Transportation and Vehicle Safety: How much will fine be?, courtinfo ca gov, radar ticket

Question
Hi-
I received a "radar" ticket going 86 in a 55.  I have three "quick" questions, please...thank you!  I am visiting from out of town.  My ticket says that I must appear in court at a specific time and date...approximately 6 weeks from now, when I will be back home.  Can I take care of this ticket earlier than the date that appears on the ticket, before I return home?  Or, must I appear on the date and at the time written on the ticket?  Secondly, how much can I expect to pay?  Does Calif do an online traffic school like some other states?  Thank you so much!

Answer
Hello Chris and welcome to AllExperts!

You should receive a courtesy notice from the court about two to three weeks after the traffic stop. It will give you the cost of the fine, tell you if a court appearance is mandatory and advise if you are eligible for traffic school. If you do not receive the notice, check with the clerk of court prior to your court date. The following link should provide some help:

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/traffic/

Normally, the only two choices you have at this juncture is to plead guilty by mail, or appear in court. If you appear in court, your only options are to fight the ticket, plead guilty or plead no contest. If you opt to plead guilty or plead no contest, then you have one further option to request traffic school, based on some restrictions.

When you receive the courtesy notice, many court districts will expand the mail-in option by giving you the choice to request traffic school. My recommendation is to wait for the courtesy notice and see if the mail-in option for traffic school is available. If it doesn't provide the option, you can call the court clerk and ask. Usually, if it doesn't show on the courtesy notice, you must make the request in person on your court date.

Concerning on-line traffic schools, absolutely. There are many to choose from, but you must first have the authorization from the court, or you will have attended without benefit. You might check out this one: http://www.gototrafficschool.com/

Concerning the approximate cost based on traveling 31 mph over the maximum posted speed, It depends on what section of the Vehicle Code you were cited, and what county you were in. A rough estimate is as follows:

$150 for speeding of 1-15 mph over the limit
$270 for speeding of 16-25 mph over the limit
$380 for speeding more than 26 mph over the limit

Good luck to you Chris!

Terry