On my way from NY to MTTS in Boston I got a speeding ticket..I am not sure what to do with it as I never had a ticket in MA.. can anyone offer any advise here??? thank you..

 

if permitted to pay by mail, I would do so

address for that should be on the ticket

if you wish to contest it, I'd call the Clerk of Courts for the jurisdiction in which the citation was issued and seek friendly advice on their approach to hearings (timing and location)

hopefully it wasn't a BIG ticket (like the one I once earned east of Richmond some years ago)

to quote the pundit - "Aside from that Mrs. Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?"...

 

In fact paying by mail is what the officer suggested, not sure what the implications of that will be??? Would I get any points by paying??
I was doing 86mph on posted 65mph ... the cop actually pull me over and another guy at the same time. crazy maneuver...

 

Wow, that's reckless driving in these parts.

 

I was unlucky, traffic was going 80mph average; but I sped up a bit as I was a little lost and was looking for the people in my caravan..

 

yep, you'll probably get the points

regrettably the state computers do talk to each other in the Northeast...

(a fellow sinner)

Ps: "reckless driving" is what I should have been arrested for east of Richmond. The pair of troopers that stopped me exercised some discretion for which I was most grateful. I was returning a car from Clearwater to Boston, had been on the road for a while, and was getting impatient on that beautiful empty stretch of freeway that loops around the city. (104 if you must know, but for God's sake don't remind my wife).

 

Pay by mail?? In 1983 crossing the vast straight plane (yes I do mean this spelling) of central Nebraska, I was stopped. The cop monotonically went through his long-winded speech about having to appear before the magistrate in two days (this was Saturday and the small town traffic court was closed) to plead and this and that --OR-- I could plead guilty at the scene; they took Visa and Mastercard.

Have we regressed to pre-'83?

 

So, there is not ticket clinic in MA? Last ticket I had (in FL), I just sent it to the ticket clinic with $70 and they took care of everything for me, I received a letter later on the mail where they told me the case was dismiss and that no points were granted. NOTHING like that in MA???

 

I don't know how the communication is from MA to NY but my wife once got a ticket just outside Ithica NY. We were told to go to the hearing and see if we could get the fine reduced, but the importatn thing was to pay at the court. Supposedly, the communication between the States was much betteer if you paid by mail. In the end my wife's record was never updated for this ticket and no points were added. Good luck.

 

? How old are you?
Personally, I would talk to the DA (District Attorney) & see what kind of a deal he/she can offer you. If not having points on your record is important to you, ask them if you can attend driving school (usually 4-8 hrs long).
I recently got a speeding ticket, went to ct & they offered me 3 pts instead of 4. I politely told them, "no thanks" & took driving school for 4 hrs/no points/but they DO charge for the class (40.00) AND court costs.
Good luck!
AGE matters... if you've been driving several years & have a good record..they'll be nicer to you!

 

i did not knwo u can opt for driving school...where is it held?

 

They will tell you when you go to court. I had a choice of 3 different places, different hours, different fees. I took it at a local rec center. It was actually very interesting with people ALL ages.
You could also call the DA's office & talk to them before your court date.

 

Shellbell,

Was that Massachusetts, or Colorado?

Cheers,

Charlie

 

well I am in NY, and I don't think I can go to MA for the hearing... My hopes are that when I pay the fine they leave it at that; and don't give me any points. I'm 30 I've gotten tickets before in FL but never got points for them.
thank you all for your insight.

 

The back of the ticket should tell you everything, including whether you can opt for driving school. I always pay them as soon as I can, so I can forget about it!

 

Something I heard many years ago and have never had the opportunity (nor do I want one) to try out. For those who get tickets in states other then where they are licensed. When you pay the fine; most times certified checks are required, have the check issued for one more dollar than the fine. The receiving state will send you back a check for $1. Don't cash the check. Since it never clears, points can't be added to your record.

 

MA and NY are both part of the NRVC (Non-Resident Violators Compact) and exchange info. So you could end up with points on your NY license. Call your DMV to check.

