A Canadian's random thoughts on personal finance

Jan 6, 2009

Thanks, Larry!

On October 27, Larry McDonald posted an article on saving money by defending yourself against traffic tickets, rather than paying an agent several hundred dollars to represent you.

The following evening, I was pulled over by a policeman and given a number of tickets for administrative matters. I can't be too specific, but it was a pretty expensive evening. Worst of all, the convictions would disqualify me for my current hallowed status with my car insurance provider, and would lead to increased premiums for years to come. This seemed manifestly unfair to me, since I believe my poor administrative skills have no bearing whatsoever on my actuarial risk.

My first thought was not to take chances: to hire an agent to represent me and get the convictions dropped; but after reading Larry's article, I decided to go it alone.

Early in January, I attended my appointment with the prosecutor, and with a wave of her pen, my life got a whole lot easier.

I saved myself four convictions, three demerit points, and over $500 in fines, all at no cost besides my time.

Thanks, Larry!