First, I'll start off by saying this is my first ticket ever...... and I have no idea how these things work.

My court date is in 2 days, and I have no money to pay it. It is $198.....

I'm a college student with a part time job. And that job pays for my gas to get to school. Even then I sometimes have to lean on my parents, but they certainly do not have the money to pay for my stupid screw up.

What can I do or say at court so that I'm not arrested.....? I've read something about traffic school, community service, partial payments.

I so do not need this stress right now! Dx School and work is enough for me.

I'm not sure what country you're from, but here in the UK it's really easy to get a payment plan. So hopefully it will be the same for you too! Court also sounds a lot scarier than it actually is xD. I don't think you'll get arrested! As long as you plead guilty and are willing to pay the fine, you should be a-ok :D.

My other half recently got a ticket and he didn't even show up at the court and they still didn't care! So try not to stress too much, it'll work itself out :].

I'm not sure if ticket payment laws and such vary between states (assuming you're even from the US), but in Texas if you get a speeding ticket or run a light/stop sign or something, you have the option to take defensive driving to wipe out your ticket. There is a cost to take the course, but it's usually only around $30, so it's definitely more cost effective to spend a weekend sitting through a boring driving safety course instead of having to pay off an almost $200 fine.

When you go to court, just explain to the judge your side of the story in a calm voice. Don't get upset, it will only make it worse. Explain your money situation and that are you willing to pay you just can't do it all at once.

Also, look into Probation Before Judgment or PBJ. It basically says you are admitting to being guilty to speeding and they will put you on probation for a certain amount of time. If you don't screw up, you'll be good to go and won't get any points on your license. You'll still probably have to pay the fine but you'll have a clean driving record.

I would just ask to defer the ticket if it's a cheaper rate than the original price in court, and after that, ask for a payment plan. They usually allow for monthly payments. I'd be more worried about insurance costs going up in your position. Best of luck. :(

Thanks guys. I think the defensive driving course is the way I'll try to settle it. Cheaper and the ticket should go away.... :/

And yes, I'm in the US. Attending the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa if that helps out with the laws and such.....

I'm feeling a lot better about it now, but now I have to tell my dad about the ticket so he can change the time he heads into work tomorrow so I can make it to court on time (we share the vehicle....). :/ That should be fun. Dx shouldn't be too bad....or maybe worse, considering he got a ticket yesterday. Hm.

[edit] Ideas on how I should approach the judge? :/

Approaching the judge, just tell him/her what you did, why you did it, and that you're sorry for doing so, and that you should have known better. Essentially be a kiss-ass.

Well, my advise (I work at the local Sheriff's Department where I live) would be to approach the judge and be honest, you may get probation, community service, or both. I don't know if the state, or country you live in has the First Offender's Act, like Georgia does, but just be honest with the judge assigned to the case. :)

Plead guilty and ask if you can go to Traffic School. (Depending on your state) It's usually less than half the cost of the ticket and it wipes the ticket off your record so your insurance rates don't go up. Otherwise, as said above, the courts will do payment plans in most cases.

Pls lock.

Thanks all! Got it taken care of. :) Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Haha! You all helped me calm down too. Lol