Honda Car Forum

I got a parking ticket for parking by a fire hydrant (yea I was a dumb ass).
On the ticket I noticed the officer wrote my car was a 2 door when I have a 4
door. Is that small mistake by the officer good enough to fight my ticket? I
read somewhere that a small mistake like that will be enough for the judge to
throw the ticket away.

Now if I did fight the ticket and go to court, I would have to take half a day
off work, the money I lose from work is about how much the ticket is worth
($45). Hmmmm should I just pay ? Or maybe the court session won't take me
more than 2 hours.

give me some ideas guys.

thanks

No, not a big enough error. I suspect the judge will look down upon you and
zing it to you with court costs for annoying him. Your fine could easily
jump from $45 to $75 (including court costs). Just pay up, especially when
you know you did wrong. I have to assume that you make more in a morning
than the $45 to pay the parking fine. Does it make sense to take the time
off of work (possibly losing more than $45 in salary) to go to court and
hope that you won't have to pay? Is it worth the hassle? I think that's
why those fines are low to moderately priced as they expect people to just
pay up as it's just not worth their time. I know I don't have the time or
patience to deal with that crap.

I can see arguing if that went against your license, but it doesn't. Just
pay it and be thankful they didn't tow your car.

Keith



"Googamooga" <googamooga@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040608225810.07445.00000855@mb-m03.aol.com...
> I got a parking ticket for parking by a fire hydrant (yea I was a dumb
ass).
> On the ticket I noticed the officer wrote my car was a 2 door when I have
a 4
> door. Is that small mistake by the officer good enough to fight my
ticket? I
> read somewhere that a small mistake like that will be enough for the judge
to
> throw the ticket away.
>
> Now if I did fight the ticket and go to court, I would have to take half a
day
> off work, the money I lose from work is about how much the ticket is worth
> ($45). Hmmmm should I just pay ? Or maybe the court session won't take
me
> more than 2 hours.
>
> give me some ideas guys.
>
> thanks

Googamooga wrote:
> I got a parking ticket for parking by a fire hydrant (yea I was a dumb ass).
> On the ticket I noticed the officer wrote my car was a 2 door when I have a 4
> door. Is that small mistake by the officer good enough to fight my ticket? I
> read somewhere that a small mistake like that will be enough for the judge to
> throw the ticket away.
>
> Now if I did fight the ticket and go to court, I would have to take half a day
> off work, the money I lose from work is about how much the ticket is worth
> ($45). Hmmmm should I just pay ?

If the $$$ are the same, pay the ticket. I'm in the NYC area and $45
won't even cover a meter overtime ticket in NYC. Around here your car
would have been towed, so look on the bright side.

You never know what might happen if you go to court, as someone else
posted, you might be socked with court costs. Next time, don't park by a
hydrant.

I got a ticket once because I parked 15 ft of a fire hydrant (I measured and
was 14' 6"). No red paint or nothing. It was my first week at my new job and
was not aware of the parking trap. I paid the fine but complained to the
parking bureau. They finally painted the curve. I probably could've got the
fine reversed, but wasn't that big of a deal.



____________________________________

"Keith J" <_keith_757@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<xdmdnRlo_ePTG1vdRVn-uw@comcast.com>...
> No, not a big enough error. I suspect the judge will look down upon you and
> zing it to you with court costs for annoying him. Your fine could easily
> jump from $45 to $75 (including court costs).

I know I would, if I were the judge, just for using such a flimsy
excuse to try and weasel out of a legitimate ticket.

googamooga@aol.com (Googamooga) wrote in message news:<20040608225810.07445.00000855@mb-m03.aol.com>...
> I got a parking ticket for parking by a fire hydrant (yea I was a dumb ass).
> On the ticket I noticed the officer wrote my car was a 2 door when I have a 4
> door. Is that small mistake by the officer good enough to fight my ticket? I
> read somewhere that a small mistake like that will be enough for the judge to
> throw the ticket away.

About the only small mistake that's likely to work is if the license plate
number is wrong. Other than that, it one might be able to get it thrown
out if you're talking a matter of inches into a section.

> Now if I did fight the ticket and go to court, I would have to take half a day
> off work, the money I lose from work is about how much the ticket is worth
> ($45). Hmmmm should I just pay ? Or maybe the court session won't take me
> more than 2 hours.
>
> give me some ideas guys.

Don't bother. However - I doubt that your fine would be increased for
fighting it. You may spend 2 hours, but you've got less than 2 minutes
before the judge. I fought a moving violation ticket in San Francisco
once (about $120 fine). It was barely yellow when I entered an
intersection, but the cop said it was red. I put on a shirt and tie,
was prepared to say it was yellow (the truth), and the officer didn't
show - ticket thrown out. My understanding is that the SFPD didn't
pay officers for their time in traffic court. Most officers won't
bother since they could just write up four more tickets in the time it
takes for court (I did see a few cops there). The CHP however will
pay their officers while they appear in court. I see CHP vehicles
parked outside the traffic court across the street near my office.

thanks for the input guys, I will just go ahead and pay up, hehe I learned my
lesson.

In article <20040609111153.02657.00000782@mb-m28.aol.com>,
drpimpdaddi@aol.combat (He Hate Retard and Moron) wrote:

> I paid the fine but complained to the
> parking bureau. They finally painted the curve.

They finally painted the curve, did they?

And what did they do to the CURB?

How old are you? How many years have you heard the word "curb" and
thought everyone in the world was saying "curve"???

In article <Tbxxc.32$IO.47120@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net>,
Vince McGowan <SPAMvincemcg@nada.com> wrote:
>Googamooga wrote:
>> I got a parking ticket for parking by a fire hydrant (yea I was a dumb ass).
>> On the ticket I noticed the officer wrote my car was a 2 door when I have a 4
>> door. Is that small mistake by the officer good enough to fight my ticket? I
>> read somewhere that a small mistake like that will be enough for the judge to
>> throw the ticket away.
>>
>> Now if I did fight the ticket and go to court, I would have to take half a day
>> off work, the money I lose from work is about how much the ticket is worth
>> ($45). Hmmmm should I just pay ?
>
>If the $$$ are the same, pay the ticket. I'm in the NYC area and $45
>won't even cover a meter overtime ticket in NYC. Around here your car
>would have been towed, so look on the bright side.
>
>You never know what might happen if you go to court, as someone else
>posted, you might be socked with court costs. Next time, don't park by a
>hydrant.

In NYC, you do not get socked with court fees. Then again, a $110 parking
ticket does not earn you face time in front a judge, only a one to one
session with an Parking Violations Bureau civil servant.

If you want dispute a ticket on incorrect information, you should read
"It's the Law - Your Rights When Disputing a Defective Parking Ticket".

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/dispute2.html

In article <20040608225810.07445.00000855@mb-m03.aol.com>, googamooga@aol.com
says...
>I got a parking ticket for parking by a fire hydrant (yea I was a dumb ass).
>On the ticket I noticed the officer wrote my car was a 2 door when I have a 4
>door. Is that small mistake by the officer good enough to fight my ticket? I
>read somewhere that a small mistake like that will be enough for the judge to
>throw the ticket away.
>
>Now if I did fight the ticket and go to court, I would have to take half a day
>off work, the money I lose from work is about how much the ticket is worth
>($45). Hmmmm should I just pay ? Or maybe the court session won't take me
>more than 2 hours.
>
>give me some ideas guys.

What city?
----------
Alex