Yet another new website available to users in Apple Valley touts the trial by written declaration as the best thing since sliced bread.

This time, it’s ca-ticket.com. According to founder Geoff Mousseau, the site helps drivers prepare the paperwork and provides instructions for submitting it. Furthermore, he claims that only two people have expressed dissatisfaction with the process. In a TBD, the driver basically writes a letter detailing any defenses or requests for mercy, the officer submits a similar writing, and the judge makes a decision.

A driver has 25 days from the date of the ticket to submit a TBD, and the officer thereafter has 25 days to respond.

Traffic Ticket Procedure

When it first appeared almost 20 years ago, the TBD was a nice little loophole. Back then, because penalty assessments were still relatively low, the county didn’t care much about the money and therefore didn’t care much if a few TBDs slipped through the cracks. But now, with governments watching every penny, officers are often disciplined if they do not follow-through on the citations they write. Moreover, in many cases, the judge will keep extending the response deadline until the officer responds.

That point also brings up one of the major downsides of a TBD: drivers must pay the entire bail fee upfront, because TBDs were excluded from last year’s finding that it is discriminatory to charge the bail fee upfront before setting a ticket for trial.

The TBD is still a good idea in some cases, and particularly if the driver has an open-and-shut defense. But a personalized, professional defense will get you much better results. In addition to advocating for you in front of the judge, an attorney can leverage the defenses you have into reduced charges or reduced penalties, meaning that you don’t even have to go to trial to see a positive result.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.