Look into "Traffic School". Many states allow you to go to traffic school for 8 hours and get the ticket dismissed from your record, thereby avoiding the insurance consequences, and not accrue any points on your driving record towards losing your license.

That reminds me, there's actually an upside to this, believe it or not -- you didn't get taken away in cuffs! In some states, go over by xyz amount and they arrest you. I was visiting the in-laws in NC once several years ago and got pulled over doing 85 in a 60. The State Trooper said "Here's your ticket. You were doing 85 but I knocked it down to 80 because I don't feel like arresting you." I must have given him a puzzled look, because he then proceeded to explain to me that in NC, you exceed the limit by more than 20 mph and it's mandatory bracelets.

Wow that's bad. Around Boston if your not doing 20 over you'd better be in the slow lane or you'll get run over.

That's true, be happy he did'nt place you in the back of the crown vic. 30+ over 65 won't get you much sympathy from a judge. Be very afraid.

That is how I felt about the 15 to Vegas when I went this weekend...I don't think anyone drives under 80 on that freeway...Cars were passing me and I wasn't exactly going the speed limit myself.

On the state HWY that goes from Vermont to NY... if your doing under 80 people are going to honk at you. 65 mph = 80 mph. Totally lame for a cop to pull you over and suspend your license. I think someone was doing 100 in a 65.. hmm?

Illinois................?
 

You have to understand where you are at. The OP was in Illinois. As I live in this state (and have all of my life) you have to understand the politics here. With the state about $13B (yes that B not M) in the hole they are looking for any little way to make a buck. Now that said, there are 460 State Cops about to lose their jobs for this reason. That's along with 49 State Motor officers (motorcycle cops) who last year alone by themselves wrote 59,000 citations. So these guys are a little PO to say the least.

Moral to this story. If you are driving in or through Illinois, watch your backside..........!!

:tiphat:
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a Radar detector would have been cheaper than that fine will be!

Try to plead it somehow using "trial by written declaration." I did this with a possible speeding ticket/wreck less driving ticket. This was a few years back at the time when I was only 16 so I couldn't have passengers either... which i did, but got out of all charges by providing some evidence to counter some of the accusations. I think the main thing that helps is dragging your feet...

In NJ if its your first offence in 3 years you can ask for unsafe driving, ask a lawyer if your state has something similar. The fine will be around $400 but 0 points. You can't get it on some things like a DUI, street racing, reckless driving but for your ticket it might work.

If it's a first offense, I'd advocate you show for the court date. If the officer doesn't show, plead not guilty, and they usually throw it out (happened to me once, yes i'm a lucky bastard). If the cop shows, plead guilty. If it's your first offense, they MAY even give you Probation Before Judgment or traffic school. And at least from my experiences in MD courts, even if you plead guilty, they usually only make you pay the ticket or the court costs, rarely both. Now, I once got pulled over on a military base. Those tricky bastards make you plea before entering the courtroom, so you can't see if your cop shows up.

But I always advocate going to court. And around here, if a cop doesn't show, the judges are all too happy to throw it out, because it's the police officer's responsibility to do traffic court.

I never "mail em in", and because of that I still have a sterling driving record. I've also been ludicrously lucky.

Found this article.. maybe it will help.. also seems like he cut you a break citing you at 29mph over vs 30mph over?

Traffic Ticket Illinois | Cook County | Chicago IL Speeding Ticket | Points on Driver's License | Too Many Tickets in A Year | IL Suspended License | Driving While License Suspended | 3 Moving Violations in 12 Months | 2 Convictions in 24 Months - Cr

If I were you, and this is your first ticket ever.. I'd go to court and beg for supervision/driving school etc..

And your question about being suspended for 2 weeks in wisconsin, do you have a Wis drivers license? your location says Chicago?

I got pulled over in NJ about 3 years ago in my 350 and was written a ticket for 93 in a 65 by a Trooper. Like FullMonty said you can drop it to Careless with 0 points but you pay a higher fine + court fees + mandatory $250 state surcharge = about 5-600 bucks. You are allowed to do this twice in 5 years if you try a third time they smack you with all the points they originally dropped (I tried the third time and when I got up to the judge he sternly said "Are you sure you want to try this" I shamefully said "No, can I please get a lawyer").

But depending on whether this was out of state, sometimes points don't carry over to your home state. But for NJ at least they have an agreement with NY and CT where all tickets and points do carry over. I got a ticket near Albany NY last year 85 in a 65, simply found out who the prosecutor was going to be and wrote a couple letters told him I could not appear in court, was a student, and couldn't afford points. He sent me two parking tickets for $100 each as opposed to the two tickets the cop gave me for a total of 6 points.

well someones got a lead foot dont they? I drive 10 over at the most.. cops dont usually waste their time unless you're doing 15 because it places you into a whole new fine/point bracket, as told to me by a friend who works as a highway patrolman in NM.

first offense ever a lawyer is going to tell you to plead guilty with an excuse and ask for probation before judgement. Go take your defensive driver classes now before the court date to show that you care and want to right your wrongs. Doing these things pre-emptively will go a long way in a judge's eyes.