Q: I (17) was going 90 in a 65 on the 177 ( two lane desert road. I had the cruise set to 80 and went to pass a cement truck. The car in front of me passed the truck and I followed. I did not attempt to pass the car ahead of me. The car ahead of me was a cop and they pulled me over. I know that 25 over barely qualifies for traffic school but realistically decreasing my insurance is all that I am concerned with. I fully recognize that I was in violation of the law but mitigating the damage is what is important to me now. I really don’t want to make an in person appearance as I was four hours away from home. Thanks
Another option is to send in a not-guilty plea with a request for a Trial by Written Declaration. In the Trial by Written Declaration, you can end it with
“I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the above is true. If the court does not find in my favor in this case, I request a fine reduction and a Court assignment to attend traffic school.”
That almost always works.
The Written Not Guilty Plea and the Trial by Written Declaration process is explained in depth here.
The Trial by Written Declaration can be done through the mail. There’s a good chance you will win and then the ticket goes away. If you lose, you can have the verdict set aside with trial de novo, and then you are back in the same spot: facing an in-person court trial. (but, at least now, you’ll have a Statement of Facts you’ve written that you can read in court).