Forced court appearance for speeding ticket

[flibadajibit]

I was recently pulled over for going 10 over the speed limit (55 in 45) and am being forced to make a court appearance because I still have my provisional license. The thing is I'm old enough to upgrade my license to whatever it's called (can't think of the name) but haven't gotten around to it. If I upgrade my license before the court date would I still be required to go?

Double Whammy Bonus: On top of me speeding I had two friends with me in the car, but didn't get ticketed for that. Also I did turn off the road I was on in a pitiful attempt to lose them if they were trying to give me a ticket (no 'need for speed' stuff but a simple turn). I was only given one ticket thankfully but in court will they know this and do whatever to my license?

Thanks in advance!

 

[tpajet]

Probably since you are old enough to have a regular license, the cop overlooked your friends in the car, and I would not bring this up in court. However, even though you are old enough, the cop can't do anything about the fact that you do still have the learner's permit, so any ticket that he does write is going to mean you have to go to court.

I would go ahead and upgrade the license, but you may still have to appear in court. After you upgrade, go to the court to where you would pay a ticket, and check with them.

If you do go to court and it gets brought up that you still have the learner's permit in the first place, just explain that you had simply not gotten around to it before the ticket, but since then you have upgraded. The judge may then go ahead and give you the standard options that come with a regular license, but at the same time, it depends on what the state law says. If it says that anyone who possesses a learner's permit has to do A and B, then even though you are old enough, and even with the upgrade, the judge still has to follow the letter of the law.

In the end, take this as your lesson to A- slow down, and B- don't try to run from the cops.

 

[flibadajibit]

Thank you for the quick response. I plan on upgrading my license today and I'll see what happens.

 

[DonaldKnows]

If the cop never cited you for trying to evade him or for having extra passengers in your car -- as far as you're concerned that did not happen and don't bring it up. If anybody asks you about it, for gods sake, DONT admit to it.

Go update your driver's license as soon as possible. When you go to court, your plea is NOT GUILTY, and ask to speak to the prosecutor (if they haven't sent you out to speak to him already).

Prosecutor's office: This is a relatively minor issue, so the correct stance to take is "innocent, friendly kid who did now know what was going on". Explain to him you were about to upgrade your license, and he will understand, and take care of any issues resulting from that. You will then just have to worry about the speeding ticket as if it was given to a normal driver. (Ask for a no-point ticket, and you can pay an extra $250 surcharge and avoid any points on your license)