If this is your first time visiting, check out the story behind this blog. Otherwise, please join the others by subscribing to my RSS feed or get updates via email so you don't miss any personal finance articles!

I read an article on bankrate.com which I thought was interesting (and potentially a real money saver for many of us) so I will give a little summary here of the main points said. You can read the link here:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/20070330_traffic_ticket_court_a2.asp

“Don’t immediately pay the fine”
This is automatically saying that you are guilty.

“Never plead guilty or no contest if this is your first offense”
You have a very good chance of keeping your record clean if you have never had a citation before.

“Check the paperwork”
You can go to the courthouse to file a discovery of motion or a public records request. Check the officer’s notes, radar gun calibration records, and verify that everything was recorded correctly. Any mistakes, out of date or non-existant documents mean you win by default!

“Contest!”
You can either ask to speak with the assistant district attorney and state reasons why the charges should be reconsidered. Many people even do this through the mail (known as “trial by declaraion”). There is a good chance they will drop the charges if you have a detailed and well-thought-out defense. One reason is that if the officer doesn’t submit his/her own written rebuttal, it’s a one-sided argument.

“Delay or postpone the court date”
The later the date, the longer you don’t have to pay the increase in insurance premium just in case you do not win. The main advantage in postponing is that it can significantly increase the chances that the officer won’t show up during trial. This is important because most judges will drop the case if the defendant cannot question the accuser (officer) as it is the defendant’s right.

“Contest even camera-issued tickets”
You win when the video or photos are not brought to the courthouse (happens sometimes). Even if they do, there is no human subject to question other than the officer that viewed the picture. The advice here is that if the person who viewed the picture opens his month, you object because its hearsay (I didn’t know what this meant so I looked it up. Hearsay - Unverified information heard or received from another; rumor.) and the ticket will be dropped.

Some of these tactics might be immorally wrong for some but here they are! Try not to get a ticket since they just get in our way to become millionaires.