[SLVRSRFR]

Forgive me if I'm saying things that have already been said, or offering advice that has already been offered. I kind of skimmed through the first 3 pages of the thread so I might be repeating things here.

First of all, being hard on yourself and bashing yourself the way you are in your initial post is not going to help anything. Did you screw up? Yes, without a doubt. Should you not ever do anything like that ever again? Absolutely. But brow-beating yourself and calling yourself names like that speaks to a deeper self-esteem issue. I was like you when I was that age and having that kind of attitude toward yourself, despite what happened, is not healthy. Shit happens, you deal with it, and life goes on. Hopefully, as others have already said, you learn from your mistakes and grow as a person. To err is human, after all.

I, like everyone else in here, was young once too, and did some very stupid shit in motor vehicles. I have had Careless Driving pinned on me THREE times in my relatively short driving career so far, two of which were honestly undeserved, and was just the cop giving me Careless because he really had nothing else to give me (as TCoat mentioned, it's kind of a "blanket" ticket that they use when there's nothing else to charge you with), but one of which was completely and totally my fault.

What I can tell you, is that not a single one of those three charges stuck.

First thing you should do; TALK TO A PARALEGAL!! X-Coppers, Pointts, whatever. One of those places that specializes in traffic tickets. Usually they will offer you a free consultation, and most places won't make you pay unless they successfully get your charges dropped or reduced. Be completely and totally honest with them, and get their opinion on whether you stand a chance to get the charge reduced (I doubt you would be able to have it dropped in your instance, based on what you've shared with us). The fine sucks, but that's the least of your worries. At the very least, you should try to get the charge reduced to at least eliminate some of the demerit points, as that is what will really hurt you in the long run when it comes to insurance.

Two of my charges got knocked down to lesser charges with smaller fines and less points, and one of my charges was dropped completely. So there's really nothing to lose here. If it could potentially save you thousands of dollars in the long run for insurance, the $400 or $500 the paralegal will charge you will be worth it. What they hope for is that most people who receive a Careless charge will simply suck it up and pay the fine, but from what I've experienced, and what I've heard from other people who have experienced the same thing, it's an easy ticket to get reduced unless you were being a complete fucking moron, in which case they probably would have charged you with Dangerous instead.

Give yourself a smack on the head and learn from your mistakes, and get your chin up. Your life is not over, you are NOT the biggest idiot in the world. You are a young person who did something that most young people will do; this is life, and this is how you learn. Welcome to adulthood.

Good luck.