Criminal Speeding Ticket

[Kadedragoon]

Okay so about a week ago i got pulled over for a criminal speeding ticket. The officer had pulled me over for going 92 in a 65. I was wondering if there was a few things that i could do to improve my chances of fighting this or at least bringing it down to a civil traffic ticket.

a few side notes:
this is my first criminal ticket, no priors
the only thing that is on my license right now is a collision from behind in my previous place of residence.

questions to see if it means anything:
He wrote my car color down as being purple, which it is a VERY obvious red(im color blind and i know its red)- is there something i could use this for in my defense?
i have to change the court date anyway, but i have heard that doing so causes problems with the officer possibly making him not show, granting me freedom from this, is this true or does it not really matter? if so, is there any particular type of day to shoot for?
28-701023A is my citation, but that wasnt in the booklet that he gave me with a list of fines, could that mean something?
I have also heard that I can file for a continuance during the hearing so that I can be represented, once the trial starts, is it too late?

last thoughts: Do i have to have money with me to pay the ticket then and there? or will I be able to set up a payment plan if i lose?

 

[raskalnikov]

What is the specific charge? Is it reckless driving? Did he write you up on a reduced speed (say 75 mph) and then write next to it your actual speed(92)?

It's not too late to get counsel, and if you want to play the game of moving court dates ahead, they'd be the one to do it. Otherwise, most court rooms work in conjunction with the police, so that certain officers have certain days and times in court, and the court puts all that officer's case load on that certain do, so he's almost always there.

As far as color blindness goes, that isn't going to work. He has your license plate, that's enough.

But, by all means fight it. I've fought all my speeding tickets, and have had all of them kicked out or reduced. And, we're talking 5 tickets throughout my life and a bunch of cases where I was obviously wrong.

 

[Kadedragoon]

To answer your first question, he wrote it as a criminal speeding ticket, with the approx speed listed as 92 :/ so unfortunately he didnt give me much of a break

I just noticed something else,
he has 3 speeds written down, approx is 92, posted 65, and an "R&P" which was 65,
what is R&P?

 

[CdwJava]

What state was this?

I can only assume that R&P has something to do with an estimated safe speed ... what the R and the P stand for, I couldn't say.

- Carl

 

[Kadedragoon]

this was in arizona

 

[CdwJava]

Here's the offense:

28-701.02. Excessive speeds; classification

A. A person shall not:

1. Exceed thirty-five miles per hour approaching a school crossing.

2. Exceed the posted speed limit in a business or residential district by more than twenty miles per hour, or if no speed limit is posted, exceed forty-five miles per hour.

3. Exceed eighty-five miles per hour in other locations.

B. A person who violates subsection A of this section is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.

C. A person charged with a violation of this section may not be issued a civil complaint for a violation of section 28-701 if the civil complaint alleges a violation arising out of the same circumstances.​

It may have been written a little unclear, but I suspect the offense is the one highlighted above.

Contact your local court or check their website to find out your options for traffic offenses. I'm not entirely familiar with the court process in AZ, so I would hate to mislead you.

Good luck, and please, slow down a bit.

- Carl