Rating: 
Summary: Book's target audience is California drivers, HOWEVER. . .
Review: . . . you can apply some of the information in this book to your own state. I'd say that 68% of this book is useless to people that live outside of California. But the other 32% of the book is worth reading! The author provides questions to ask the officer in court for red-light tickets, speeding tickets, U-turn tickets, etc. For those people out there that are trying to find out everything they can about fighting their traffic ticket in court and winning, then I would recommend buying this book. If you live in California, THEN DEFINITELY BUY THIS BOOK!!! The 70% of the book that is California specific is sure to help you defeat your ticket. The book lists the specific California law section for each violation. You can look at your traffic ticket and if the law section does not match with what you are being charged with, then BOOM, your ticket is dismissed. Whether or not you live in California, I recommend this book to all motorists.
Rating: 
Summary: It worked for me!
Review: After 10 years without a ticket,I recieved 5 moving violations in a four month period. Aside from seriously re-thinking my vehicle choice(I had purchased a fast car)and modifiying my driving habits, I had a real possibility of losing my driving priviledge. Additionally I was faced with a stiff insurance hike at best and at worst, insurance cancellation. A friend reccomended "Fight your ticket...and win" so I ordered it and started reading.I am a results 0riented kind of guy, so let me share with all the final "score". First ticket: Traffic school no points on record no insurance increase. Second ticket: Plead not guilty. Went to trial and lost the case. No insurance increase but recieved a warning letter from my insurance company informing me that any further incidents could result in a rate increase. The pressure was on!. Third Ticket: Plead not guilty. Officer no show at trail, case dismissed! Fourth Ticket: Plead not guilty. Found NOT guilty at the trial! Fifth ticket: Plead not guilty. Officer no show at trail case dismissed! Needless to say I reccomend this book to anyone that wants to fight "city hall" and win. The book was easy to understand and written in a way that a lay person like myself didn't get lost.
Rating: 
Summary: Your best option is to fight it!
Review: First off, everyone makes at least a couple of traffic mistakes (most of them harmless) every time he/she gets behind the wheel. It is just the unfortunate ones who get caught and receive tickets. This is why I believe no one should ever just pay an expensive ticket without knowing the options available.
What I've learned from this book AND from experience in court:
NEVER EVER pay a ticket without going to see a judge first. If you didn't run a red light or passed a flashing school bus (non-reducable offenses), you WILL get your fine reduced when you see a judge and plead guilty!
If it's your first ticket, you should fight it anyways and save your traffic school option for another time (this is good when your insurance rate does not increase with only 1 point on your record).
If you choose to fight:
You risk losing and getting a point on your DMV record, BUT...
There is a good chance the officer won't show up for the trial if you keep filing extensions at the traffic window. This does take a lot of your time (I got my trial date 4 months after the day I got the ticket after visiting the window 2 times). There is a lower chance the officer will show up if the trial date is as far apart from the ticket date as possible. My officer didn't show up as did 2 other officers that day.
Once you've received a court date, use this book to learn how to write a request for more information from the officer about the ticket he gave you. Do this as soon as possible! This is how you can get the trial dismissed if the officer does not respond to your request, which you will learn, they often don't respond.
If you have trouble speaking in court, you probably shouldn't worry. The judge, if you get a good one, will usually ask the officer questions on your behalf. My judge was very thorough with the officers and spent a long time asking them questions before he decide on the defendant's fate. Therefore, if you really have a good case, chances are, you can win!
There is valuable information in this book and if you can't afford to buy it, check it out a your local library. It's a must-have, even if you don't plan on fighting in court. It's better just to be informed about the state's legal practices, especially when you're involved.
Rating:
Summary: My case was dismissed
Review: I used this book fighting my speeding ticket when the officer used radar. I can't speak for how the book's methods would perform with other kinds of infractions. The book teaches you how to use the process of informal discovery properly to get the information the officer will bring against you in court. IF he decides to show up for your case, chances are he won't have done all the work he would need to do to prepare for your case. More than likely he won't come, or as in my case he just didn't respond to my informal discovery request which is against the law for him to do, therefore the case was dropped. It teaches you how to document your case well, and to effectively make a lot of work for the officer to do BEFORE he even reaches court. You should know however that fighting a ticket is time consuming. I spent a total of 10 hours (over the course of several weeks) sending letters, and writing my motion to the judge. The book tells you what and how to do every step all along the way. The bottom line is that my ticket was dismissed and I got my money back. More importantly my insurance didn't go up. I actually used the "trial by written declaration" option. I did this because if you are found guilty you can always show up in person for a re-trial. Buy this book if you are fighting a California ticket, and if spending the time fighting it is worth it for you.
Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs up !
Review: I used this book to resolve two speeding citations I received in a span of two months. Both used radar as an element of the case. In both instances I was able to defend myself in a competent manner. There is great satifaction when the officer is present and the Judge addresses you and says, "Case dismissed, you are free to go."
