I got a traffic ticket for following too close during rush hour traffic in Los Angeles. Can I fight it?

So it's basically your word against a cop... Yeah you can fight it by first apologizing to the court for waisting their time and tell the judge you honestly didn't think you were tail gaiting but you would do better next time... he will probably lower or throw out the ticket.. however if you argue it strongly with the judge and say the cop was mistaken the judge may make you pay the amount the ticket was for and become upset with you. For some reason the court loves a quick apology and it will win a little sympathy... but if its a cops word against yours and you decide to fight it strongly..... good luck.

You can fight it, but you must consider can you be successful in the fight? Is it worth it?

Fight it. They call it bumper to bumper traffic for a reason.

I work on Ventura too. lol. How can you NOT be bumper to bumper on Ventura Bl.? Yes you can fight it & I would think you have a good chance considering what a busy street that is, especially when it's used as an alternate to the 101. Take as much helpful info with you to court as you can. Maybe take a picture of Ventura Blvd. during rush hour. Try to fight it, if you don't win, you're no worse off. Plus sometimes the cops don't show, but don't count on just that. Good Luck! P.S. you don't need an attorney just to fight a ticket. It's just you the judge & the cop (if he shows up). There's no prosecuting attorney that's gonna question you on the witness stand or anything like that. It's not like a trial.

Tailgating is considered following so close that you would be unable to stop safely if the vehicle in front of you stopped suddenly. If you were traveling at a relatively slow speed, then you wouldn't need very much distance to stop safely. If you were going slow, then you might have a chance in court. If you were traveling say, 40 or 50mph, and were less than one or two car lengths from the car in front of you, you would probably lose in court.

You can fight it. But if you were tailgating, take it as a lesson. People cant stand tailgaters.

Will it really be worth paying an attorney $300 per hr or more to fight a ticket? If it is, you have too much time and too much money on your hands. Pay the fine and learn something.

When you allow 1 car length for every 10 mph,as you should, someone always slides in between. Fight it, over half the time the policeman does not show up. Case dismissed!

Stop fighting the police. When they pull you over, apologize, admit you were wrong and say you won't do it again. It works like a charm and will get you out of tickets. Fighting only ensures you a ticket.