Trial by Declaration

[David N.]

It's a method of trial for traffic tickets that exists in certain states. You request it during arraignment instead of a normal trial or traffic school. You just write up in you side of the story in a document and send it to the court. The officer is then pressed to write his or her own side of the story, and the judge looks at both and makes a decision.

It's a good first step if you want to skip lawyer fees or aren't so good at defending yourself in person (or if your schedule is just really busy). If you lose it, you can always request a real trial afterwards.