4 ms·

Why hire a lawyer for a traffic ticket? Would that not cost more and kind of be a waste of time for everyone.

gcv 13y ago
While the fine itself was negligible, a moving violation significantly increases insurance premiums. A lawyer who specializes in fighting traffic tickets is far cheaper than overpaying for insurance for the next decade.
dagw 13y ago
Some people have it has a hobby. I know a guy who on principle never pays a parking or traffic ticket without dragging the whole thing through court for as long as he can. For him the time and money involved are immaterial when compared to the principal of the matter.
- dsego 13y ago
  In Croatia you now get a 50% discount if you pay the ticket on the spot.
  - seestheday 13y ago
    On the spot, like cash directly to the cop? Are you describing a bribe?
    - dsego 13y ago
      No, not a bribe, just the new laws, see http://www.croatiaweek.com/tag/traffic-fine http://www.croatiaweek.com/tag/traffic-fine. And it seems to be working quite well for now.
tombrossman 13y ago
In the US and many other countries you have an adversarial legal system [1]. Cooperating or waiving any rights seldom gives you a tactical advantage. Be polite when stopped but don't be a pushover. I used to drive for a living and would speed all day. Every day. Not excessively or recklessly, I had over a million miles without any preventable accidents. But still I would always exceed the speed limit on a clear stretch of road by 10-30mph or so. The extra income from this more than offset the occasional legal bill. By a large margin (somewhat ironically my job's 'safety' bonuses usually covered the lawyer fees). I sped, kept my record clean, and never accepted a ticket without legal representation. I'm not advocating that others do this or that it was smart, I'm just saying that for some people it makes mathematical sense to speed + hire lawyers versus doing the speed limit and/or accepting tickets without challenging them. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adversarial_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adversarial_system]

gcv 13y ago

While the fine itself was negligible, a moving violation significantly increases insurance premiums. A lawyer who specializes in fighting traffic tickets is far cheaper than overpaying for insurance for the next decade.

dagw 13y ago

Some people have it has a hobby. I know a guy who on principle never pays a parking or traffic ticket without dragging the whole thing through court for as long as he can. For him the time and money involved are immaterial when compared to the principal of the matter.

dsego 13y ago
In Croatia you now get a 50% discount if you pay the ticket on the spot.
- seestheday 13y ago
  On the spot, like cash directly to the cop? Are you describing a bribe?
  - dsego 13y ago
    No, not a bribe, just the new laws, see http://www.croatiaweek.com/tag/traffic-fine http://www.croatiaweek.com/tag/traffic-fine. And it seems to be working quite well for now.

tombrossman 13y ago

In the US and many other countries you have an adversarial legal system [1]. Cooperating or waiving any rights seldom gives you a tactical advantage. Be polite when stopped but don't be a pushover. I used to drive for a living and would speed all day. Every day. Not excessively or recklessly, I had over a million miles without any preventable accidents. But still I would always exceed the speed limit on a clear stretch of road by 10-30mph or so. The extra income from this more than offset the occasional legal bill. By a large margin (somewhat ironically my job's 'safety' bonuses usually covered the lawyer fees). I sped, kept my record clean, and never accepted a ticket without legal representation. I'm not advocating that others do this or that it was smart, I'm just saying that for some people it makes mathematical sense to speed + hire lawyers versus doing the speed limit and/or accepting tickets without challenging them. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adversarial_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adversarial_system]