The Blue Light Special How To Fight Speeding Ticket
I know what you are thinking. It’s only two points and $75 and you’re already lucky because you followed the advice in Part 1 and the officer already reduced the traffic ticket. You’re wanting to send in your money and forget the whole thing. WRONG! Any blemish on your driving record can be costly. Insurance companies and employers will access your driving record (MVR) for the past three years. Any speeding ticket can make a difference in your insurance rates or in being qualified to drive a company vehicle. A four-point offense could cost you as much as three thousand dollars in extra insurance premiums! That is why it is important that you always fight a speeding ticket. A lot can happen in three years which is how long this citation will stay on your record. Wait until about two weeks before your trial date and send the judge a certified letter return receipt stating that you wish to plead “not guilty” and are requesting a jury trial, if available in your state. Ask that he advise you of the date and time of your trial. Judges and the police hate jury trials. It can take up a lot of their time especially when they have many more important cases than your speeding ticket. In a small town they may not want to select a jury because they can’t find six people that haven’t been caught in the same “revenue trap.” You may get lucky and never hear from them again. If you do receive notice of your trial, wait until three weeks before that date and send another certified letter asking for a continuance. You will need a legitimate reason such as being required by your employer to be out of the state or that you have contracted a communicable disease. In both cases be very sure to verify that your trial date has been postponed. The next trial date is very important since you will not be granted another delay. It is now time for you to make some decisions about your case. Actually beating a speeding ticket in court is extremely difficult. In most cases it is just your word against the officer’s and you will be found guilty regardless of the true facts. You and I both know that you were probably speeding and that you don’t have a prayer in court. This means that it is down to deal time. Start by calling the officer directly. There is a large turnover in most departments. Since it is now twelve to sixteen months later the officer may have left the force. If not, he has forgotten all about you and your speeding ticket. Ask if he is willing to reduce the charge to one where there are no points, just a fine. If he is not willing then call the judge or ADA and make the same offer. There is one exception. If you are a CDL driver or the ticket is out of state be sure to check with your own state’s Drivers License Division before pleading guilty. Many drivers have been mislead because what is a no point violation in one state can be a four-point violation in your home state. There are also the new "serious" CDL violations that can lead to a license suspension and loss of your job for a truck driver. If you have been unable to work out a settlement or get approval for traffic school then give up and pay the fine if it will be no more than two points. Otherwise, it is in your best interest to hire an attorney. Under no circumstances should you go into traffic court by yourself.
This is a general article and traffic laws vary from state to state and are constantly changing. You should visit our Home Page to see if there is a page on the specific laws in your state. It is imperative that you do not miss any deadlines for appearing in court or for posting a bond. If you do the judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest and you could spend the weekend in jail. In addition you will be found guilty of the original speeding ticket with no appeal. Contact the clerk of court to verify the procedures in that jurisdiction and to check if your are eligible for traffic school. The court information will be found on your ticket. I hope that this series will be of benefit the next time you see that “Blue Light Special” coming up in your rear view. Remember that the best way to beat a speeding ticket is to obey the speed limit. Drive safe. This article is not legal advice and is intended only to provide general information about speeding tickets. If you need legal advice contact an attorney in your state.
Auto Insurance Secrets
Fight Your Speeding Ticket BooksThere are a lot of books online and in print that promise you can beat your ticket if you will just purchase their program, speeding ticket case dismissed, speeding ticket excuses or whatever. Most of these are a complete waste of money and only guaranteed to give the judge and officer a good laugh. I have reviewed almost all of these and can only recommend two. They are Fight Your Ticket and Win in California and Beat Your Ticket: Go To Court & Win by David Brown.Radar Detectors and Laser JammersPREVENT FUTURE TRAFFIC TICKETS Purchasing a quality radar detector and laser detector and learning how to use it can help prevent future traffic tickets. Click HERE to see our radar and laser detector recommendations.
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