So I got nailed today right where the speed limit sign changes and although I’m miffed, it is what it is and I got the ticket. Question is, since I’m in IL, I can go to traffic school and get court supervision and then it’s not on the record. I could just pay the ticket instead and admit guilt. This I have read can take away “points” on your license. Didn’t know about the point system.

I have a clean record of course, but this would go on it if I just pay the fine and don’t go to school I believe. Have to call my insurance, but I’d be surprised if one ticket made my rates increase.

What would you guys do/recommend just outing curiosity?

my wife got nabbed here in VA last year

speeding while passing someone,


she did court/driverschool/etc route,

told me if it happened again, she would just pay the damn ticket and move on, (her exact words)
since the Drivers ed class sucked,


she has a spotless record

Do you anticipate ever being employed where driving a company vehicle might be involved?

You have another option - go to court and fight the ticket. I did this once (in Virginia), in a situation like yours where the cop set up right after a speed limit reduction, 35 to 25 (not a school zone).

The judge didn't seem to think too highly of this sort of "speed trap," and found me not guilty. It probably didn't hurt that there were three others in the courtroom that day caught by the same cop at the same location, and that one of the defendants had pictures of the speed limit sign that showed it partially obscured by a tree limb. It was also on a curve with somewhat limited sight distance, and there was other signage adjacent to the speed limit sign.

If there are any extenuating circumstances at all, you might get lucky with the judge.

If you are getting safe driver discounts you will probably lose them. Worth checking. I went to traffic school once for turning left on red at a deserted stop light, deserted except for the cop sitting behind me.

I was driving a box truck hauling produce at 5 am and had made the illegal turn dozens of times in the past so I was due. Traffic school was one 3 hour class and cost was about the same as the fine would have been but nothing went against my driving record.

i ran a red lite a while back & went to the school, saved the points

it was a great refresher course run by a retired lapd accident investigator.

Does Illinois have the option like Missouri does where you pay a lawyer $150 and it becomes a parking ticket?

quote:

What would you guys do/recommend just outing curiosity?

^^^^^^^^^^
As a former resident of the Land of Lincoln, go to school. It can be rather fun with the jokers who attend. Just be sure the school is not in Lawndale.

What will traffic school and a day off work cost you? Probably more than the ticket. If you weren't given the ticket mistakenly or unjustly, pay up and move on. If you don't get any more within X amount of time, the points against your license won't add up and will eventually go away.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

Depends on principle and how much your time is worth for sitting in court room while waiting your turn to see the judge and sitting thru those boring driver improvement classes......... Once stopped for left turn at red traffic light. told the officer to get the chief on scene because he was wrong and told them to meet me in the court room. They both walked out the court room doing the walk of shame after I showed the judge a copy of the law that the turn was legal since there was no oncoming traffic while turning on to a one way street.... gotcha.................. drill sgt.

i got popped turning right on red at a "no right turn on red" intersection. (Honestly did not see the sign.)

I went to pay the fine and the clerk said "Really? You should see the prosecutor about this." So I "went to court." Here, at least, for an infraction at this level you don't go right to court, per se, but have a pre-trial meeting with the prosecutor. She saw I had an otherwise clean record and reduced it to a more expensive, but non-moving-violation offense. Done.

(I've since noticed the cops [multiple] seem to like to hang out in the business parking lot the other side of the street from that turn. Coincidence, I imagine.)

In Indiana I always get a diversion and never plead guilty. If you have clean record most jurisdictions will allow you to pay a diversion fee and after 6 or 12 months with no additional infractions the ticket goes away with no points.

If you plead guilty and pay the fine, now you have points on your record. And once you have a conviction and some points, the next ticket cannot be diverted. Also, police are more likely to give you a warning if you have no points.

If there is a problem with getting a diversion, I give it to my lawyer and he takes care of it. Either knock down the speed to be eligible for a diversion, make a special deal if there is an existing diversion, or sometimes just get it dismissed.

I got a ticket once in Illinois on a trip and did the online driving school to avoid the points. No big deal.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
Does Illinois have the option like Missouri does where you pay a lawyer $150 and it becomes a parking ticket?

Or illegal parking, possibly a bad muffler. I’ll take the lawyer fee over the insurance bill every time.

^^^ Agreed. Last speeding ticket I got, I paid a lawyer fifty bucks & it was dismissed. He told me the frequency at which you get ticketed would likely affect the outcome. I've had one about every fifteen years or so.

Was there any warning of the speed decrease? Is the sign in the proper location and height? Was it obstructed in any way to not give you enough time to slow down? There are regulations on the placement and height in most municipalities.

DONT call you insurance company.

They can’t raise your rate until they are notified. If you call, they will be notified. If you pay it or are convicted they can only find out when they run your record...it may be a year or more. During that time the clock runs out on the conviction...the insurance company can only ding you for the three years from the conviction.

Go to court, tell the DA you will pay the fine for a loud noise or bad muffler or anything other than a moving violation...then your insurance rate won’t go up.

It's a skam here in WNY. Go to court, plead not guilty, go to talk with the cop. Next thing, go to the judge. He charges you just as much, but no record, and the town keeps the money, instead of the state. I like it because it keeps my insurance low.

Don't notify your insurance carrier. Some insurance companies only run MVRs when they first insure you and contrary to popular belief, they don't automatically get notified of moving violations.

quote:

Originally posted by Salty Dawg:
Don't notify your insurance carrier. Some insurance companies only run MVRs when they first insure you and contrary to popular belief, they don't automatically get notified of moving violations.

Ah shit.