I’m just messing with you. I’ve done the plea by mail thing 3 times before and all 3 times got the ticket reduced to a non-moving violation. No lawyers, no driving X hours to go to court. Just a few minutes writing a professional looking letter (after googling the proper form since I forgot how to do that shit years ago) and the cost of certified mail.
I got pulled over by a sheriff before I think it was 55 in a 45 that just switched into a 45. I was on radar. Anyway I told him I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket before and he told me to just mail it in not guilty and they will prob drop it to something less and a fine.
He showed up early and I was one of 3 ppl in the court and the judge told me to plead not guilty And just gave me a parking ticket for $250 or something.
The dumbest thing I’ve ever gone thru. I’ll never understand it.
A lot of towns you can call and ask to plea by mail however, depending on how bad it is, some judges take respect to coming into town for a appearance. When I got into my accident in Rochester a few years ago, I drove in to go to court and suddenly the process was really easy.
If not, call the court clerk and ask if you can submit an affidavit in leu of appearance with your statement to plea by mail. Some courts will allow this. You write something about how you are interviewing and your driving record can come into play with points so you are requesting a non point moving reduction and you typically play an equipment or parking ticket.
For the record, never admit to a cop anything. Whether its “I had one beer” or speeding or anything. Their job is to collect as much evidence on you to charge you. Wait till you talk to the DA and then be real with them and tell them the truth.
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$250 goes to the town the ticket was in and not the state.
some closure to this: I replied not guilty and applied for the Diversion program, and was accepted. So, just have to complete online school, pay them $250, and it’s gone. Everything went better than expected.
Steuben County thanks you for your donation. 
“Do you know why I pulled you over?”
“Because this conversation would be harder to have if we were still driving?”
Cops should just start traveling around with credit card scanners attached to their smart phones.
"Sir, you were doing 75 in a 55, that will be $250, please scan your card and sign on the dotted line.
Would you like a receipt?"
It would save everyone involved lots of time, and for municipalities, lots of money i’d imagine.
Realistically, it’s not a bad idea at all.
Imagine, you’re speeding, like the OP was in this thread. Get tagged at lets say 20 over… ouch… my bad. Instead of knowing you have to plead not guilty, MAYBE waste a day at court, or mail it in and wait, etc… you can just pay and register for defensive driving at the time of the ticket. Not bad at all if you ask me.
They do in Wisconsin
There you go…
Insurance lobby would never allow on the spot reductions because they’d lose a ton of money from jacking your insurance because you’re a dangerous “speeder”.
Oh shit, true. Good point.
Makes you wonder how many people just plead guilty either out of ignorance or otherwise, you know?
If anything, they would make more money for surcharging people and putting them into pools that they really don’t belong in.
I was thinking more of a roadside “guilty” plea and paying on the spot to make it go away.
I mean, let’s face it…due process has just turned into, “give us enough money and we’ll make this go away”
Yeah but then how many people would lose their jobs over this? Someone’s gotta push the paper!
Could replace the SCMODS with those “ding” style cash registers on the dash.