speeding ticket question (Faribault, Shakopee, Madison: insurance, college, office)

[507bro]

I got a speeding ticking for going 42 in a 30, This was in a rural town at night. I was driving from Faribault to Makato. I was entering a town from highway 60 at night. I did not see the speed limit in the town and the cop pulled me over. The thing is I have to go to court. this is new to me because I never got a ticket before. I'm 19 and I don't know how this will affect my insurance. I really don't know what to do in court, can someone help me what to do in court?

[Kebinminn]

You should just be able to mail in the payment, you only go to court if you're trying to fight it.

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by 507bro

I got a speeding ticking for going 42 in a 30, This was in a rural town at night. I was driving from Faribault to Makato. I was entering a town from highway 60 at night. I did not see the speed limit in the town and the cop pulled me over. The thing is I have to go to court. this is new to me because I never got a ticket before. I'm 19 and I don't know how this will affect my insurance. I really don't know what to do in court, can someone help me what to do in court?

This was in Madison Lake, right? It's a speed trap. They got me for doing 38 in a 30 on New Year's Eve. I challenged the ticket in court and lost. Just mail in the ticket -- you shouldn't have to go to court for doing 12 over the speed limit, though you do have the option of challenging the ticket. Yes, your insurance premiums will likely go up as well -- it depends on what insurance company you're with.

[Thegonagle]

You really have to watch the speed zones. Usually, if it drops to 40-45 at the edge of a town, it will drop to 30 in another quarter mile or sooner.

If you just mail in the payment for a fine, it goes on your MN driving record, and your insurance company will see it.

If you want to avoid that, you'll have to appear in front of a judge or prosecutor and be clear that you understand your mistake and you won't let it happen again, and ask if you can avoid having it go on your record. Usually, you'll pay "court fees" in an amount similar to the original fine, and in exchange, they'll dismiss your ticket after a one year probationary period if you maintain a clean driving record. If you get a second violation, the first violation goes on the record, too. In the mean time, your driving record remains clean.

Note: they usually only offer this if your record is already clean, but this is probably your best chance to keep your insurance rates as low as possible.

[xandrex]

I got a speeding ticket a couple of days before my 18th birthday near Shakopee (where 169 stops being a freeway and becomes a normal highway - I'm fairly certain this is a speed trap as I've seen the same sheriff since then in the same spot with people pulled over) and it may have been my age, but I didn't have a fine listed on my ticket. In fact, I simply got a letter telling me I had to appear in court. Of course, by the time I got this letter, I was out-of-state as I spent my first year of college away, so I had to call in and they informed me of my fine. $135 for going 14 over. Not fun.

[kuan]

Go see the hearing officer first. In my case I got a continuance for dismissal. What this means is you pay the ticket, the court costs, and a fee to have them monitor your driving record for a fixed period of time. If you don't get any violations then the ticket comes off your record like it was never there.

Of course this works if you're normally a pokey joe like me who rarely speeds.