Been pulled over lately? Here are some tips on minimizing or eliminating your traffic fines—without going to court.

The last thing any driver wants to see is flashing red and blue lights in their rearview mirror. Unfortunately, by the time you do it’s probably too late: the officer has already made up his or her mind to ticket you. If you do end up with a citation, follow these tips to write a letter that will save you time and money.

(Please note: this advice does not apply to DWIs, DUIs, or any felony level traffic violation. You must appear in court to plead a felony case.)

Don't go to court.

In most cases, you are allowed to mail your ticket in lieu of appearing in court. The address of the courthouse with jurisdiction over the area where you were cited will appear on the ticket. Take advantage of this allowance to save yourself a trip—and in most cases, an entire evening of time. Traffic courts hear cases from people with lawyers first. Since you probably won’t hire a lawyer to defend your broken taillight, no matter how early you arrive to sign up you’ll still have to wait.

You must enter a plea of guilty in order to mail in your ticket. If you truly feel you are not guilty, you should go ahead and keep the court appointment. But come on; you know you were speeding, or your headlight really was broken. Entering a guilty plea does not mean you will have to pay the fine. It simply means you’re acknowledging your mistake.

Write a letter.

When you mail your ticket in, include a letter of explanation outlining the circumstances behind the violation. If you have a good reason—or even an almost-good reason—for whatever happened, tell them about it. The opening of your letter should be Dear Honorable Judge. State the reason you’re writing (I received the enclosed ticket on such-and-such date in the town of [Town]...), and then move on to the explanation (I was running late and had to get to an important meeting, I completely forgot my inspection was overdue...). Be honest. Traffic violations are nearly always honest mistakes, and most judges understand this. If this is your first ticket, mention that you have no previous record. Also, if the officer was unnecessarily rude to you, mention it as well. Police officers are trained to make traffic stops as unpleasant an experience as possible, as most people seem to believe traffic laws aren’t “real” laws and can therefore be disregarded. Prove to the judge that you generally obey traffic laws, and he will be lenient.

If it's broke...fix it.

If the citation was for a physical or correctable problem such as non-working headlights or taillights, expired inspection or registration, disconnected muffler or the like, get the problem fixed and then either photocopy the repair bill or photograph the repaired portion of the car. Try to get the license plate in the picture for proof that the car is really yours. In most cases, once you prove you’ve taken care of the problem, the ticket will be dismissed and you will pay nothing.

For speed violations, follow the steps to write a letter of explanation, but expect to pay a mandatory court surcharge, usually around $35. However, if you write a convincing and sincere letter, you can normally escape additional fines and no points will be added to your license. In any case, the judge’s final decision is mailed to you from the court, and any fines leveled against you can be once again sent by mail.

Short of not being pulled over in the first place, this method is your best bet for escaping heavy fines and points against your license. Drive happy!