The way it works here in Mid-Michigan:

For most local traffic offenses (and I think that's what we're talking about here) you either mail in your money or the courts will assign you a date for a traffic hearing. (I.E. all of Officer Friendly's cases for last week will be on Tuesday at 9:00 am.) You show up, and you and the officer both make your cases. The officer will usually win, unless the charges are clearly preposterous, like 65mph going uphill on your bicycle. BUT... if the officer doesn't show, you plead 'not guilty' and with no testimony against you, charges will be dismissed. This is actually quite likely to happen, especially if you're the only one on Officer Friendly's list who is contesting the tickets he wrote.

I disagree that the ticket should go against your driver's license because you'd probably do the same thing in your car. In this country we don't convict based on what someone *might* do.