Should I go to court - is it worth it?

[sjacobsen]

What is the name of your state? Wisconsin

I received a ticket about one week ago in Genoa City, WI. I am 16 years old, and still under my 9 months "probationary license" in which I can only have one friend in the car (But unlimited family members). I was driving a blue BMW convertible with the top-down, and I had 4 friends in the car (Bad idea...) One of them did not have a seatbelt on because there are only 4 seats in the car. I was coming out of a subdivision (With many trees that somewhat block the view), from a full stop, when I pulled out and went to the left. A cop was just coming up a hill and it looked like she was speeding for a 30 zone. She came pretty close to my car, but she wouldn't've hit it. Genoa City cops are notorious for pulling everyone they can over (Because it is a very small city and they have 5 cop cars), so I'm always very careful when driving through Genoa City.

Anyway, she called in the Chief of the police department and he brought me down to the station and wrote me a citation for "Failure to stop at posted stop sign". 346.46(1) [State Statute No.] and 265-1 [City Ordinance No.]

The fine is $78.80, which is a lot for me right now. I can go to court, but I know the cop let me off easy with that citation. What I'm asking is, should I go to court to try to get my 3 points off my license back and possibly reduce the fine?

Is it possible that the court could charge me with other things, such as having too many friends in the car, one without a seatbelt? Or can they only charge me with the ticket - Failure to stop at posted stop sign?

I do have evidence that shows it was near impossible for the cop to see if I was stopped or not at the stop sign, since where I was stopped is at the top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill, there is a sharp curve. At the posted speed limit, the cop could've never seen if I were fully stopped or not from where she was coming. I've done all the math and such.

The bottom line - If I go to court to dispute the citation, can they charge me with other things? My Dad really wants me to go to court.

Thanks!!!

[Ozark_Sophist]

The fine is peanuts compared to what will happen to your insurance rate.

[IrishNodak]

I do have evidence that shows it was near impossible for the cop to see if I was stopped or not at the stop sign, since where I was stopped is at the top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill, there is a sharp curve. At the posted speed limit, the cop could've never seen if I were fully stopped or not from where she was coming. I've done all the math and such.

It won't matter. The judge is going to believe the officer.

The bottom line - If I go to court to dispute the citation, can they charge me with other things? My Dad really wants me to go to court.

No, they won't charge you additional charges in court. You may not even go before the judge. Sometimes, city attorneys meet with you in the court room first, and allow you to plead it down. You will probably be able to get the fine/points reduced, however, that may be different since you are still a "probationary" driver and I'm not sure how they handle that.

[outonbail]

I suggest you go to court and stand before the judge to explain you're rendition of the event. Not because there's any chance of him believing you, but because you may as well get used to court appearances and take this opportunity to learn how the wheels of justice turn. It will be a good exercise in learning to control you're emotions and nervous behavior when you speak to the judge in open court. Learning this is very important, because if you continue to conduct yourself as if the laws don't apply to you, there will be many more court visits in you're future and quite possibly for more serious offenses. So it's probably best to get you're feet wet on an easy one.

Well no, it's actually best to obey the law, which you will most likely begin to do at some point in you're future. It usually follows just behind that point in life when you begin to reach an adult level of maturity. It can be a painful and costly transformation growing from a fun loving, wild'n crazy young idiot, to a responsible adult. But once this transformation takes place, you won't have near as many opportunities to speak to a judge. So go get some while the gettin's good!