Never EVER *EVER* just pay and get it over with.
Never EVER *EVER* just pay and get it over with.
Not only do you lose all chance to get out of the ticket if you don't go to court - which actually happens as often as not due to the cop not showing up to court... half the time you can just refuse to get the court day rescheduled, and they have to let you go scott free.
Now, assuming you DO go to court, and you LOSE, you're STILL better off than if you had just paid the fine and gone about your day. The reason being is that the fact you contested will go on your record as well... and that's a GOOD thing. Because dealing with a "mail-in-a-fine" person is a GREAT target for traffic cops... no muss, no fuss, more money for their department. However, if you are on record as contesting every single ticket, that's a lot more paperwork and headache for them each time that any cop pulling you over and looking at your record just won't want to deal with. And contesting doesn't count against you in anyway, it's you complete right under law. Unless it's a zero tolerence law, cops will be MUCH more likely to just give you a warning if you've contested every time.
So, to reiterate, never just pay and forget about it.