Let's Get Your Opinion On the Matter

Ok, I got a speeding ticket back in February. I won't go into it, but the circumstances were lame. You can ask Stormy Mitchell, she was there. She'll tell you.

The ticket was going to be over 250 bucks. I had these three options of dealing with it.

1)Bite the bullet and pay up.

2)Go to court and contest it.

3)Take defensive driving, pay a smaller ticket penalty, and have it erased from my driving record.

Now, I chose to go with option 3. Here is why...

There is no way I could afford to pay over 250 dollars. I am saving up for a honeymoon, and every penny counts.

I was under the assumption that if I went to court, that I was going to have to pay fees no matter if I won or loss. However, I now know that if I had won the court fees and the ticket fine would have been dismissed. If I had know this, I might would have gone to court. From what I hear, if you choose a jury over a judge you pretty much always get off scott free.

I went with the third thinking it would be way cheaper. I knew that I was going to have to go through some paperwork and other headaches. I had no idea what a hassle it was going to actually be. It ended up being a lot more work than I thought. Plus, there were several hidden fees that they do not tell you about when they suggest Defensive Driving.

But, the final cost was not close to the actual ticket fee. So, I did come out cheaper and the ticket is wiped off the record.

They just want their money. I know it. You know it.

So, let me ask. What would you do? Pay the ticket and get it over with? Go to court and risk it, plus get the runaround on court dates (keep in mind you have to get out of work too)? or go through the hassle of Defensive Driving?

Please comment.