so i got a ticket for forgetting to turn on my headlights going down like half a block from bolsa to bushard and i changed lanes a few time. The cop gave me a ticket for the headlights and i got the price in the mail, 212$. i dont think its worth it for forgetting headlights, how do i fight it? or atleast get it to be lowered.

 

There are instructions on the back of the citation on how to contest it.

But seriously though, what are you gonna say to the judge? Are you gonna lie and say your lights were on? You already admitted that your lights were off. As chickenshit as that ticket is, it is the law to turn on your lights during hours of darkness.

Best thing to do is probably try and fight it, hoping that the cop doesn't show up.

Good luck.

myke

 

Goto the court on your scheduled date. When it's your turn tell the court you want a trial. Post bail, full amount of the ticket, then they will set a court date.

At your trial you can fight your case and then if you win you will be refunded the bail.

Cops will ALWAYS show up now. That's why they schedule it to specific dates.

I usually plead no contest or guilty and pay the fine or if it's your first moving violation take traffic school.

 

You can actually ask for a trial by letra (letter). This will require both you and the officer to plead cases on paper. Most cops will not want to do the paperwork and aboout 80% of the time you win.

 

Cops do NOT always show up. Sometimes there are things beyond their control where they cannot make it (vacations, sickness, out of town, or maybe just plain lazy).

myke

Also, if you lose with the trial by declaration, you can request a trial de novo where you actually appear before a judge. This is your 2nd chance of winning. If cop doesn't show up, you win and get your money back.

myke

 

Maybe before but now I'd say 90% of the time they will.

 

they don't always show up.... usually the new/young cops do... the old bones that's been in the force for a long time don't.... my mom works at an law enforcement agency tells me that...

+ yes do the trial by declaration first... but don't just write random BS.... i tried that i once wrote " i didnt run the light" and i lost that... LOL... then your last option is to go to court... and hope the cop doesn't show... you can probably make up some BS saying that your headlights had problems where they'd turn off themselves and ask if you can reduce it to a fix it maybe? don't know but goodluck...

i had a ticket quite recently i was speeding 80...unsafe lane changing, and not signaling on the 57s going to disney land... the motorcycle cop pulled me over... and he was pretty old.. looked like an "old bone" brea police... so i decided to skip the trial by dec. knowing id probably lose, and went to court luckily he didnt show...! and got my money refunded!

GO on google look for the forums that can give advice on tickets.. type in the penal code.. that you violated.. that should help. do some research

 

Better yet, don't break the law! Problems solved!

 

perfect! now all evan has to do is find a way to go back in time and tell his past self to turn on his headlights.

that's a pretty bogus ticket. i understand that it's the law but every time i'd forget to turn on my headlights during the sun down and night time transition a cop usually signals me to turn them on. the cop must've had a pretty bad day to have went though the hassle to write you a ticket or CA's budget cuts have forced cops to cite people over for the most ticky-tac traffic violations.

whatever the reason, what's done is done. there's a lot of good advice in here, hope it works out for you evan

 

My roommate got one of these tickets last month, except she was driving around 5:30/6:00 am or so, so it was like half-lit. She decided not to fight it though because she wasn't sure what she would say in front of the judge if the cop showed. I would have fought it though, because around that time, I think it's kind of arguable.

Just today I went with a friend of mine to fight off a seat-belt violation, but to her luck, the cop didn't show. Lots of people were dismissed on grounds of "lack of prosecution," but there were also a good handful of cops that came.

I think it would be best to prepare some sort of argument in case the cop shows, rather than just hoping he doesn't come.

Best of luck to you! :]

 

cops are getting paid time and a half to show up to court now, plus if they don't show up, it goes on their personal records and makes it difficult for them to switch cities if they ever want to.

listen to JDM Chris, do the trial by letra. you have to pay the fine up front, but if you win you get your money back and if you lose, then the ticket is paid and you can just forget about it.

 

sometimes if you choose to argue .. you lose the option for traffic school.. soo make sure if the cop does show... just choose traffic school unless you think you can prove your case real well then so be it..

 

The fact is that he broke the law. Why not just bite the bullet and do what's right?

I have ZERO moving violations on my record. Why? I follow the law. They are written to keep all of us safe.

I hate how people always give cops a bad rep when they don't realize how hard their jobs are.

 

mike, i didn't post in this thread to compare driving records, argue with you, or deny that cops have a tough job. i came here to share my experience and learn from others. saying "..don't break the law. Problems solved!" might prevent future citations but that doesn't answer his question.

your first post was helpful and i do agree, 95% of the time cops do show up for their trial date. my uncle (through marriage) is a retired cop. he says that cops not showing up to their trial date because they're lazy may have been true in the past but not anymore.

 

I sometimes forget to turn on my headlights and that's because our interior doesn't change much when the headlights are turned on. You can try to do a before and after video of how the interior looks with the headlights turned on and say that you didn't realize your headlights weren't turned on and it was an honest mistake since the streets were well lit. Also is there a timestamp on your ticket?

 

go to court. you dont have to fight it, just say you were in a rush to go pick up your siblings or something....if you show up at court, your ticket WILL be lowered...
back when i had my evo, i had a speeding ticket (going 70 on a 45 but cop was cool and wrote it down as 65) and the judge brought my cost from 350 to 200

 

Fine reductions are NOT guaranteed.

myke

 

SoCalEvo.net : Trial By Declaration (How To)

/end thread