Car Accident Lawyer

Imagine this scenario. You’ve gotten a traffic ticket. The officer told you that you’ll need to go to court or pay the ticket. What should you do next? Instead of dealing with it later, take a few minutes to determine your next steps. Put the court date in your calendar and set a couple of reminders. This ticket won’t go away. If you forget to show up in court or to pay it, you’ll find yourself facing even more penalties.

Take some time to make notes about the circumstances of getting the ticket while it’s fresh in your mind. Write down weather and driving conditions. Go back to the site. Take pictures of the speed limit signs or construction zone. Make sure that the ticket has the right laws that were violated. In some states, a mistake on the ticket could be enough for a dismissal, but not always.

Should You Pay the Ticket?

The easiest way to deal with the ticket is to just remit payment. Most courts allow you to pay your ticket online, but you can also take a check to the court clerk or mail it in. Check your ticket for the address and date that the court needs to receive the payment. While this is the simplest thing to do, it’s not always the best thing. If it’s your first ticket, you may be able to get the ticket discharged if you attend a traffic school, which keeps it off your record. You may not want any points on your record, especially if you have a CDL or driver commercially, because your insurance could go up. You have to decide what fits your needs best.

Should You Fight the Ticket?

If you believe you got the ticket unfairly or want to try and contest the ticket, you’re going to need a good strategy. You can’t use the argument that you didn’t know the law or that everyone was going over the speed. Don’t expect the judge to cancel your ticket if you give a sob story. In some cases, the ticket may be dismissed if the officer doesn’t show up to court. Again, you shouldn’t count on that.

The best defense is often an evidentiary technicality. If you were caught speeding, you may be able to question the reliability of the speed measuring device. If you got a photo traffic ticket for running a red light, you may be able to say that there is no one who can testify to seeing you run the red light. The officer who wrote the ticket is relying on evidence from a machine that can’t testify.

Talk to a criminal offenses attorney in DC about your situation to take the right steps for the best outcome.

Thanks to The Law Firm of Frederick J. Brynn, P.C. for their insight into criminal law and traffic tickets.