How much did it cost to get dismissed from a $205 parking ticket?
$7.62 – developed film of parking space
$77 – missed hours of work times wage that I could have earned in the meantime
$78.00 – trips to and from downtown (cost according to AAA)
$3.00 – trips to Wal-mart to develop film (cost according to AAA)
(and 3 hours of my time talking to judge/peace officer)
*equals*
$165.62
or according to IRS:
$7.62 – developed film of parking space
$77 – missed hours of work times wage that I could have earned in the meantime
$2.16 – trips to Wal-mart to develop film (cost according to IRS)
$56.16 – trips to and from downtown (cost according to IRS)
(and 3 hours of my time talking to judge/peace officer)
*equals*
$145.94
What do according to IRS or AAA mean? Well, the IRS normally reimburses about $.36/mile for car travel expenses to businesses. This includes gas, insurance, future maintenance, etc. AAA ups this to about $.50/mile.
What did I gain from this? Well, I now know approximately how much it costs to get a ticket dismissed. This one was worth it being that I would have had to fork over $205 that I don’t have. The judge or whatever they call her said that because I brought photos of the side of the actual road where I was illegally parked she would dismiss the ticket. There are obviously some people who have tried to pull a fast one on her and because I was honest she recognized that I wasn’t trying to play games. I’m not admitting that I’m innocent; I’m admitting that I did not see the handicapped sign. And there were many legitimate reasons why I didn’t see the sign.
Does this mean that you shouldn’t bother if your ticket only costs $15 or so? Not necessarily. I had to make two separate trips to see this judge because she wanted evidence. I also had to go to the parking spot to photograph that evidence. I took a total of 29 pictures and gave about 20 of them to the judge for her to look for herself. After amounting extremely good evidence, she was more tolerable and persuasive. If you are absolutely going to lose the case, go plead for a reduction in the amount of the ticket. Many times they will help you out in some form. And it’s always fun to take on the law when you know you have a solid case.
