I am an over the road trucker and sometimes get tickets in states other than where i live and personally won many cases doing this. You can do this even if you live down the street from the court.

Something the police NEVER point out to you when they give a ticket is that in many states you can deal with the court and never show up or miss work and still have a trial. One that the cop has to respond to and if he does not, then you win by default !!!

• The officer may state that he has no recollection of the event.
• The officer may lose his notes in preparing for the TBD and fail to have them at the court trial.

Somewhere on that lovely ticket, usually on the back because they don't want you to see it, there is a term called "trial by declaration" and it states is so many words.

"Trial by written declaration, traffic infractions"..."send a certified letter postmarked not later than 5 days prior to the appearance date or come to the court before your date to request the trial by declaration. Submit the bail amount (refundable if you win). You will be given short forms to fill out and write your side of the story and be allowed to submit pictures and other evidence WITHOUT APPEARING IN COURT!!! An officer will also submit a statement. The judge will consider the statements and evidence and declare the case and send you the outcome"

Several things that are great about this.

1. You do not have to appear the 1st time to just say "not guilty" and waste 4 hours with no pay.
2. You do not have to show up for the trial either.
3. You do not have to "face the judge or the cop(s).
4. You do not get all sweaty and nervous forgetting what to say and look stupid.
   
5. You can pour over your statements and evidence before turning it in.
6. The judge cannot interrupt you as they often do and move on to the next s.o.b.
7. You do not have to stand in a long stinky ass line at 8am.
8. You can make things up and they can't see your eyes, the cops do it too, it is a game to them.
   

One thing though. If you lose, you cannot ask for traffic school. (at least in my state)

So, if you really believe you are not guilty or you just think it was a bogus, undeserved ticket, or you just want to go down swinging, then declare a trial by declaration and save your self 2 or 3 trips to the "In-justice center" also know as the "revenue and lies department"

• Again, not every state does this, read the ticket, or call the court of monkeys, just do not ask the cop, he will write a very detailed report if he knows you are going to do this.

If you lose, you can appeal the case without going to court either.

What about traffic school if you lose your trial by declaration?

In theory, if you lose the trial by declaration, you get a trial de novo, meaning all things are new. The judge should not hold the trial by declaration against you. If the judge denies you traffic school because of the trial by declaration, point out that you are not there for that trial, but, per CVC 40902(d), a trial de novo. You can also point to Vehicle Code section 42005 and People v Wozniak which say you can still have traffic school even after a conviction.

In reality, the courts make more money if you go to traffic school. Odds are the judge will let you go to traffic school if there is any way he/she can.

I have beat speeding tickets, tailgating, illegal lane change and others too.

Remember, when you go to traffic court (the zoo)...they just want all the sheep to file through and pay the shepherd, they do not care about your 10cent opinion. So why show up at all.

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