Got my first ticket ever in Frisco, TX - Need Advice
 

Hi All,

Today, right after getting my car washed on Preston Road in Frisco, TX, I thought I would speed up a bit to dry off the remaining water on my car. As soon as I reached around 6k rpm, I got pulled over.

This was my first ticket ever and I've been driving since I was 16 - thats 10 years without a single ticket! I was caught doing 57 in a 45 (12 over for the math impaired).

I was reading about taking defensive driving courses or something called deferred adjudication to keep the ticket off my record, but have no idea how to go about this. Don't I have to put in a plea of guilty/no contest/not guilty first? If so, what should I put if I want to just pay the fine but avoid the ticket going on my record?

Kind of confused because the citation only instructs me to appear before the court within 12 days. Not sure what to expect when I show up. Any advice would be much appreciated!

RA

2006 Copper Red Shinka

seems like ur over 18, i don't know if u can do it since u are 12 over in a 45. but look on ur ticket, there should be option of paying for defensive driving fee, then u gota take a calss than send the diploma in. errr.. google ticket and u'll find alot of answer, defensive driving > deffered adjudication.

Go to the courthouse by the date, it will have the address on it and they will tell you if you can take defensive driving or not. You may even be able to call them a number should be on the citation. If you can get defensive driving go to www.ticketstop.com and that site will hook you up, I've used it before. It's super easy, you take the course online and they will help you get whatever form it is that you need from Austin.

So in Texas you have to be going more than 20mph over for them not to let you take Defensive Driving. You're safe. Just go to the courthouse and tell them you want to take DD and you will pay a court processing fee...usually around $100 and then you can do any method of defensive driving you want to. They usually give you about 3 months to do so.

I've taken the online ones, which are very boring and usually take a week or so, just because they are so monotonous. I've also taken "comedy defensive Driving" which is usually held at a restaurant and it was more fun, and you got a good meal. DD is usually a $25 -$50 course.

to defer adjudication in texas, it must be 15mph or below so you're good. As well as defensive driving.

Either way you're fine. When you defer, you get on probation for like 3 months and whatnot. But you probably already know about that.

I'd go with the def. driving before deferred since it costs a little less or about the same and you get a 10% discount on your insurance as well. Extra bonus if you're going to have to deal with a ticket anyway.

Deferred usually you pay the ticket cost and are on probation for three months so if you get another ticket for ANYTHING the money is wasted and it still goes on your record. Lame. Def. driving is usually, like a hundred dollar court fine and then the cost of the class and $10 to get a copy of your driving record. You can do the class online at getdefensive.com for $25 or defensivedriving.com for $40. Cheaper way to go (if I remember correctly).

Good luck!

Deferred is the what they will offer you first.
Why?
Cause they get to keep all the monies, ie not reported to the state.
Most cities do it all the time...over and over.

The state lets them keep only so much from the ticket, also limits how much they can make from tickets/percentage of city budget, etc
So this way the state never knows
and the city keeps all monies..
only in America!


I was stopped for "failure to yield to a stopped police vehicle." in Robstown
First thing they offered me was deferred, The prosecutor asks, have you had any tickets in the last xxx months?

I fought it instead since I have a very good friend in that area that is a lawyer.
After about 6 months, they just dismissed it.
The officer..declined..to appear in court..i have a copy of the paperwork.
He recommended that the ticket be dismissed .signed by the judge.
go figure.

Usually you don't even have to go to the courthouse, you can just print a form out from the city website saying you plan to take defensive driving and mail it in with part of your ticket. Check the city website for information.

Defensive driving is easy and they give you like 3 months to get it done, but you can only do it once every 12 months.

LOL, I love reading these posts. Take it from someone that racks up one speeding ticket every year, for the past 12-years. Take the defensive driving you can take it in the state of Texas as long as you were going under 24-mph the posted speed limit, you can take deferred adjuctation for 30 and under. Some cities don't even require you to show up to the courthouse you can mail in the ticket with your choice of defensive driving along with a payment for the court costs approximately $96.00; and you will have 3-months. During those 3-months you will need to got to WWW.TXDOT.GOV and get your driving record mailed to you $12.00 and take a defensive driving course $25.00. I highly recommend doing this online at http://www.asenseofhumordriving.com/. After you have done that just take them up to the courthouse and turn them and you are done. Ticket does not go on your record, and you can mail in the copy of your defensive driving to your insurance company for a 10% discount for 3-years. Or you could choose deferred adjuctation you will pretty much have to pay the amount of the ticket $325.00 and you will be put on a 3 to 6 month probation during which you if you get another traffic violation both the orignal ticket, and that other ticket go on your record. Deferred should only be used as a last ditch effort. Welcome to the Philanthropic cause of donating to your local city, too bad it is not a tax write off.

The cost depends on what the court wants to charge you. I went to the Houston court last week and took deferred for $200. The week before that in Bellaire court I chose def. driving for $110.

Not quite true. It varies from county to county with a few counties saying anything +10mph over the posted limit disqualifies you for probation / deferred abjudication.

Take a comedy defensive driving. Its fun and itll make times go by faster since you have to sit in class for 6 hours. Online classes are boring and they give you random quizes to make sure youre paying attention I heard.

Thanks for all the great tips everyone. Def. driving is def the way I'm going to go. I even found the form that I can just print out and mail in to qualify. I just need to call the court and confirm that I am eligible before taking the course.

RA

2006 Copper Red Shinka

You will definitely be eligible I highly recommend that http://www.asenseofhumordriving.com/ course cause you can do it in segments and it is only $25.00 no reason wrecking a whole weekend sitting in a boring ass class room. Hell I have a $5.00 discount for it since I just finished mine if you want it just shoot me an e-mail on here.

That's not true, it's not more than 25 over. Some courts do 3 months some do 6 months. I would just do deferred, pay the fine and move on not a big deal.

As if any 8 drivers need defensive driving lessons while chickey-poo in the Kia drives 20-under with a phone growing out of her face! Write to the Legislators. Speed limit laws suck!

Nice work dude. Taking deferred doesn't prevent you from taking DD later or vice versa. I got one on Hillcrest at Lebanon a couple of years ago, and one on Preston at Park playing chase with a chick I know (52 in a 35) and I just slowed for the curve, ouch!

Seems like you can go 90 anywhere on 75 or the ND Tollway, and in Dallas the cops are busy chasing crackheads, but you go to the northern suburbs and they have nothing better to do. But then again, in the ghetto south around I-20 the constables need the funds.

Move to the Isle of Mann then.