minor traffic ticket - fight or not?

[duke600]

What do you think about fighting a minor traffic ticket like stop sign or careless driving? If you fight it and plead no contest or whatever the legal term is, it's still on the court records but not on your driving record as guilty.

The purpose of fighting it would be for it to not show up on your record but if on the airline application says have you ever had any or list ALL infractions or violations, and you don't list and they find it through court records or something like that you will be in hot water.

I figure you will list it on the app either way if you get out of it or not, so is it worth fighting?

 

[Mr Wu]

Depends on what State you are in. Here in FL, no one has access to your first ticket if you take driving school. I would put it on your airline app anyway as it will probably not have an impact on their decision to hire you, but will definately be grounds for firing you if they find out later.

 

[satpak77]

What do you think about fighting a minor traffic ticket like stop sign or careless driving? If you fight it and plead no contest or whatever the legal term is, it's still on the court records but not on your driving record as guilty.

The purpose of fighting it would be for it to not show up on your record but if on the airline application says have you ever had any or list ALL infractions or violations, and you don't list and they find it through court records or something like that you will be in hot water.

I figure you will list it on the app either way if you get out of it or not, so is it worth fighting?

Try to defense driver it and make it go away...barring that, personally call the City Attorney's office or District Attorney (who ever is prosecuting this) and personally speak to the prosecutor involved. Ask in plain English "Look, this is my situation, how can we resolve this" and tell that person straight up about your aviation career and how you indeed want to resolve it, to include paying a fine or taking defense driving.

Inquire about Deferred Adjudication as this allows your record to remain clean. Here is a Texas law summary of this concept.

http://www.ci.desoto.tx.us/deferred.htm

At application time/interview time/etc, if this thing does show up, you can discuss how you proactive resolved it (versus accept the ticket, screw the cops, etc) and learned from it.

Good luck

 

[FN FAL]

What do you think about fighting a minor traffic ticket like stop sign or careless driving? If you fight it and plead no contest or whatever the legal term is, it's still on the court records but not on your driving record as guilty.

The purpose of fighting it would be for it to not show up on your record but if on the airline application says have you ever had any or list ALL infractions or violations, and you don't list and they find it through court records or something like that you will be in hot water.

I figure you will list it on the app either way if you get out of it or not, so is it worth fighting?

Prevent further infractions, by getting a driver's handbook from DMV and reading what is printed in there.

 

[satpak77]

Prevent further infractions, by getting a driver's handbook from DMV and reading what is printed in there.

:laugh:

 

[FN FAL]

:laugh:

I have done the city attorney thing twice, in both cases it worked out pretty good, one time better than the other. But it depends on what kind of mood these guys are in. A lot of times, they will work with you on the charge, but the city still wants the money.

As for fighting tickets? There was one back in 1987, I wished I would have fought, but it's a moot point now.

Deuputy was oncoming, clocked the lead car of a four car platoon on a two lane federal highway. He then made a U turn accross the highway and clocked the trail car of the platoon and then pulled all four of us over. I was in the middle.

Since that deputy never clocked my car or painted it specifically, that ticket shouldn't have stuck. If something like that happened today, I'd take the time and money to go to court on it.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

How bad are a few traffic violation tickets for applying to an airline? A few spaced many yrs apart?

 

[FN FAL]

How bad are a few traffic violation tickets for applying to an airline? A few spaced many yrs apart?

I wouldn't worry, the subject never came up on my Mesaba interview five years ago.

 

[FreeFaller]

Rumor has it that a Delta guy got fired for "lying" about not ever having gotten a ticket since the ticket he did get he went to traffic school and it was "supposed" to be expunged, but wasn't. You got a ticket, big deal.
A few unrelated tickets, spread out over time, shouldn't be a real problem.

 

[satpak77]

I don't think a few tickets over a few years is gonna cost you anything. However, I did know personally someone who had a Air Force Pilot "slot" due to ROTC scholarship and his 10 tickets in College gave him some security clearance issues. Never found out what happened to him.

Criminal and Traffic History is a "Behavior Record", one or two tickets, especially if not related (one is speeding, another is expired inspection sticker), are no big deal. Five school-zone tickets or 10 "exhibition of acceleration" and what would YOU do if you were the Chief Pilot and green-lighting resumes for interview?

With major airlines paying bucks to get background checks done thoroughly (post 9-11 world), I would admit to ALL tickets and if its not on the record, admit to it, and say "however it should not be on my record"

FN FAL - yeah your would have beat that ticket I am sure....heck most first time DUI's are plead down to a lesser charge if there is any chance the defendant will fight it....I am not sure how he could honestly testify that you, bearing license plate XYZ, was in fact speeding, a fact he factually knows since he clocked your vehicle (which he did not). Other issues is radar gun calibration, officer/radar training records, etc

Oh well

later

 

[hindsight2020]

I wouldn't worry, the subject never came up on my Mesaba interview five years ago.

That's funny, I got the 3rd degree about it on a $10/hr CFI job interview, it felt as if I was interviewing at Delta or some sh$t like that... mother fukkers, I'm so glad I ran outta that place and never looked back

 

[NW_Pilot]

I received my first Traffic Ticket in over 9 years last July, it was not in a car it was on a bicycle yea, that's right a bicycle! Don't worry about it shi* happens & quotas need to be made! Unless it is a criminal citation or you have more than one ticket.

 

[big pimpn']

Always Fight! I was issued a ticket a while back for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. A cop was trying to pass me and I didn’t get out of her way. The reason is simply because I did not know she was there. I went to court and argued that the sun was blinding me and I could not see her lights, in addition to that the dumb biatch forgot to turn her siren on. The video showed clearly that the siren was not on and it was a sunny day, the judge found in my favor and the case was thrown out.