The standard gig for a ticket in MA is this: you plead not guilty (check the box on the ticket and mail it in). The court gets back to you in a month or two, and schedules a Magistrate's Hearing in the district where you received the ticket. You go to the Magistrate's Hearing and the police who wrote you the ticket will not be there. The Magistrate dismisses the ticket without your ever having to explain why you were doing 137mph in a 15mph school zone, without your having to offer to go to driving school, etc. Once they call your name, you will be in and out of the hearing room in like 45 seconds.

I've had two MA speeding tickets and a "crossing the white line" ticket in the last 20 years ... not once did I ever have to pay The Man or take the points on my CT license. Other folks I know have had the same experience (in CT and in MA).

The standard rule is: don't plead guilty at roadside or by checking the "guilty" box/mailing ... save the mea culpa for when you are 1 on 1 with a prosecutor before your court date (the practice in CT) or if for some reason the magistrate is inordinately curious about your case during a MA hearing.

All of this is just fluff if you can't make the trip to the MA court, however. And that's what they are counting on...

Good luck with this ... oh, and make sure you put a Valentine 1 on your To Buy list ... ain't nothing better in the radar detector world.

 

Many courts allow you to do driving school online. A whole lot
easier and much more convenient!

 

Thank you for your detailed explanation. My wife actually sent a check today. We did not check any boxes or marked anything on the ticket, one thing we noticed is that the citation date was blank, so we hope it gets dismissed for that... anyway.. check is in the mail. it's just a matter of time now.. two questions though:

1. when they say 20 days to mail in, is it 20 working days or 20 days period?
2. if I do get points (knock on wood) would they notify me?


Thank you

2.

 

Ok... There is some erroneous info on this thread. Longtime resident of MA here.

It is no longer necessary for the officer who issues the ticket to be present at the hearing. He needs only to write a statement regarding the citation (which they all do, now) and a "representative" of the officer is always on duty at the court house to present this statement.

The second thing is the whole "write a check for 1 dollar more" urban myth. Ridiculous. This is what really happens if you do that: the clerk will not accept any check for any amount other than the exact amount of the citation. They will return the check to the sender, and you will risk a late fee with all of the lost time in transit. This actually happened to me (but it wasn't on purpose; it was an honest typo).

Oh, and finally... I don't know if this has changed at this point, but I have gotten a couple of speeding tickets in neighboring Rhode Island, but have gotten no points from them.

 

Thanks for the info, Calmante. Good stuff.

My first-hand experience this past spring was this, however: In the Westfield Court, I was called into the Magistrate's hearing room, sat down, he asked the trooper handling the session's cases if the arresting officer was present, the trooper said no, the magistrate said, "Dismissed". Poof, it was over, just like that.

Now if Mass. has come up with some alternative process, in that the accuser does not appear and testify, then there appears to be a clear violation of the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. The government does not have a right to drag you into court and merely say, "prove your innocence". A letter is no substitute for the presence of a trooper (and I really can't see cops writing letters to go with each ticket they log, but ...)

Next time I get a MA ticket, and I will get one living a mile south of the border and loving the twisties in the Berkshires, I'll definitely go the hearing route again and see what's up.

 

He's 100% Correct......But instead of investing in a radar/laser detector, keep a list of cell phone numbers with you in car or use NEXTEL Connect feature instead of "speeding up ~ when lost ? ? ? "

If you have AAA, or know someone whom does, you can have "trip tix" printed up for your destination before any future meets. Trip tix is an awesome perk to having triple A membership and it got me from Central Florida to Massachusetts in less than 24 hrs mostly non stop with no wrong turns, or exits, and no detour construction issues as they are all clearly marked and no tickets either....

So what happened, Did you end up contesting the ticket ?

Was there a hearing ?

Any disposition yet ?

 

In Mass, the specific officer whom wrote the ticket need not attend the MAG hearing. Most departments and the SP have a designated "Court Officer" who coordinates schedules for criminal cases and attends these hearings in place of the writing officer. But, if the court officer is a no show for the hearing, the operator cited is found "not responsible" and the citation is dismissed......

And yes, contrary to what you can't see them doing, a detailed report is filed with each citation which the court officer then reads at the magestrates hearing.

 

just found this thread, i also received a ticket on my way to mtts boston. I mailed in the ticket, requesting a court hearing, and as of yet have not heard back form them. not sure how much it matters, but i live just over the MA border in NH.

 

It took a couple of months for my court date to get mailed to us. Good luck!!