I got a speeding ticket in NJ for 26 over the speed limit. Any advice you can offer me?

I am 21, a responsible, clean cut successful college student, usually the motorist the crazy people beep at and pass on the road, but this time I made a mistake while driving in an area I have rarely driven in before and should have paid more attention to the speed I was going. There was one other driver on the road and when I realized he was going slower than I was I started to slow down, but I was stopped about a minute after. The officer was fairly pleasant, but one of his colleagues stopped someone else immediately after me, so clearly they were on the lookout. I plan on telling the truth and owning my mistake and indeed showing up in court, as well as taking a defensive driver course to lower my points, and dressing up nicely in court (any suggestions as to that?) as well, but does anyone have any further suggestions for me? This is my first speeding ticket and second overall - I paid $50.00 three years ago for driving without my seat belt when I got lost one time in South Jersey. Do you think they will be able to move the court date to a Friday morning so that I do not miss any classes? I am more worried about my points that the fines - I have friends who can probably help me out with the fines and who I can pay back over time. It's the points that could really hurt. I neglected to say it was doing 61 in a 35 zone. It's in an area that links a few major roads. In regard to pepole arguing for a defense below, I appreciate the help, but I do not plan on trying to pretend I didn't go over the speed limit - in this context I don't think it would work, not to mention being dishonest, which would be pretty obvious.

Public Comments

1. here in arizona, that would be criminal speeding and it would like getting a DUI in insurance eyes. I would go see the judge and kiss their ass to reduce it down to fine for 19 over so it was just a speeding ticket (not criminal)
2. Well, without anything else on your record, I would go to court and use the nolo contendere plea. I've done it and it worked successfully! Basically your just going in front of the court and saying your sorry. Normally they will just make you pay a fine and drop the points or drop the case altogether. It's pretty straight forward and if the judge is in a good mood you're set.... GOOD LUCK!
3. I can give you a few tactics that an attorney would use to contest your citation in court. First off, I don't want to sound like I'm being a dick, but with respect to you being 21 years old and a successful college student means absolutely nothing to the magistrate. I'm 21 also bro, but it doesn't mean anything to them, and it is not a legal defense against a speeding ticket. As for how you dress, I would try to look professional. A suit and tie would be good I think. When you go to court, ask these questions: 1.) What kind of vehicle did the officer observe speeding? Can the officer clearly describe the kind of vehicle you were driving? 2.) What kind of instrument did he use to clock your speed? Radar? Laser? 2a) If radar, what kind of radar was he running? Was is stationery radar or moving radar? Let's suppose he says "stationery radar", that means he calculated your speed while he was sitting in his car checking car's speed. 3.) Ask the officer to EXPLAIN how his radar works. Basically, when he was running radar (stationery radar or moving radar), how can he be sure it was your vehicle speeding? With "radar" the officer has to "guess" the car. You could contest that he may have picked you out in error. Other than this, based on your case scenario, there really isn't anything more I could think of using as a legal defense. EDIT Also, ask the officer if he wears glasses or contacts? If he's supposed to wear his glasses or contacts, and he wasn't wearing them the day you were stopped, maybe he saw wrong. Attorneys may question that.
4. Take Gerry's advice and the judge will most likely not even think about giving you help with your fine. People like Gerry want to do the crime and try to make others think the cop's were out to get him. 1) 26 miles over the speed limit at a major intersection is dangerous and as you know...Speed is the #1 contributor towards accidents. 2) You have the right attitude. If you know you were speeding and want help with the points and fine..show up in court and ask for help when you enter your guilty plea. 3) Consider yourself lucky that you were not charged with reckless driving or the equivalent for your state. It sounds like you have your act together and thinking straight. Ask the judge for help…he/she may even defer you fine and points if you go to driving class as you have indicated you were already planning to attend. Good luck. Gerry, FYI if you showed up in court and asked me “How does your radar work?” my reply would be…”It works extremely well!”
5. Your best bet is to contact the courts and ask them these questions. They are the ones who will process your ticket and will know all the laws and regulation. You should also ask the courts if you are allowed to take a driving school class. This will prevent your insurance from going up and points from being placed on your license. Just make sure you get the courts permission before doing so. If you don’t the courts will reject your driving school certificate. Good luck!