 

[vetteracer]

In SD we have no income tax, and they suppliment on the state and local level with traffic tickets.

I have around 30 tickets in 16 years of driving. But after speaking to others they have all said, "yeah, I have had about 1 a year or more as well".

I have 8 tickets for speeding that are no more then 5 MPH over the limit. And that was with no reduction.

We were the last state to adopt a seatbelt law, and that was a hayday for years.

The cops here pull you over for everthing, and you are getting a ticket for something.

Just last week I hit a minivan that pulled into my lane, that was trying to aviod a guy that ran a red light. He was sighted for illeagal lane change, and I was sighted for "Overdriving road conditions". I was going 35 in a 45, not following anyone closely, and tried to aviod the guy in the van. He did not see me, and swerved into my lane, slammed on his brakes. There is no way I should have gotten a ticket. His inurance company is paying, but again, another ticket.

I went to court and the judge said, "well, when the roads are bad, you should have stayed home". WTF. So I should just stay home for 4 months of the year.

But again, a ticket I will have to explain if it comes interview time.

 

[NW_Pilot]

Just last week I hit a minivan that pulled into my lane, that was trying to aviod a guy that ran a red light. He was sighted for illeagal lane change, and I was sighted for "Overdriving road conditions". I was going 35 in a 45, not following anyone closely, and tried to aviod the guy in the van. He did not see me, and swerved into my lane, slammed on his brakes. There is no way I should have gotten a ticket. His inurance company is paying, but again, another ticket.

I went to court and the judge said, "well, when the roads are bad, you should have stayed home". WTF. So I should just stay home for 4 months of the year.

[FONT=&quot]And I thought my ticket for no headlight on a bicycle was bad! These dumb ass tickets do make for good conversation some times. When I got my ticket the look on my face my boy said was confusing! After getting issued the ticket I told the officer, I guess they need to do a better job at letting people who buy a bicycle know that they need lighting and if it’s law why not make the mfg properly equip it like they do motorcycles. He unsnapped his firearm told me to start pushing or he was going to have the bike towed. What tops it all off he followed my son & I home. That was a long 5 mile walk home with a 9 year old and a good time to discuss real life BS. Don't cops have criminals to catch or donuts to eat Instead of harassing honest citizens?
[/FONT]

 

[John C. Holmes]

Request a trial then keep asking for a deferment ,,, the cop eventualy wont show up...bingo your off!

 

[midlifeflyer]

I'll join the "depends what state" group.

For example, is some states, "careless" or "reckless" driving is an offense that entails loss of driving privileges. They are sometimes treated as criminal misdemeanors, which does get an employer's attention.

Remember that motor vehicle offenses that involve loss of driving privileges or an educational program get reported to the FAA on your medical application (even if =not= alcohol related). Probably not a big deal without a "pattern" but they do get reported.

 

[FN FAL]

[FONT=&quot] Don't cops have criminals to catch...Instead of harassing honest citizens?[/FONT]

Actually, they don't. For as much as the media would have you believe that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, violent crime has dramatically dropped to record levels over the last 12-13 years.

Juvenile arrests are at a 30 year low.

So, in order to keep the machine going, they "net widen" by over-criminalizing everything.

This isn't just me making things up, do a google search on "over-criminalization".

In a lot of states, if two 15 year-olds have sex, they both can be arrested for molesting each other. Can you imagine that? You and your 15 year-old girlfriend get charged with molesting each other and then are marked for life as registered sex offenders. Hahahaha...I'm not joking here. Everyone thinks the registered sex offenders are all MAN-BOY Catholic priest situations. They are not.

We just had a case where there was a domestic call by police to a married couple's dwelling. It was typical domestic, but when they figured out that the wife was under the age of consent when she was made pregnant, they arrested the 21 year-old dad/husband for child molestation because his wife was underage when she conceived. I think society needs more dads in jail and paying fines, so that the welfare of the child is most improved.

I'm waiting for the day that firing a gun is made illegal. It's coming. They'll never be able to outlaw gun ownership, but they'll be able to regulate discharging it.

Simply make discharging a firearm against the law except for self defense and the hunting season and you'll have entirely new crop of people to process through the criminal justice system.

 

[minitour]

Actually, they don't. For as much as the media would have you believe that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, violent crime has dramatically dropped to record levels over the last 12-13 years.

Juvenile arrests are at a 30 year low.

Is that because crime is lower or because we have less police on the streets arresting the violent criminals because they're too busy pulling over the schwinn with a broken headlight?

I'm waiting for the day that firing a gun is made illegal. It's coming. They'll never be able to outlaw gun ownership, but they'll be able to regulate discharging it.

Simply make discharging a firearm against the law except for self defense and the hunting season and you'll have entirely new crop of people to process through the criminal justice system.

...and remove the US from ever hosting the Olympics again. As well as all those sport shows where they shoot the clay frisbie things...

Not a fan of guns, but if they ever make firing one illegal, I'd have to join the gun owners on that one.

Nice catch FN!

-mini

 

[duke600]

Remember that motor vehicle offenses that involve loss of driving privileges or an educational program get reported to the FAA on your medical application (even if =not= alcohol related). Probably not a big deal without a "pattern" but they do get reported.

I've never heard about traffic tickets being reported to the FAA. DUI yes, but something like an illegal U turn? Do you know this for a fact? What if you get your medical in a different state than your drivers license. I don't remember anything on the medical application regarding a drivers license number or anything like that.

Happy new year!