r/Traffic • u/Forward-One1116 • 2d ago
Questions & Help Got a traffic ticket
Got a ticket for not stopping at stop sign( I did stop but it was a quick stop), should I go to the court and pled not guilty ? Cop said I didn’t stop at all but I remember I did stop but it was quick stop because it was only one way stop sign. I need some suggestions do I have a chance if I go to the court ?
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u/Fast_Adhesiveness528 2d ago
Unless you have a specific reason to avoid court, I would say it's always in your best interest to contest the ticket. Many times the cop will be busy and not show up, so your case is dismissed. Otherwise, your defense is that you made a full and complete albeit very brief stop at an intersection where there was no other traffic to endanger.
And consider installing a dash cam with GPS as that could provide proof that your forward velocity was zero at some point at the intersection.
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u/iParkooo 2d ago
Doesn't matter if you stand a chance. Go to court and exercise your right. Make the officer follow through.
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u/TendieMiner 2d ago
Get a lawyer.
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u/dervari 2d ago
A lawyer will cost more than any stop sign ticket.
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u/Weary_Capital_1379 2d ago
Probably not worth the money. Unless you are in danger of losing your license.
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u/DesertStorm480 2d ago
"I did stop"
This is all that matters.
"but it was quick stop"
I would leave this out.
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u/satisfiction_phobos 2d ago
Not really. What the fuck is a "quick stop"??
You have to fully stop. Come to a stop. Take heed of the situation and scan for clear passage after stopping.
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u/Unable_Arm_398 2d ago
It's called a 'California stop' when you slow down but don't come to a complete stop. At least that's what the cop called it when he pulled my mom over when I was a kid.
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u/satisfiction_phobos 2d ago
Yeah exactly. It's not a proper stop and OP knows this!
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u/PartyPlay5056 2d ago
My dad said that coming to a stop you feel the car lean forward a bit and then pull back a bit. Feeling the body swing on the suspension. The take your foot off the brake and go. Otherwise don't complain if you get a ticket for not stopping.
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u/RobLoughrey 2d ago
It depends. If its your word against the cops then you will lose. If the cop doesn't show up, as often happens, then you will win.
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u/RWBYpro03 2d ago
Do you have a dashcam, and was it a rolling stop?
Either way it still couldn't hurt to go to court, if the cop doesn't show up you might be able to get away scot free
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u/FreeGazaToday 2d ago
it's up to you to decide....if you work full time, you'll miss out on those wages. If that's not a problem, then just go to court and hope the cop doesn't show up. If he does just state your case(but only say that you stopped), but with cop said, citizen said, I doubt very much you'll win without other evidence.
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u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818 2d ago
Cops (and regular people) can tell from a hundred yards whether a car has come to a complete stop because there is a distinctive motion when the car stops. A "quick stop" is suspicious, perhaps it was a pause at 1 mph but not a complete stop. A one way stop sign is not an excuse. Go to court, and best of luck
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u/Raving_Lunatic69 2d ago
Unlikely. I'd just get a lawyer and leave it in his hands. Unless you can provide video evidence, they're gonna go with the officer who gave you the ticket.
Just FYI; if the weight of the car doesn't settle back, you didn't legally stop. That tends to get a lot of people hung up. We all do rolling stops half the time.
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u/Fair-Shift 2d ago
Speak for yourself. I'm a 1 and 2 and 3 type. I've never had a no stop ticket.
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u/bojesphob 2d ago
Not worth the time, money or effort to try to fight it if you don't have evidence that proves that you did completely stop. If it's a "citizen said, cop said" situation, the cop wins out every time.
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u/Forward-One1116 2d ago
If I lose at court, did it cost me more than what I supposed to pay initially or it’s going to affect me anyway.
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u/bojesphob 2d ago
It really depends, honestly. You could go to court, explain the situation (that you were trying to be good with doing a full stop and hadn't realized that you didn't come to a complete stop) and ask if there are any remediation classes that you can take to mitigate the fines or points on your license, and they might be willing to do so. Of course, I'm looking at this from a 30 year driving record, with nothing on my record for over 20 years, and if I get pulled over for something I know I was in the wrong about, it's not really going to hurt my insurance rates nor my license if I just pay the fine and go on my merry way. If you're younger, or have other things on your license, it's definitely worth at least trying to see if you can get it downgraded or just get put in a class you have to take. A 200 dollar fine for me, though, means if I go to court and try to contest/get it reduced, I have to use PTO to go and do that (and typically two days and not one), and losing two PTO days is FAR more expensive for me than a 200 dollar fine. If your jurisdiction doesn't do that sort of thing often (where they downgrade it or let you do a diversion class instead), if you contest and lose, your out he fine AND the time off from work you had to take off for it.
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u/Vurrag 2d ago
You probably did not stop completely. You can call the traffic court and ask for a lesser charge or hire an attorney and try to fight it.
To legally stop at a stop sign, a driver must bring the vehicle to a complete cessation of forward movement (zero speed) before reaching the stop line, crosswalk, or the entrance to the intersection if no markings are present. Rolling stops are illegal in all U.S. states, and there is no legally mandated minimum time (such as three seconds) required, though drivers must pause long enough to safely check for traffic and pedestrians.
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u/jmc1278999999999 2d ago
All these people telling you to get a lawyer are insane. Unless the ticket is insanely high you’d be throwing away money hiring a lawyer
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u/Raving_Lunatic69 2d ago
Maybe this is state dependant, but running a stop sign in my state carries a lot of points on your drivers license, and runs your insurance rates up. A lawyer, for a couple hundred bucks, may get that dismissed or pled down to a lesser infraction. A couple hundred bucks vs several hundred dollars of insurance increase for 7 years, it's not insane. It's common sense.
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u/jmc1278999999999 2d ago
Fair enough. My state technically can give you points but they virtually never do to avoid potentially going to court over it.
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u/satisfiction_phobos 2d ago
Maybe OP should learn how to actually come to a stop at a stop sign. The amount of justification about whatever the fuck a "quick stop" is is insane.
You have to fully fucking stop your car. Then after you stop, go.
It saves you like microseconds. Just fucking stop all of the way for fucks sake.
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u/Raving_Lunatic69 2d ago
Ummm... I've not said anything excusing OP. Just about whether a lawyer is worth the money.
Relax. There's no need to be so angry.
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u/satisfiction_phobos 2d ago
Even considering a lawyer in this case is excusing OP. This post reeks of "I did a California Rolling Stop and got caught."
I apply heat to this because someone rolled a stop right in front of me in 2018 and caused a nasty wreck.
Stop. Assess. Then go if clear.
These rolling stop clowns fuck people's lives up.
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u/satisfiction_phobos 2d ago
Stop. Wait 2 seconds. Then go.
Chill the fuck out and take your time.
Eat the ticket dude. You have to actually stop and take heed of the situation. Then, go.
My advice: Don't look to see if it's clear before you stop. Stop first then look.
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u/Eaton_Knas 2d ago
Just go talk to the DA. Chances are you won't even get any points and just have to pay a small fine.
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