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Should I fight my ticket for following too close?
Anonymous3 views5 answers
I was involved in an accident when merging on an on ramp at 8:45 pm in Seattle, WA. There was a car who had stoppped at the end of the on ramp, that caused two cars to completely stop behind them. I came around the bend of the on ramp and saw the cars stopped but couldn't stop in time and rear ended one car who rear ended another. Obviously, the car who was stopped for no good reason at the bottom of the on ramp, drove away a second before the accident. No one was hurt, I was driving my aunts car and her insurance is paying for everything. I don't want my insurance to go up, so I wanted to know the best option. Should I fight this, or if I pay the fine will my insurance go up?
Philip Matthew deMaineMedical Malpractice AttorneyTacoma, WA ·
My recommendation would be to only fight the ticket if you actually have witnesses who will support your version of the accident. Do you have the names of the other drivers and their contact information? If so, it may be worth a shot at fighting the ticket if you can get written statements from them. Good luck.
Robert Daniel KellyPersonal Injury LawyerSeattle, WA ·
"the duty is upon the driver of a following car to keep such distance from the car ahead of him and to maintain such distance from such car that by the exercise of reasonable care such emergency stop as may be dictated by ordinary traffic conditions may be safely made".
BILLINGTON, v. SCHAAL, 42 Wn.2d 878 (1953). http://www.mrsc.org/wa/courts/index_dtSearch.html.
RCW 46.61.145 (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.61.145).
Gregory Stephen ColburnCar / Auto Accident LawyerSeattle, WA ·
I have handled many traffic infractions. Depending upon your driving history, you should return your infraction with a request for either a mitigation hearing or a contested hearing.
If you appear for a mitigation or contested hearing, you may request the judicial officer to grant a deferred finding when you appear for the hearing. The law permits a judicial officer to defer (postpone) the reporting of a traffic violation to the Department of Licensing (DOL) upon certain conditions.
However, a driver may only receive a deferred finding once every seven (7) years for a moving violation, once every seven (7) years for a non-moving violation. Conditions of the deferral may include no traffic infractions or criminal traffic violations for twelve (12) months from the date the court enters the deferred finding. If you don't commit any violations for twelve (12) months, the violation is "erased" and not reported to DOL.
