Today (August 21st) the MSN website included an article on Traffic Ticket Myths. It's worth reading ...
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...cketMyths.aspx
The myth that I see most often on this forum is about refusing to sign the traffic ticket.
Signing is not an admission of guilt, merely acknowledging that you received the ticket and promising that you will appear in court on the scheduled date.
If you refuse to sign (or you add words that indicate that you really won't show up in court on the scheduled date) the cop can take you in right then and there and you'll be in a courtroom within a few hours. And having indicated that you don't take the court date seriously may be interpreted by the judge that you won't take a mild punishment seriously either.