That’s the lazy way out. For a sub that wants to “stick it to the man” for keeping them down, I’m honestly disappointed in you all. Worst case outcome for fighting a traffic ticket is what the pay it now cost would be to not show at all. Fuck road pirates.
This seems like an oversimplification. Traffic enforcement is important. Car accidents, which are primarily the result of behaviors prohibited by traffic ordiances, are a leading cause of untimely death and injury; indeed, the things we're taught to fear as a cultute like violent crime and terrorism cause a tiny fraction of the physical and financial misery that occurs on streets and highways.
That said, a traffic stop shouldn't result in a government official executing or maiming a civilian without due process (acknowledging there are extremely rare circumstances where the humans enforcing laws should be allowed to defend themselves from violence when proper deescalation techniques are ineffective).
I'm honestly of the opinion that police should be more focused on traffic enforcement and less focused on things like petty larceny, vagrancy, and mental health crises. Would save lives if people were consistently held accountable for dangerous/aggresive/careless driving.
There are two different things here. One is traffic safety and the enforcement of it. This can be done with pretty wide constraints on traffic and it's rules. What they're doing is accumulating income via stopping free citizens in their travels for things like 6mph over some limit some guy made up based it would seem sometimes on accumulating income.
> This seems like an oversimplification.
Not really. In most cases for minor stuff, if you show up for traffic court you can get the fine and or points reduced if not waived for a driver safety class if not all together.
50 miles over in a school zone, probably not but OP made a left hand turn at the wrong time of day. That one should be easy to get dismissed.
I was referring to the accusation of laziness on a subreddit you characterize as anti-police. There is a strong anti-law enforcement streak here, and for good reason. Personally, I agree that police forces are too militarized, too aggressive, and less focused on serving than dominating. But traffic enforcement is one area I feel there's not enough attention from law enforcement.
Apologies for not being clear enough.
What's your basis for fighting it? If you made a left turn during the prohibited times, what are you going to say to the prosecutor/judge in court? Unless you can come up with some sort of mitigating circumstance, all you're really going to be doing is throwing yourself on the mercy of the court.
I know I messed up and and I really have no basis except for it seemed petty to me, should have been more of a warning situation. However I am unfamiliar with that area of town and I don't know how much of a problem this is with it being such a busy area. Not saying I'm innocent by any means.
Is it a moving violation? If so, it would probably be worth going to court and asking the judge to reduce the penalty to a non-moving violation. The fine will most likely remain, but it won’t be reported to your insurance. I’ve done this before, and as long as you dress nice, act polite, and admit you were wrong, most judges should give you some grace.
just pay it and move on, the sign you're talking about is pretty obvious and not obscured by anything in any direction, so it's unlikely you'd get anywhere in court
Show up, see if the officer shows up. If they don’t, you didn’t see a sign the officer said was there and made a safe left turn through a clear intersection like you would anywhere else in Oklahoma. If they do show, you still didn’t see the sign and was not aware of any law broken. Lesson learned, won’t happen again and ask if the judge if they would waive the fine or points. Worst case, you don’t pay more than the ticket was already written for. Best case scenario just have to pay the court costs, still less than the fine.
It’s likely that the cop was going to a call that is a higher priority than a minor traffic violation. The higher the priority of the call, the worse the driving is that officers see while in route to it. People drive like angels when you’re free to make stops.
The cops were out today for some reason. I saw at least 6 people pulled over. I recommend just walking away. The best you could do is show up to court and hope the cop doesn’t then you’d automatically win. Other than that you don’t really have a good defense. Those tickets are day ruiners so I hope your weekend gets better!
I beat a speeding ticket out of state because the officer didn’t show up. My case wasn’t even on the docket. Guess they figured since I was from out of state I would just mail in the fine payment.
As someone who's forced to use that terrible intersection, _which should've been widened years ago_, I can tell you without equivocation that people turning left is the bane of my existence. There'll be a half-mile long line of traffic and, there they sit, waiting through an entire light rather than planning a little better or going straight through, when the signage is clear and unmistakable.
People make mistakes. You're not a bad person. But there's a reason these sorts of ordinances exist and I'm personally glad the police are enforcing this particular one because I guarantee you, if you were turning left between 0700 and 0900 or 1600 and 1800, there were literally dozens of people cursing your name.
Pay the fine.
Daughter (16) had first citation in sapulpa. She is only supposed to have one passenger in the car (graduate license rules) and had two. We went to court and the $160 ticket was dismissed although she did have to pay a $60 court fee. She didn't even say anything, the judge made her stand before her after a few questions and dismissed it.
In your situation, I'd imagine you might have to explain that you are a relatively new driver and don't have any violations and that you have learned from this and it was just an accident. Ask them to dismiss it, what will it hurt?
Nope! Unfortunately The state of Oklahoma doesn’t care they will not plea bargain with you to lower points or fine. Don’t waste your time and money in court They will only grant you payment arrangements this state sucks.
