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First of all, NTA does NOT condone speeding or breaking the law in any way, shape, or form.

In 2010, these same tickets could cost you your job. Prosecutors and judges don't want you to read this because they simply can't handle the case load if you fight your ticket. Just take a look at the California court system; it is closed one day a month until June 2010. Some Superior Courts, including those in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, have already trimmed operations. The closures will be treated as a holiday, and litigants will receive an extra day toward meeting legal deadlines.

Also, for those do-it-yourself drivers you can learn how to 1) give the judge no choice but to dismiss your case, 2) learn the one piece of evidence to ask for in court, that the prosecution never brings, 3) learn how to have a laser ticket thrown out of court over 90% of the time based on a technicality, and 4) learn how you can speed over the limit legally and 5) an ingenious way to prevent the man from going to court.

Back in June 1998, I wrote about the leading legal plans out there for drivers. With the advent of CSA 2010, drivers will have no other alternative but to fight their tickets to keep their safety rating down. Today's drivers have a choice of either getting into a legal plan or for those adventurous, they can go the old do-it-yourself route.

This article will cover these aspects as well as How to get Someone Else to Pay for Your Next Speeding Ticket!

How to Fight a Speeding Ticket yourself

Speeding tickets can be quite costly. They not only come with a very large fine, but they also raise your insurance premiums and your SafeStat Driver Measurement Summary under CSA 2010. Did you know that you can fight your speeding ticket and at least receive a lesser charge that doesn't result in points on your record? The lesser charge will also come with a smaller fine. This is the same strategy that legal plan attorneys use.  The worst that can happen is the judge denies your claim and you are stuck with the speeding ticket. But if you read on, I can show you where you can get somebody else to pay the fine.

Legal Plans and What You Get!

First of all, you may ask what are they and how do they work? Legal plans work like an HMO: you pay a little each month so that, when you need help, you don't have to pay all at once. A simple ticket can escalate to three times the original basic fine and, with added penalties and court costs, can add up to 45% or more. Europe has had prepaid legal plans for nearly 40 years and about 50% of Europeans have them.

A typical plan costs anywhere from $13.50 per month to as much as $70- $80 per month, so read the fine print. What I mean is that when they say the charge is only a small weekly fee, remember every third month there is an extra week. So ALWAYS multiply any weekly fee by 4.33. For example, a $17.00 weekly fee really is $73.61 a month.

There are not as many legal plans still around since my last article back in 1998. But what I have discovered is one very good organization for the do-it-yourself driver and another company that was designed by trucking company executives who recognized the entire picture of their driver's plight and the detrimental effect of their safety profiles.

Legal Plans

Since I don't trust any company, I try to do my due diligence. I check a number of places on the internet such as the Better Business Bureau, Complaints.com, Ripoff.com, The truckersreport.com, Mediamoogle.com, Pyramidschemealert.org, Businessweek.com, Newsok.com, Stanford Law School - Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, and Consumeraffairs.com, the Federal Trade Commission and the various offices of Attorney Generals just to name a few.

For the Do-it-Yourself Driver.

1) The National Motorists Association (NMA) was founded in 1982 to represent and protect the interest of North American motorists. Their membership for a single person starts at $35.00 per year. They are one of the prime reasons the government repealed the mandatory 55 mph highway speed limits back in 1995.

The NMA encourages people to challenge the use of traffic enforcement for revenue gathering purposes by challenging every traffic ticket in court. They will provide you with a legal Defense Kit and plenty of one on one consultation on how to go to court and win. To promote this, the NMA Traffic Justice Program offers to pay for those NMA members who challenge their speeding tickets in court and are subsequently found guilty.

I have searched the internet far and wide and can find NO complaints of any kind against this organization.

For the Part Time Do-it-Yourself Driver.

The following also receives a Good Rating because it has an Accredited A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau since 1994. Most importantly the BBB processed a total of only two complaints in the last 3 years and both complaints were addressed by the company and they were all resolved. This was the least number of complaints that I found.

2) Jim Klepper is an Attorney and is Founder and President of Interstate Trucker Ltd. There are NO MONTHLY DUES and NO MEMBERSHIP FEES. And just as important, it is actually run by lawyers instead of by a bunch of salespeople like the other legal plans. At Interstate Trucker, if you get a ticket, you simply call them, tell them what the ticket is for and what court it is in. Interstate Trucker will then give you a Flat Fee to represent you in court. It's as simple as that!

For those of you who are simply too busy to fight your own tickets, Klepper and his group started the Drivers Legal Plan, where you just pay $13.50 per month and a FLAT FEE of $100 to represent you in court.

NTA, Inc. is available to members only. If you're not a member, join now. The NTA, Inc. is a nationwide association established to provide services, benefits and information to private fleets, trucking companies and owner-operators. We are the only association that provides our members with more FREE services and benefits than any other. For more information or details call (562) 630-7637 in California or 800 805-0040 toll free. You can e-mail me at wayne@ntassoc.com.