speeding and provisional license

[guilty mom]

What is the name of your state? CA

My daughter received a speeding ticket in a rural area of northern California. The ticket stated 76+ in a 55. She has a provisional license as she is only seventeen. She was speeding but was not doing over 76 as the ticket implied.I was with her and saw the officer and looked at the speedometer and told her to slow down. She was doing 70. However when the officer asked her if she knew how fast she was going she said " I don't know, maybe 76" which I am sure is considered an admission of guilt.
Now I know that she was speeding and she did deserve the ticket and that I being her parent and in the car have a huge responsibility here.
Her court date is tomorrow and I am not quite sure what to expect but am quite sure it is going to devastate my life.
I am a single mom and my daughter takes care of getting her siblings to school and about so that I can work. I have just started a new job after being unemployed for 6 months. I cannot afford the fine nor the increase to our insurance premiums, nor for her to have her license suspended. I do not even know if driving school would be an option for a minor.
My questions are, how much will the fine be and can a minor to do traffic school or are we looking at a suspension of her license?

Originally Posted by guilty mom

What is the name of your state? CA

My daughter received a speeding ticket in a rural area of northern California. The ticket stated 76+ in a 55. She has a provisional license as she is only seventeen. She was speeding but was not doing over 76 as the ticket implied.I was with her and saw the officer and looked at the speedometer and told her to slow down. She was doing 70. However when the officer asked her if she knew how fast she was going she said " I don't know, maybe 76" which I am sure is considered an admission of guilt.
Now I know that she was speeding and she did deserve the ticket and that I being her parent and in the car have a huge responsibility here.
Her court date is tomorrow and I am not quite sure what to expect but am quite sure it is going to devastate my life.
I am a single mom and my daughter takes care of getting her siblings to school and about so that I can work. I have just started a new job after being unemployed for 6 months. I cannot afford the fine nor the increase to our insurance premiums, nor for her to have her license suspended. I do not even know if driving school would be an option for a minor.
My questions are, how much will the fine be and can a minor to do traffic school or are we looking at a suspension of her license?

I hope Carl the Cop answers your questions; he is the expert on this stuff.


Standard answer

Here are some hints on appearing in court:

Dress professionally in clean clothes.

Do not wear message shirts.

Don't chew gum, smoke, or eat.

Bathe and wash your hair.

Go to court beforehand some day before you actually have to go to watch how things go.

Speak politely and deferentially. If you argue or dispute something, do it professionally and without emotion.

Ask the court clerk who you talk to about a diversion (meaning you want to plead to a different, lesser charge), if applicable in your situation.


Here are five stories that criminal court judges hear the most (and I suggest you do not use them or variations of them):

1. I’ve been saved! (This is not religion specific; folks from all kinds of religious backgrounds use this one.)

2. My girlfriend/mother/sister/daughter is pregnant/sick/dying/dead/crippled and needs my help.

3. I’ve got a job in [name a state five hundred miles away].

4. This is the first time I ever did this.

5. You’ve got the wrong guy. (A variation of this one is the phantom defendant story: “It wasn’t me driving, it was a hitchhiker I picked up. He wrecked the car, drug me behind the wheel then took off.”)

[url]http://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?p=854687#post854687[/url]

Other people may give you other advice; stand by.

[CdwJava]

First, two questions: What are the code section or sections she was cited for? And how long has she had her license?

Oh, and, yes - a minor can generally do traffic school if otherwise eligible.

- Carl

[guilty mom]

i do not know the codes i am looking for the ticket. She is going to be eighteen in july and has had her license since she was sixteen

[guilty mom]

i cannot find the ticket nor the notice that they sent me that I had to appear beause she is a minor

Originally Posted by guilty mom

i cannot find the ticket nor the notice that they sent me that I had to appear beause she is a minor

Better be calling the courts tomorrow...don't expect them to send you anything else.

[guilty mom]

oh i know when and where I need to be. I just do not know the actual codes on the ticket for the speeding. They have minor's traffic court only on Wednesday and we are to be there at 11:30

[CdwJava]

Without the code sections, it's hard to speculate as to what MIGHT happen. However, chances are she will face a fine, likely have the option of traffic school and possibly a restricted license. But I don't think she faces anything horribly serious.

It's a learning experience. I lived through about three citations between 16 and 18 (two for speed), so I imagine she will do just fine.

- Carl

I lived through about three citations between 16 and 18 (two for speed)

- Carl


Call 911! I am having heart palpitations at this shock and I think I'm disabled so send a check too!

[CdwJava]

Originally Posted by seniorjudge

I lived through about three citations between 16 and 18 (two for speed)

- Carl


Call 911! I am having heart palpitations at this shock and I think I'm disabled so send a check too!

I was young ... it was the 70's ... and, heck, I wasn't raised in a little blue pod!

- Carl

[guilty mom]

thank you for your input yesterday it really helped to ease my mind as I was really afraid that my daughters license would be suspended with it being a provisional license. We went to court today and she received a $171 fine that included traffic school. Not the easiest to come up with at this time but definitely far better than it could have been or than I feared it would be