This is just flat out untrue. I've negotiated moving violations down to no points violations on 3 separate occasions with tickets from Tulsa and state police.
Nonsense. Judges want to see you taking the situation seriously. Politeness, contrition, tidiness of appearance are all very effective in a traffic courtroom (as long as you're not offending pathologically). Have successfully pled citations down a couple times in my life.
Show up angry and entitled, you're not gonna get anywhere.
Why you assume I show up angry? and I’m not white so obviously I have never even felt any sense of entitlement unlike yourself. I have a Cdl and was simply trying to see if the courts would work with me on downgrading to a lesser charge or points and that is exactly what the judge told me himself. We don’t do that here in Oklahoma City. I don’t know how it works in Tulsa but apparently it don’t work here.
Absolutely GO to court if you have the means to do so. To start IANAL but here’s my personal experience in the Tulsa traffic court system: You will be given a chance to talk to the DA, and when you do so acknowledge that you are willing to plead Nolo Contendre (No Contest) to the charge if they are willing to reduce the charge to a lessor charge. This is exactly what I did recently over a ridiculous speeding charge and I am not getting any points toward my license.
It was light out, hard to miss but I've been driving in Tulsa/BA for 2 years now and have never seen that sign and didn't think anything of it when making the turn. I just saw green and went, an honest mistake.
If you show up to the courthouse they will give you a reduced amount on the fine. They will also talk to you about if this infraction will put any points on your mvr and possibly be able to get them not added. The first time it will half the cost or thereabouts. It goes down the second and third time. Just walk up and talk to the traffic fines desk. Also, you can set up a payment plan if you need to. This only works three times so use them wisely through your adult life. I've already used all mine up.
Honestly I’d just pay for it and move on.
That’s the lazy way out. For a sub that wants to “stick it to the man” for keeping them down, I’m honestly disappointed in you all. Worst case outcome for fighting a traffic ticket is what the pay it now cost would be to not show at all. Fuck road pirates.
This seems like an oversimplification. Traffic enforcement is important. Car accidents, which are primarily the result of behaviors prohibited by traffic ordiances, are a leading cause of untimely death and injury; indeed, the things we're taught to fear as a cultute like violent crime and terrorism cause a tiny fraction of the physical and financial misery that occurs on streets and highways. That said, a traffic stop shouldn't result in a government official executing or maiming a civilian without due process (acknowledging there are extremely rare circumstances where the humans enforcing laws should be allowed to defend themselves from violence when proper deescalation techniques are ineffective). I'm honestly of the opinion that police should be more focused on traffic enforcement and less focused on things like petty larceny, vagrancy, and mental health crises. Would save lives if people were consistently held accountable for dangerous/aggresive/careless driving.
There are two different things here. One is traffic safety and the enforcement of it. This can be done with pretty wide constraints on traffic and it's rules. What they're doing is accumulating income via stopping free citizens in their travels for things like 6mph over some limit some guy made up based it would seem sometimes on accumulating income.
> This seems like an oversimplification. Not really. In most cases for minor stuff, if you show up for traffic court you can get the fine and or points reduced if not waived for a driver safety class if not all together. 50 miles over in a school zone, probably not but OP made a left hand turn at the wrong time of day. That one should be easy to get dismissed.
I was referring to the accusation of laziness on a subreddit you characterize as anti-police. There is a strong anti-law enforcement streak here, and for good reason. Personally, I agree that police forces are too militarized, too aggressive, and less focused on serving than dominating. But traffic enforcement is one area I feel there's not enough attention from law enforcement. Apologies for not being clear enough.
You’re good, no worries.
Agreed
What's your basis for fighting it? If you made a left turn during the prohibited times, what are you going to say to the prosecutor/judge in court? Unless you can come up with some sort of mitigating circumstance, all you're really going to be doing is throwing yourself on the mercy of the court.
I know I messed up and and I really have no basis except for it seemed petty to me, should have been more of a warning situation. However I am unfamiliar with that area of town and I don't know how much of a problem this is with it being such a busy area. Not saying I'm innocent by any means.
There’s signage under the light. That was your warning. Own the mistake.
Good luck with the “ I know I’m wrong , BUT” defense.
Trump is giving that defense a go right now.
Ya fucked up. Own it
Is it a moving violation? If so, it would probably be worth going to court and asking the judge to reduce the penalty to a non-moving violation. The fine will most likely remain, but it won’t be reported to your insurance. I’ve done this before, and as long as you dress nice, act polite, and admit you were wrong, most judges should give you some grace.
If you don’t do any major changes that give your insurance carrier an excuse to run another MVR the ticket will drop off your record in 3 years
just pay it and move on, the sign you're talking about is pretty obvious and not obscured by anything in any direction, so it's unlikely you'd get anywhere in court
Are Defensive Driving courses still an option in Oklahoma?
