Traffic Infraction Deferral

[AdviceMaster12]

I got a speeding ticket in the district of North Pacific, Washington. This is my first ticket since 2007 (in a different state). The sheriff cited me doing 73 on 55 and the penalty on the ticket is hefty. I called the court to ask if there is a deferral or defensive driving program that I can do so that the ticket wont show up on my driving records for the insurance company to see.
She mentioned you can you send in a letter to the judge to request for a deferral on the ticket (no need to come to court) and pay the fine on the ticket - it will considered as administrative fee. If the judge agrees, she/he will send me a mail with information on the period of the probation.
And if I dont get any other ticket within that period - this infraction will not be reported or it will not show up in the driving records for insurance companies to see.

However, there is no such option on the back to the ticket to check.
The three options are:
1. Guilty -pay
2. Mitation hearing
3. Contested hearing

Also, I cant find any template to request a deferral. Is there any such thing?

Can anyone provide any advice on how to go about requesting for a deferrals without going to court (over 2 hours drive) ?

 

[HighwayMan]

You already spoke to a court employee who explained what to do. Seems like the person was helpful so why don't you call the court back and ask if you have any further questions.

Two hours is not a long drive if you're looking to save alot of money on your insurance.

 

[HighwayMan]

By the way, did you even TRY to look up the answers to your questions online? In about 20 seconds I found a template for a deferral request, albeit for a different county (Douglas County). Obviously easy enough to change it to meet your specific requirements.

 

[HighwayMan]

...and pay the fine on the ticket - it will considered as administrative fee.

Not according to what I see - unless every county is different. What I read says that you don't pay the fine amount of the ticket - you simply pay a $120 administrative fee to the court. You had better call the court again and find out.

And it seems as if you only have 15 days from the date of violation in order to file the deferral either in person or by mail.

 

[AdviceMaster12]

Thanks HighwayMan

Called the court again.
The lady there reconfirmed the deferral procedure for this county is

1. The ticket penalty will be the administrative fee, which in my case is greater than 120 dollars
2. No need to check any boxes on the back of the ticket
3 Write an informal letter (no template) requesting for a deferral.
4. Mail the letter n the ticket within 15 days of the date the ticket was issued
5. The judge will reply back either ways within 2 weeks. If granted, the judge will indicate the period of the probation.

 

[HighwayMan]

Well then I guess every county is different - what I found was somewhat contradictory to what the clerk told you.

At least you got the information you needed. Good luck with it.

Oh, and you ARE licensed in Washington, right? If not then you'll probably have to get your driving history and submit it to the court, now and again at the end of the deferral period.