Rating:
Summary: Useful book - for fighting all tickets,not just California's
Review: I will not trade this book for any other. This book teaches you how to create strategies for fighting any kind of citations, be it traffic or parking. It is geared towards California as it provides excerpts and citations from California Traffic Laws, BUT, traffic laws in other states are fairly similar (at least that's what I found in New York) so this book can be very useful in at least learning what kinds of strategies can work in your case. If you live in a non-California state, you do have to do some additional work besides what's taught in the book. For example, to write certain appeals or pleadings in which you must state laws and regulation numbers, you should find out what these law #s or Article #s are in your state. This should be fairly easy with today's use of the web. Another helpful feature of this book is the template letters / forms / pleadings in the back. For example, you have "informal discovery request" template, that you can cut out and use in California, or you can base your non-California pleading by seeing how the ones in this book are written. This book is categorized very well. You do not need to read through the whole book to find what you need for YOUR particular case. Be in DUI, radar speeding, or parking - you can find it easy using the Table of Contents in the Front. At last, the actual strategies that this book teaches you to challenge your tickets and prepare your appeals are VERY good. They give you a very good idea about what your chances of winning are. This book is indespensable, and not just for Californians! I always fight and win all my traffic / parking tickets, so I know. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Alina Uzilov / 2003
Rating:
Summary: June 19, 2003, Bad cop ! No donut !
Review: I WON !
If you get a traffic ticket, get this book. It's as good as a get out of jail free card! This would have saved me hundreds of dollars over the years had I known about it sooner, it's that good! Cops issue minor tickets costing hundreds, where only a warning should have been given. They do this for a reason... REVENUE. learn to beat them at their own game! The only thing is that you must have half a brain. You need to be able to read it, and then adapt it to your own situation. Also, do not prepare a half hour trial! The system is set up to get you in and out as fast as possible. Remember the show 'Night Court'?
Ask your questions, destroy the cop's evidence (and ego) and get out. Also remember, Cops show up less than half the time. If they don't, Your case is automatically dismissed!
Have fun with it, I did!
Rating:
Summary: June 19, 2003, Bad cop ! No donut !
Review: I WON !
If you get a traffic ticket, get this book. It's as good as a get out of jail free card! This would have saved me hundreds of dollars over the years had I known about it sooner, it's that good! Cops issue minor tickets costing hundreds, where only a warning should have been given. They do this for a reason... REVENUE. learn to beat them at their own game! The only thing is that you must have half a brain. You need to be able to read it, and then adapt it to your own situation. Also, do not prepare a half hour trial! The system is set up to get you in and out as fast as possible. Remember the show 'Night Court'?
Ask your questions, destroy the cop's evidence (and ego) and get out. Also remember, Cops show up less than half the time. If they don't, Your case is automatically dismissed!
Have fun with it, I did!
Rating:
Summary: My case was dismissed!!!
Review: My case was perfect example when this book really shines. I got a ticket for "unsafe turn", didn't violate any posted limits and it was all based on cop's subjective judgement. My first intention was to pay a fine and go to traffic school to clean up the point, but I didn't feel I was guilty and I was looking for some way to prove it. The problem was I didn't know what to do.
I bought this book and after a couple hours of reading, I had a clear picture of how the system works, what my rights are and what options I have. Very clear and complete picture.
Then I planned my defence, pled not guilty, scheduled a trial, went to court ready to fight and my cop (the only one out of many!) didn't show up. My case was dissmissed. So my story had a happy end.
Now back to the book. Before you decide to buy it, think if you really want to fight in court.
- If you've done something really bad and there is a risk to lose your license or get in jail, you probably need a lawyer anyway and the book won't help.
- You'll need a few hours just too read this book and more time to fight. If you simply pay the fine it will save time.
- Call your court clerk. In some courts if you lose in court , you're not eligible for traffic school. It may be cheaper in long run to pay and go to traffic school rather then lose your case and pay higher insurance rate for years.
- If cop was nice and gave you a decent ticket, keep in mind the amount can go up after trial.
- If you're getting too many tickets maybe you need to focus on learning how to driver safely instead of fighting the tickets.
If you decided to fight, this books tells you about your options, but don't expect magic. The cops typically know the tricks from this book and are well prepared. If you're guilty, in most cases expect to be punished, unless cop doesn't show up and you luck out. Decreasing the fine amount is realistic.
Basically this book teaches about the system and tells you what to do if the system is getting out of control and you're being treated unfairly. If you feel the cop was wrong or if it is your first ticket in many years - get this book. It does what it promises.
Also, please, drive safely!
Rating:
Summary: A must have if you're going to fight your ticket.
Review: Since this book was written by an attorney and not a police officer, it's strong on the courtroom end but somewhat weak on the traffic violation end of things. Because of that, I recommend getting this book AND Richard Wallace's "An Educated Guide to Speeding Tickets." Brown's and Wallace's books compliment each other - what one lacks, the other one has. Wallace's book goes into more detail on the different methods police use for judging your speed; what to say and what not to say when you're pulled over; different radar faults such as shadowing, bumping, and batching; and what a "tracking history" is. This is great stuff for planning a defense strategy in court. However, Wallace's book falters when it comes to legal details, and this is where Brown's "Fight Your Ticket in California" shines. It tells you about the forms you should use before going to court, like the "Informal Discovery Request" which allows you to request a copy of the officer's notes along with an engineering and traffic survey. Failure of the city to provide these documents (which is what usually happens) can result in dismissal of your case - something not even mentioned in Wallace's book. There is also a ton of advice on what to say in court, and when to say it. I just beat my radar speeding ticket in court today because the arresting officer failed to show up - even though I saw him in the parking lot just fifteen minutes before our court session started! Based on what I learned reading Wallace's book, I realized that the officer had a weak case. And because I sent an "Informal Discovery Request" to the city police department, the city attorney, and the district attorney as recommended in Brown's book, I believe that the officer realized that he would be up against someone who knew what he was doing, and thus he chose not to appear. Get this book, and Brown's book, spend a lot of time studying them and planning your defense, and you'll have a good chance of beating your ticket in court.
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