I got clocked at 10 mph over the limit in Houston. I was going to pay online and get it over with, but it appears I can request deferred disposition by mail for about the same cost. Has anyone done this? My concern is that I will get ordered to do defensive driving, which is the reason I wanted to just pay my fine to begin with. The deferred disposition option is different than the defensive driving option on the ticket information, but I still have some concerns. Any thoughts?
First, see how it will affect the cost of your insurance. Second, is this your first and that will affect your cost if not. Whatever cost is greater, fix that avenue. They have the comedy defensive driving courses that from people I know who have taken them are painless and actually fun. It clears your record and may save you more money in the long run depending on how long your insurance company penalizes you and by how much. I have never gotten a ticket so I learn a lot from you guys that have to endure the procedural BS so please give updates on what you decide and why. I hope it never helps me directly but it's good to know.
Deferred adjudication will not show up on your insurance - IF you do not get another ticket within the deferral period. (Think of it as probation.) If you do get another ticket, you get to pay both fines and possibly a penalty on top of that.
And that's why you should do the defensive driving option. It might actually give you an insurance deduction, and the ticket won't go on your driving record. As an aside, I can't believe you got a ticket for 10 over in Houston. Every time I drive through there, I feel like I entered the Indy 500. If you don't drive 10 or more over, you will get rammed off the road.
+1 for Sprecker. He is the man and will get this cleared. I personally would do defensive driving first and save Sprecher in case of emergency! DD is only $25+ Court Fees. Sprecker is $100 (Last I checked)
Screw it, show up to court the day of the scheduled date you need to appear, if the cop shows up, then do the DD or AD, if he does not, you're a free man. I've done this twice in Dallas and know a lot of people who have done the same with great success. Not sure how the HDP operates though, so it is a gamble.
hey big, how does this work? I have a ticket from Dallas County, got a bunch of letters from lawyers, one of them wants $500 to request a jury trial. I don't have the $ for that, but can I request a jury trial, and get a date 9 months away, and do as you suggested? (I say 9 months because the lady at the lawyer's office says the JP courts are that booked up. If I had gotten lucky and been assigned a different JP, the court would be even longer booked up, a year!) Are you sure if I request a jury trial I can still do the DD? I think this is a great idea because what are the chances the officer will still be working for the county AND show up for the trial?
