REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

L_L · 02-01-2009, 04:17 PM

I received my first speeding ticket with 4 allegations (worth a deduction of 12 points) January of 2008. My court date is set for the first week of March so people please reply ASAP! I had my Class 5 for 4 years before this incident, and I filed for a dispute of fine. Recently, I talked to some friends about this, and they said I should have disputed the allegations because it would have been easier to defend my case that way (instead of admitting to the offences).

Should I have filed for a dispute of allegations rather than a dispute of fine?
Should I ask for evidence from the police station? What kind of information should I obtain? (Apparently, he has me on dashboard)
What is my chance that the judge will be sympathetic to my clean record, and give me back some points?

Please help! I’m a student and I can’t possibly afford to pay the Driver Risk Premium, on top of my existing Insurance premium! I’ve learnt my lesson.

Rikaro · 02-01-2009, 04:21 PM

what 4 allegations are they?

You must be driving pretty fast.

Eastwood · 02-01-2009, 04:37 PM

You signed up for RS to post this?

Lude S · 02-01-2009, 04:43 PM

if u cant afford it, take the bus and live with it.

Orion · 02-01-2009, 05:02 PM

i don't want to fuel the fire but you should also explain your situation as well...

if you're disputing because it was unjustified then dispute the allegations but if seriously if you're at fault for such charge i say give up your license because i don't want to see a dangerous driver like you on the roads...

shenmecar · 02-01-2009, 05:09 PM

wow you must be driving like hell with high beams and on the wrong side of the road or something. O.o

Lomac · 02-01-2009, 05:33 PM

Your best bet would be to talk with the officer that gave you the tickets. When I challenged one of my tickets a couple years back, I talked to the officer that pulled me over and explained my situation. I did admit fault but we worked out a deal where if I showed up to my court date, he was willing to knock off some of the charges laid against me. We both knew I was guilty but he had no problem with working out a deal. Just be polite to the officer, explain your situation and ask if there's anything he's willing to knock off. If not, you can try looking for technicalities that might void your ticket.

Otherwise you're SOL. You may say that you've learnt your lesson but you can't expect to not be punished for it.

L_L · 02-01-2009, 05:36 PM

The allegations were as follows:
1) Unsafe lane change
2) Passing of double solid
3) Speeding
4) Tailgating

CaptFiero · 02-01-2009, 05:41 PM

I am sorry, I have never disputed a ticked in Canada, however my experiences in Oregon.

I was driving a little over the speed limit. I guess the officer was having a bad day, and decided that me at the time, a 16 year old Kid driving a V8 sedan, would get him relaxed by picking on me and my car.

He wrote me up for speeding, a cracked tail light. (not completely broken, just cracked) A missing license plate light, and he tried to give me hell for my seatbelt, because it was a lap belt only and no shoulder strap. (not offered in my car due to age)

I think not being able to give me a seatbelt ticket made him even more angry.

He finally got done and handed me a ticket for $1000 USD. I challenged the ticked calling it excessive and me being 16, making min wage, (at that time is was $4.35 USD an hour) would have broke me completely. I went to court, explained my situation. They reduced the fine by half, and allowed me to make 12 monthly payments starting one month from the court date.

On a flip side, I got busted street racing here in BC, cost me $600 plus 6 points. This was in I think 2002 before politics blew it so far out of proportion. The officer almost apologized for writing the ticket. I was doing 140kph in a 50kph industrial park. I even won the race. I didn't even give it a 2nd thought. I simply paid it, no dispute, I was doing something wrong and dangerous. I broke the law, I got caught. (Found out later, the guy I was racing with disputed it, and cop never showed up) I wasn't upset, as I really don't mind paying a realistic fine when I do something wrong. You need to judge for yourself, if the fines are within reason for what ever you were doing.......

A-Dev · 02-01-2009, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L_L

The allegations were as follows:
1) Unsafe lane change
2) Passing of double solid
3) Speeding
4) Tailgating

not to sound like an ass or anything...

but you deserve whats coming to ya

?NR · 02-01-2009, 06:18 PM

a plethora of responses from General public, now onto officers.

or, there are stickies on top on how to deal with tickets.

Inaii · 02-01-2009, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L_L

The allegations were as follows:
1) Unsafe lane change
2) Passing of double solid
3) Speeding
4) Tailgating

Please get off our roads. I hate drivers like you and every time I see one, I hope they end up in a ditch somewhere. Suck it up and pay the fines, you obviously deserve them.

johny · 02-01-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L_L

The allegations were as follows:
1) Unsafe lane change
2) Passing of double solid
3) Speeding
4) Tailgating

did you tailgate and pass the cop car ?

if you disputed the fine, you're still stuck with all the points = possible licence gone. disputing the fine just means you want the amount lowered, not the ticket removed.

CRS · 02-01-2009, 07:02 PM

So you signed up in RS for this reason alone eh?

Alright, I'll break it down for you.

He has you on camera. You're screwed.

Get ready to received a letter from the super asking for your license and suspension. Also get ready for a letter from ICBC informing you that you have a retarded amount of points and that you're going to have to pay a lot of premiums for driving.

There is NO WAY in defending what is on camera. Describe what happened that day in DETAIL and we MIGHT be able to have one charge dropped if lucky.

skidmark · 02-01-2009, 08:45 PM

I expect that you can still change your mind on the court date and plead not guilty. If you are worried about that, contact the court registry and tell them that you have changed your mind and wish to dispute the allegations.

As for what to do, there is plenty in the forum that you will find with judicious use of the search button.

It does sound like your driving behaviour was more than a little out of the norm, based only on the charges you have listed. Of course, without knowing more about the circumstances, it is hard to give advice. Also, since you are disputing, you may not wish to post details here. Lawyer referral might be a good idea....