They'd also tell me to take every ticket to court... sometimes a cop might be busy and not show,,, and if he does, plead to (I forget the exact wording, only the Wife every had to use it) something along the lines of "Failure to adhere/comply/something with Traffic control device"... You'd still get the fine, and they get their money(all they care about), but you don't get any points... in PA anyway.
I learned a lesson about fighting a ticket ... On the ticket it asks if you want your day in court - check the "yes" box. BUT, you can greatly increase your odds if you check the box to get a copy of the officer's notes. If they fail to provide their notes that will require the court to at least delay you case. Of they will just dismiss it OR offer you a settlement. My advice, take the settlement of a lesser charge and fine. Usually when you have your day in court the public defender will ask all those in attendance if anyone wants to plead to a lesser charge. The point being not to waste everyone's time with sob stories. Again, my advice is take the deal. Most people that try to actually argue their case in front of a judge get tongue-tied and flustered and end up losing their case. And you can't argue with a cop who's lied or falsified his notes !!
