My girlfriend while in Florida on vacation got a speeding ticket, the ticket includes wrong info like car color to dob.

I earn all my speeding tix and pay them so I have no idea.

Question, should she fight ticket?

Highway Trooper? Don't. You'd be screwed.

Don't know FLA laws but I think it makes it a lot easier to fight a ticket if the cop gets all the info wrong.


So Fran, you earn your tickets??

Good one!!!

I am a Floridian. Florida Highway Patrols will screw you big time if you fought.

All they want is your money......part of the expense of driving......call the DA of the jurisdiction and ask for a reduced charge that won't show up on your insurance and pay the fine....it's not worth the hassle to fight and they know it......

They'll almost always do it because they don't like insurance companies either!!!

When I was a cop I wrote the wrong car color on a ticket. The judge dismissed it based on that. It really depends on the judge and nothing else.

If you can't pay for the crime, don't do it. Only rich people can lie, steal, cheat, and still win.

She should at least show up to court. If nothing else, she may get the fine reduced.

The best thing for her to do would be to speak to an attorney that practices in the same area she got the ticket in. Some attorneys will give an initial free consultation, but I would just go ahead and pay one that has a success record.

If the citation was WRONG, then it would be wrong AT LEAST not to find out what the options are.

If you don't live in the area where the citation was issued, even if you are planning on pleading guilty, it's always best to get legal counsel, and ideally to have the lawyer present with you in court.

(The only time I've ever been cited for something in another state, I was actually DOING what I was cited for, so I just paid the fine, thanked Fortune that they didn't cite me for some of the other stuff I was doing at the time, and got the hell out of there. But if I felt I was charged in error, I would have talked to a lawyer immediately.)

And: The last thing I would do if I was in that sort of situation is ask people on the internet what to do about it, but since you asked...

I hope this was helpful. yours in Chaos, Scarlett

a (expensive) lawyer can get it dismissed

it's a trade off of money versus your record whichever is more important

they supoena the calibration records of the radar. THEN they supoena the calibration records of the equipment used to calibrate the radar (it all has to be NIST traceable)

no one ever actually has all those records

Ain't that the truth.

thanks all for the input, I was looking for insight.

Yes, I do earn my tickets but I pay my speeding tickets.

I asked because it was mentioned to me that if the citation included any wrong information, in her case it was her DOB and the color of the car being driven, why I asked. She lives up north and not in Florida so it really doesnt sound logical to come back just to appear in court. I did tell her she can take those online courses to make sure she doesnt get the points on her license.

But thanks all for input.

I earn all my speeding tickets too. A ticket with wrong info can easily be dropped especially DOB. A wrong color is hard to fight if it is done at night.

As others have said don't bother trying to contest the ticket if that's the best you've got. A judge will not consider it excuse enough, it lacks bad intent or error worthy of merit... I'm a firm believer in fighting a ticket when it's a legit error and fear of taking on FHP should never factor into doing what is right...

Needless to say in most situations a ticket is avoided right there when pulled over. If you can reasonable prove your actions or lack of was necessary then 99% the time the officer will not write one.

If you're out of state it's much tuffer because they know you're not likely to show up to court and contest it. It's called easy money for the State and if two cars one with out of State plates and one with in State plates are traveling at the same rate of speed the Officer will ticket the out of state vehicle 9 times out of 10.

Negative Ghost Rider.

thanks all she has decided to pay and take online courses to make sure she doesnt get the points on her license, which was her main concern.

Thank you all for the input

I have to agree with this, being from Florida it is just better to pay the ticket, then fight it.

..she has chosen the weaker path...I fought my ticket..I delayed the court date on several occasions and have harassed the person/department that wrote me the ticket...(via written correspondence demanding info on ticket incidence...) needless to say, at the day of the hearing, the policeman did not show up....even if he did, I was very well prepared, he most certainly would have lost anyways..

Roco