Transportation and Vehicle Safety: No Contacts?, pleading no contest, traffic citation

Question
I was recently involved in an accident. I received a traffic citation stating "following too closely". I hit another vehicle in the rear. There was minimal damage, no one was hurt. My insurance covered all of the damage for both cars.

I was told by a friend to request "no contacts" at the court hearing. Am I eligible for that? and what exactly does it mean?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi D and welcome to AllExperts

I believe what you were informed was  not NO CONTACTS, rather it was NO CONTEST, and refers to how you plead regarding your citation. The usual choices are:

NOT GUILTY
NO CONTEST
GUILTY

Pleading NO CONTEST means you will accept a finding of guilt but will not admit to being guilty. The only difference between this and GUILTY is that your admission cannot be used against you in a future trial, such as a civil hearing for damages, as an example.

I hope this helps D!!

Terry G