trial and the cost of doing it.