Beat a parking ticket???

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Googamooga, Jun 9, 2004.

  1. Googamooga

    Googamooga Guest

    I got a parking ticket for parking by a fire hydrant (yea I was a dumb ass).
    On the ticket I noticed the officer wrote my car was a 2 door when I have a 4
    door. Is that small mistake by the officer good enough to fight my ticket? I
    read somewhere that a small mistake like that will be enough for the judge to
    throw the ticket away.

    Now if I did fight the ticket and go to court, I would have to take half a day
    off work, the money I lose from work is about how much the ticket is worth
    ($45). Hmmmm should I just pay ? Or maybe the court session won't take me
    more than 2 hours.

    give me some ideas guys.

    thanks
     
    Googamooga, Jun 9, 2004
    #1
  2. Googamooga

    Keith J Guest

    No, not a big enough error. I suspect the judge will look down upon you and
    zing it to you with court costs for annoying him. Your fine could easily
    jump from $45 to $75 (including court costs). Just pay up, especially when
    you know you did wrong. I have to assume that you make more in a morning
    than the $45 to pay the parking fine. Does it make sense to take the time
    off of work (possibly losing more than $45 in salary) to go to court and
    hope that you won't have to pay? Is it worth the hassle? I think that's
    why those fines are low to moderately priced as they expect people to just
    pay up as it's just not worth their time. I know I don't have the time or
    patience to deal with that crap.

    I can see arguing if that went against your license, but it doesn't. Just
    pay it and be thankful they didn't tow your car.

    Keith
     
    Keith J, Jun 9, 2004
    #2
  3. If the $$$ are the same, pay the ticket. I'm in the NYC area and $45
    won't even cover a meter overtime ticket in NYC. Around here your car
    would have been towed, so look on the bright side. ;)

    You never know what might happen if you go to court, as someone else
    posted, you might be socked with court costs. Next time, don't park by a
    hydrant.
     
    Vince McGowan, Jun 9, 2004
    #3
  4. I got a ticket once because I parked 15 ft of a fire hydrant (I measured and
    was 14' 6"). No red paint or nothing. It was my first week at my new job and
    was not aware of the parking trap. I paid the fine but complained to the
    parking bureau. They finally painted the curve. I probably could've got the
    fine reversed, but wasn't that big of a deal.



    ____________________________________
     
    He Hate Retard and Moron, Jun 9, 2004
    #4
  5. Googamooga

    Tracy Guest

    I know I would, if I were the judge, just for using such a flimsy
    excuse to try and weasel out of a legitimate ticket.
     
    Tracy, Jun 9, 2004
    #5
  6. Googamooga

    y_p_w Guest

    About the only small mistake that's likely to work is if the license plate
    number is wrong. Other than that, it one might be able to get it thrown
    out if you're talking a matter of inches into a section.
    Don't bother. However - I doubt that your fine would be increased for
    fighting it. You may spend 2 hours, but you've got less than 2 minutes
    before the judge. I fought a moving violation ticket in San Francisco
    once (about $120 fine). It was barely yellow when I entered an
    intersection, but the cop said it was red. I put on a shirt and tie,
    was prepared to say it was yellow (the truth), and the officer didn't
    show - ticket thrown out. My understanding is that the SFPD didn't
    pay officers for their time in traffic court. Most officers won't
    bother since they could just write up four more tickets in the time it
    takes for court (I did see a few cops there). The CHP however will
    pay their officers while they appear in court. I see CHP vehicles
    parked outside the traffic court across the street near my office.
     
    y_p_w, Jun 9, 2004
    #6
  7. Googamooga

    Googamooga Guest

    thanks for the input guys, I will just go ahead and pay up, hehe I learned my
    lesson.
     
    Googamooga, Jun 9, 2004
    #7
  8. They finally painted the curve, did they?

    And what did they do to the CURB?

    How old are you? How many years have you heard the word "curb" and
    thought everyone in the world was saying "curve"???
     
    Elmo P. Shagnasty, Jun 10, 2004
    #8
  9. In NYC, you do not get socked with court fees. Then again, a $110 parking
    ticket does not earn you face time in front a judge, only a one to one
    session with an Parking Violations Bureau civil servant.

    If you want dispute a ticket on incorrect information, you should read
    "It's the Law - Your Rights When Disputing a Defective Parking Ticket".

    http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/dispute2.html
     
    Henry Chan Desu!, Jun 10, 2004
    #9
  10. What city?
     
    Alex Rodriguez, Jun 11, 2004
    #10
  11. In NYC you can contest a parking ticket by mail, so you don't need to waste
    too much time doing it. Also in NYC, such a mistake will probalby get the
    ticket tossed.
     
    Alex Rodriguez, Jun 11, 2004
    #11
  12. $45 for too close to a hydrant is *not* NYC. ;)
     
    Vince McGowan, Jun 11, 2004
    #12
  13. Googamooga

    Jon Guest

    Uh If the parking inspector is so blind that he cant get his doors
    right, maybe he got the distance from the fire hydrant wrong too.
    Unfortunately its all about revenue raising, so they will be on the side
    of where they can raise the most cash. You loose we win type of stuff.
    Pay up... Principles cost money to protect. The ticket is cheap,
    compared to the alternative...While the law is like this, we can see why
    we sometimes loose respect for the law.. We all make mistakes.....I
    still say you shouldnt have to pay. But I found out early in the piece,
    dont waste your time.. You get away with heaps of other stuff.
     
    Jon, Jun 18, 2004
    #13
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