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I got a ticket a while ago from a belleville cop.

I was heading home from petawawa and going down hwy 37 south. Was raining, and dark out, car ahead was moving slower than traffic. So when it was safe, I was passing the vehicle. As I was passing, a car was approaching from up ahead. So I sped up to avoid a collision or play chicken. As I passed the car and got back over, I started to coast the car, to slow down, instead of wearing my brakes and potentially start to skid from the rain and cause the same to the cars behind me. Thats when he got me doing 113.

As he came to the window, he didn't even let me explain my actions or anything. So I handed him my license and army ID. Now most of the time, if it's something minor, like a speeding thing such as mine, majority of cops will let us go and say be careful type thing. Its like a good gesture, brothers in arms kind of thing. But this cop looked at it, said I don't need this, and returned it to me. Came back with my ticket, let me know the fine, how fast I was doing, and the options on the ticket.

My court date is in january. But im away with the army training in the states. So I thought of having x coppers maybe fight my ticket. But they are charging me $420 for a $238 fine. Kind of rediculous to me.

But I think that if I were to have someone else go for me, and explain that this is my first ticket ever, and that I will be going to afghanistan in spring, that this ticket will get thrown out.

Now, do any warnings from before show up on the system or no? Because if so, they are invalid. Because I was on army time, in a army vehicle, with army drivers license and therefore does not count towards my civilian license. Was on a high priority task at the time I was given a warning.

I probably have more driving time and training than most drivers out there. Army has its own courses, etc.. So I know how to drive pretty good.

Question is, what do I do now? Fight it myself, or have x coppers do it for me?

Any help would be great.

Sorry for the long post lol.

The reason why you want to fight tickets is because your insurance will go up for 3 years. Also you accumulate demerit points. This charge is 4 points, so some insurance companies consider it "minor", some "major". So your insurance goes up $300-700 per year, give or take, depending on insurer, for 3 years. That's $900 (least increase) + $340 ticket = $1240 (best case) , to $2100 (largest increase) + $340 ticket = $2440 (worst case). Even in the best-case scenario you are still better off paying the paralegal fees. You can also talk to the prosecutor, don't tell him all this either, and see the offer he gives you, likely a lot lesser fine and (hopefully) a 2-point charge of some sort. You do not have to accept his/her deal either.