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When you get a ticket for speeding or other traffic violations, you have more than one option for handling the citation. Instead of trying to contest a ticket as an all-or-nothing attempt to avoid paying a fine, drivers often have the option of admitting fault in the hopes of reducing the amount of the fine.
Your ticket should have instructions for admitting with explanation. If not, contact the clerk for the court designated on a traffic ticket and request information on contest options and proper filing instructions for a letter. Alternatively, attempt to find the information online via your state's judicial branch website, if available.
Accept fault for the ticket and express regret for committing a violation. Provide extenuating circumstances and evidence of good character. Evidence may include your reason for traveling so fast, such as rushing to pick up a sick child from school. Judges are given a lot of discretion to determine whether a reduction is warranted and will often take a drivers' manners and behavior into account along with other factual matters. Providing proof of a clean record can also encourage judges to be lenient to a first time violator.
Some states allow drivers to mail a letter of explanation directly to the court; others require a scheduled hearing with a judge or hearing officer, and you may be able to present the letter upon attendance. You may also be able to file the letter with the clerk. The ticket will give you instructions, or you can contact the clerk to find out what to do. You'll get a written decision within a few weeks. Never pay a fine before your explanation has been ruled on. Doing so will almost always bar you from any fee reduction. Also make sure to submit the letter on time; failing to notify a court of intent to make an admission with an explanation within the required deadline will eliminate any chance of a fee reduction. For example, Muskegon County, Michigan, requires letters to be mailed within 14 days from receipt of the citation.
If you wish to deny responsibility, you risk paying the entire fine should the judge decide against you. Also, be aware that even if a fee reduction is successful, you will still receive points on your license (although you may receive fewer than you would have without the explanation). The only way to avoid points is to successfully contest a ticket.