Beat Your Ticket: Go to Court & Win!

by David W. Brown

Book Overview

In Beat Your Ticket, an attorney provides the detailed tactics needed to prepare and present evidence, argue before a judge, cross-examine a police officer's testimony, and get a case dismissed. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1413306985
• ISBN13: 9781413306989
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: NOLO
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Great preparation

I bought this book because I received a ticket for running a stop sign. Seems simple enough, except he went so far to conceal his location that he put himself in a bad position to see the intersection. After stewing for a few days, I decided to buy this book and determine if I was going to fight it. After reading the info, I decided to plead not guilty and meet with the prosecutor. He mentions it in the book, and there were 10+ people in the courtroom today that didn't do it, which is make sure that you are prepared. A defense of "I didn't do it" isn't going to work. I broke my defense into 5 parts: Obstacles - the officer couldn't clearly see the intersection because of bridge pillars which blocked part of his view. Distance - the officer was over 200 yards (2 football fields) from the intersection where the alleged violation took place. Police have a tendency to really try to hide themselves from you, but in doing so may put themselves in a poor position (which you can bring up in court). Traffic - the officer put that there was heavy traffic on the ticket. He was on the opposite side of the traffic when he observed me (which further obstructed his view). Time - I got the ticket at 8 am and the officer was facing due East. This is the time of the morning where he is looking into the sun (he had his hand up in front of his eyes to block the light). Driving Record - I printed out my driving record (which I had to request online) which shows that I have a clean driving history. This shows that I am a responsible driver and lends credibility to my testimony. ****Side note***** Unless the lights on the cop car are on, they probably aren't recording video. The officer made it a point to tell me that his car was equipped with video and that I should know it if I chose to fight it. The judge told me today when I requested a copy of it that in most situations they are erased after 30 days (it was 45 days from the ticket to my arraignment). All of these factors cast doubt on his ability to accurately see me traveling through the intersection, and I am using them to raise reasonable doubt. Hand signs and noises don't convince the prosecutor that you are innocent (I saw a bunch of people doing it today). The prosecutor told every other person there fighting their ticket to take defensive driving (or that they would have to present their testimony at trial), he told me I had a good case and to take it to trial. He said that he doesn't care if I was guilty or not, he only cares about what he can prove (at this point it is very little). Once he verifies the officers vantage point, we should be able to put this to bed. I am not off the hook yet, but I recommend this book as a good starting place. Buy it and read it, it will help you decide if it is worth fighting.

Great book, Best way to get direction...

Used this book to get a sense of how to fight my ticket. While the book did not specifically cover my citation (HOV), it did give me some direction on how to approach it and the best way to go about it. It is an excellent way to start and most beneficial for those who have minor violations dealing with stop signs, lane changes and speeding. I highly recommend it. I took my case to court and won!

singing its praises

you need to get this book if you were ever a victim of the traffic codes that plague our country. attorney brown does a great job in breaking down the court procedures and even provide dialogue to use in certain circumstances.

Absolutely fabulous

An awsome book. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I went to court and won, solely based on the information provided in this book. My traffic citation claimed that I was going 22 over the limit. I submitted a request for discovery to the prosecuting agency, modifying one of the forms included in this book. In court, I made a motion for dismissal of the charges against me, using the instructions provided in this book. The prosecutor acknowledged that he did not honor my request for discovery. The judge dismissed the case. If you received a traffic ticket, it is worth fighting it, using the information in this book.

Great Advice for Newbies and Veteran Freedom Fighters Alike!

Lets face it. Its NOT about safety. Traffic citations - especially seatbelt citations - are about money. And power. And stripping back the constitution. If it were about safety, they wouldn't put so much focus on citations so much, they would straighten dangerous curves, force property owners to cut back brush that causes blind intersections, install traffic control devices where needed and work harder to get the most dangerous class of drivers - those who drive while intoxicated - off the roads and into jails.Instead, they choose to focus on the issuance of traffic citations. Enforcement campaigns like Click it or Ticket are designed to issue as many citations as possible, often with little regard to the law and motorists' rights. When you are tired of making donations to the government and enriching insurance companies, grab a copy of Beat Your Ticket: Go To Court & Win.Sure, there are many other books on this topic. This one is different. If you have read the others, you know they are written with the attitude that the system cares about innocence and guilt, right and wrong, fair and unfair. All you have to do is tell a good story (true or not) and you'll get off. It doesn't work that way. The system only cares about finding you guilty and getting your money. Other titles skip over very important legal terminology and civil procedure. This one doesn't. This is the only book I have read on the topic that explains what a motion is, how to prepare and file one and when one should be filed. It is also the only title to discuss in any meaningful way the discovery process and how a Defendant can use it to his/her advantage. It discusses when and how to object, how to behave in court and a good primer on how to prepare for your case.As someone who has spent an enormous amount of time in traffic court, this book is the best I've ever read on the topic. In 2003, I took seven traffic citations to court. I won six of them. While I learned most of the information contained in this title through a process of trial and error, it gave me some new ideas and did teach an old dog more than one new trick. I would recommend it for anyone who is thinking of taking their ticket to court and intends to (or has to) win the case.