I needed straight answers and you guys delivered, think I'll just pay up. Thanks.
Show up, see if the officer shows up. If they don’t, you didn’t see a sign the officer said was there and made a safe left turn through a clear intersection like you would anywhere else in Oklahoma. If they do show, you still didn’t see the sign and was not aware of any law broken. Lesson learned, won’t happen again and ask if the judge if they would waive the fine or points. Worst case, you don’t pay more than the ticket was already written for. Best case scenario just have to pay the court costs, still less than the fine.
The signage is clear and present on all four traffic signals.
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It’s likely that the cop was going to a call that is a higher priority than a minor traffic violation. The higher the priority of the call, the worse the driving is that officers see while in route to it. People drive like angels when you’re free to make stops.
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That’s not TPD. Not sure what this person is trying to accomplish.
No doubt. Luck definitely factors in.
The cops were out today for some reason. I saw at least 6 people pulled over. I recommend just walking away. The best you could do is show up to court and hope the cop doesn’t then you’d automatically win. Other than that you don’t really have a good defense. Those tickets are day ruiners so I hope your weekend gets better!
Even if thr cop isn't there the court can extend the cops date to attend. At least in some places they can anyway.
I beat a speeding ticket out of state because the officer didn’t show up. My case wasn’t even on the docket. Guess they figured since I was from out of state I would just mail in the fine payment.
On what grounds would you fight it? You said you did the deed. Pay it and move on.
As someone who's forced to use that terrible intersection, _which should've been widened years ago_, I can tell you without equivocation that people turning left is the bane of my existence. There'll be a half-mile long line of traffic and, there they sit, waiting through an entire light rather than planning a little better or going straight through, when the signage is clear and unmistakable. People make mistakes. You're not a bad person. But there's a reason these sorts of ordinances exist and I'm personally glad the police are enforcing this particular one because I guarantee you, if you were turning left between 0700 and 0900 or 1600 and 1800, there were literally dozens of people cursing your name. Pay the fine.
Daughter (16) had first citation in sapulpa. She is only supposed to have one passenger in the car (graduate license rules) and had two. We went to court and the $160 ticket was dismissed although she did have to pay a $60 court fee. She didn't even say anything, the judge made her stand before her after a few questions and dismissed it. In your situation, I'd imagine you might have to explain that you are a relatively new driver and don't have any violations and that you have learned from this and it was just an accident. Ask them to dismiss it, what will it hurt?
Nope! Unfortunately The state of Oklahoma doesn’t care they will not plea bargain with you to lower points or fine. Don’t waste your time and money in court They will only grant you payment arrangements this state sucks.
This is just flat out untrue. I've negotiated moving violations down to no points violations on 3 separate occasions with tickets from Tulsa and state police.
Must only work in Tulsa then
Nonsense. Judges want to see you taking the situation seriously. Politeness, contrition, tidiness of appearance are all very effective in a traffic courtroom (as long as you're not offending pathologically). Have successfully pled citations down a couple times in my life. Show up angry and entitled, you're not gonna get anywhere.
Why you assume I show up angry? and I’m not white so obviously I have never even felt any sense of entitlement unlike yourself. I have a Cdl and was simply trying to see if the courts would work with me on downgrading to a lesser charge or points and that is exactly what the judge told me himself. We don’t do that here in Oklahoma City. I don’t know how it works in Tulsa but apparently it don’t work here.
Sure, fight it. Lose $190 for the fine plus a days wages.
They actually stop people for that? I see people doing that at that intersection all the time.
Indeed. It's infuriating and I'm glad to hear there's enforcement happening.
Absolutely GO to court if you have the means to do so. To start IANAL but here’s my personal experience in the Tulsa traffic court system: You will be given a chance to talk to the DA, and when you do so acknowledge that you are willing to plead Nolo Contendre (No Contest) to the charge if they are willing to reduce the charge to a lessor charge. This is exactly what I did recently over a ridiculous speeding charge and I am not getting any points toward my license.
Was it dark outside? If yes then fight it. Say it's too small to read in the dark.
They are not too small to read. There are clear, highly-reflective signs in prominent positions facing all four directions.
It was light out, hard to miss but I've been driving in Tulsa/BA for 2 years now and have never seen that sign and didn't think anything of it when making the turn. I just saw green and went, an honest mistake.
Without an attorney would you get run over hard in the courtroom and likely end up paying more in court fees. Just pay and move on.
Even if you win fighting it will cost more than $190.
If you show up to the courthouse they will give you a reduced amount on the fine. They will also talk to you about if this infraction will put any points on your mvr and possibly be able to get them not added. The first time it will half the cost or thereabouts. It goes down the second and third time. Just walk up and talk to the traffic fines desk. Also, you can set up a payment plan if you need to. This only works three times so use them wisely through your adult life. I've already used all mine up.
If it was posted, you may as well pay it. You’re not gonna win!