I don't know if I HAVE to go to court?
Asked by
NoNam93 (
13
)
October 26th, 2011
On 10/24/11 I was given a ticket for “failing to yield to on coming traffic” my court date is 01/12/12. I’m 17 years old turning 18 on 11/24 with a permit and live in Ca, I was driving with a licensed driver. Now, my problem is that the date is on a school day, being college I really don’t want to miss a day and suspect if I ask for another date they’ll just give me another school day.
So, I want to admit guilt bc I didn’t yield to the traffic, the van behind me had to abruptly stop (there was no accident) I really didn’t mean to, I kept edging closer to get a good look before I made my turn but made an error in judgment, since that really isn’t a defense I rather just admit guilt, pay my fine, and go to traffic school.
If I do that do I still have to appear in court? I’ve been sent to superior court btw.
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10 Answers
You can go early. Your ticket says “on or before.” Bring a friend and if the court refuses to see you, file an affidavit stating that you showed up and the court refused to see you.
If you were licensed, you probably could just mail it in. The learner’s permit makes it tricky, some states let you mail it in, others make you show up in court.
It may actually be to your benefit to show up in court if there is a program you can get into that will expunge the ticket from your record if you complete the requirements.
In the state I am from, if you want to say yeah I did it and claim guilty, you just pay the ticket. You don’t even have to show up in court. You only go to court if you are going to contest it.
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You can just go there any day and pay the ticket. Try online. Or try online for an extension if you feel you should see a judge or commissioner who will lower your ticket.
Does the ticket say anything about having to have your parents with you? I got a speeding ticket in my state when I was 17 and because I was still under 18, I had to have a parent go with me. If that’s the case, yes you have to show up. Another possibility is that because you are still on your permit, they want you to show up and not just pay a fine.
You can always call the court and talk to them directly about the situation before your court date. If there’s a way to just plead guilty and pay your fine, they’ll be able to let you know. Does your ticket have an actual fine amount on it? If there’s not an actual fine amount on your ticket, you most likely will have to go in so that the judge can determine your fine amount based on what happen and your driving record.
As far as it being on a school day, I doubt there’s anything you can do to change that. Most courts have set days that they see certain types of cases. So the day of the week that you are assigned a court date may be the only day of the week they see traffic cases.
Is there a phone number on your ticket where you can contact someone about this? They would know better than here. I have a suspicion that the only court date you can get is on a school day.
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