Is it worth it to contest a speeding ticket?

I was apparently going 48 in a 35. This is in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, btw. I don't normally drive down that part of the road and the part of the road I do drive is 45mph, so I thought it was the same. Is it worth contesting it? I don't have $145 to pay the fine and I didn't even look at my speedometer. The cop was doing a speed trap in an unmarked car because I saw some guy pulled over before me.
Additional Details
this is my first ticket

I Might Be Showing Her My O Face

Where I live if the cop doesn't show up it's case dismissed. Definitely worth contesting. At a minimum you will probably be offered a deal of a reduced fine if you agree to cop to the charge.

Rock Firestorm

First off the idiot telling you if the cop doesn't show up it gets dismissed is guessing. This is NOT true. They reschedule.

Second, the idiot telilng you to request a "trial by jury" of course has no clue either. There is no such thing for traffic cases. Remember, most of the people here are guessing and guessing badly.

You have NO case. You will lose and then have court costs ON TOP of your fine. You admit you do 45 and didn't know the area. What could you exxcuse when you fight it possibly be. Trust me, don't waste your time fighting this, you will lose.

If you can't pay the ticket, you can work out a payment plan with them. Go to traffic schoola nd it won't be on your reocrd but do NOT fight it, yiou will not be happy.

Julie E

You should ask the courts if you are allowed to take a driving school class. This will prevent your insurance from going up and points from being placed on your license. Just make sure you get the courts permission before doing so. If you donâ€™t the courts will reject your driving school certificate. Good luck!

http://www.ticketrelief.com

youthpastor1955

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. If he got you on radar, he has you dead to rights. I would plead guilty, ask to go to class so the ticket doesn't go on your record. See if the judge will let you pay off the fine a bit at a time. I have seen some judges do that. The only way to beat it, is to see if the cop shows up for court. If he doesn't, plead not guilty because there will be no witness against you and the judge will drop it. But make sure the cop isn't there first.

Shogun

Things in your favor are whether or not this is your first offense. Sometimes the judge will let you off with a warning.

If the cop wrote you a ticket from what another cop running the radar told him your speed was, then you have a chance, because the officer cannot swear to your actual speed.

You can also request a trial by jury, which can delay the thing for months, especially in a big city.

You can also question the officer as to when was the last time the radar was tested for accuracy and what training certification does he have.

Good luck

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