Quote Originally Posted by cockyhoskins
I don't specifically know the laws of your state hex, but I would suggest two things: First, write a letter requesting a jury trial. Most counties have their dockets set up so that each arresting officer has all his cases on the same day. That way the officer only goes to court once per month. If you request a jury trial, it automatically throws him in court a second day, effectively doubling his work load.

Secondly, after writing the letter, call the cop. Say that you are concerned about the points and ask if she can reduce it to negligent driver or the equivalent, which usually carries a fine but no points. The key is to avoid points.

Even if the cop won't deal, you can always pay the fine prior to actually going to court. If your state has a class system, then I would recommend taking the class. SC does not, so I am not very familiar with them.
I don't know about this tactic. Seems to me if you request a jury trial, whether you have one or not, they're going to charge you for it. Plus, you've also gotta spend the day in court along with the officer. Also, the officer is generally on company time, or more likely on overtime - so you're actually doing him a favor by bringing him into court a second time "all day". I don't know of any officers I've seen that were particularly bothered by this...

Secondly, calling the officer is not going to work - he/she will talk to you, but they really have no interest in the outcome of the ticket, so they're not going to step up and ask the court to reduce anything. I've never seen that being done, and I can't see it happening.

Thirdly, at some point it all catches up. It is important for you to keep any "points", "demerits", or whatever off of your license. Insurance companies base their rates on how much of a risk you are. The more points you have, the higher the insurance premium. However, if you are constantly speeding and picking up tickets, there will be a point in time where the court will not grant "supervision", "probation" or whatever to keep the ticket off of you license. Once that starts to happen, it's a slippery slope unless one stops getting tickets. In Illinois, where I live, the court system keeps track of such matters. They only allow a few tickets in a year or two before they make it a conviction - or send the person to driving school.

Best advice here is to avoid getting the traffic tickets to begin with. Contrary to popular belief, the general idea of receiving a ticket is not to generate income, but to correct poor driving behaviors. This is crucial for reducing the number and severity of crashes.

If you get a ticket, go in front of the judge and ask for supervision, whatever, yourself. Generally, as long as you have a "decent" record and the offense wasn't real bad (like reckelss driving, suspended drivers license, speeding more than $30 miles over the limit, etc.) the judge will work to keep it off your license. With the run of the mill ticket, hiring a lawyer will generally add about $100-200 to the cost of the ticket to end up with the same result you would have had if you had just stepped up yourself...