You’re pretty sure that you didn’t run that last traffic light (as every perp always is), but here you are, receiving a ticket. You can hardly conceal your anger and bewilderment.
Now, however, is not the time to have an emotional breakdown. There will be plenty of time for that when you get home and start considering all of your options.
Because, knowing what you know, there’s no way you’re paying this traffic ticket. As a matter of fact, you’re already on the phone with a traffic ticket lawyer, prepared to go dispute your ticket.
At least, we assume you are.
And if you’re not? Well, we’ve got a whole lot of reasons why you should be chatting it up with a lawyer. Stick around to find out what they are.
You Can Get a Free Consultation
Some of you are probably thinking that you could never afford to hire a lawyer for something as small as a traffic ticket. Further still, some of you are probably concerned about what will happen if you don’t win your case.
Generally speaking, you don’t have to worry about these things. You can get a free consultation in many cases, which means that you’ll get a good idea of how likely you beating your ticket is before you commit to anything.
Of course, you’ll still have to pay your lawyer. As you’ll find out later, however, sometimes paying the lawyer is preferable to some of the other things that could happen as a result of your traffic ticket.
Your Ticket Contains False Info
Sometimes an officer makes mistakes when writing a ticket. We’d wager that most of these mistakes are accidental. Some officers, though, occasionally falsify information for one reason or another.
Regardless of why your ticket contains false info, you can take legal action. If you’re not sure that some of the info on your ticket is faulty, you can meet with a traffic ticket lawyer and ascertain whether or not you’ve got a decent case.
If you and your lawyer come to find out that there is indeed false info on the ticket, we encourage you to pursue justice. You don’t, after all, want a stain that you didn’t earn on your traffic record.
You Had Prior Traffic Offenses
Maybe you don’t have a prior traffic offense, in which case we congratulate you. If you do, though, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Plenty of people speed or run stop signs, so you’re not more unethical than the average driver.
In any case, you might want to fight your current traffic ticket because you’ve had those priors. As some of you may know, those traffic offenses can cause you a lot of stress in other areas of your life.
Your car insurance, for instance, is directly affected your driving record. You don’t want to add any more offenses to your not-so-spotless record since you could end up paying higher rates.
Your driving record can also affect your ability to get jobs in the future. If there are several violations on your record, employers will grill you about those, especially if your record is extremely relevant to the job you’re applying for.
The Amount Due Can Be Negotiated
As we talked about before, hiring a lawyer can be pricey. For this reason, some people would rather pay their traffic tickets than hire a traffic ticket lawyer.
And, if these people don’t have any priors or stand to get into real trouble, we completely understand.
Still, there are plenty of traffic offenses which come with hefty fines. We’re not talking about regular speeding tickets here. We’re thinking more along the lines of speeding in construction zones and things of that nature.
in these serious cases, getting a lawyer is definitely worth your time and money. A lawyer can negotiate a lower fine, which is in your best interest.
Depending on where you live, you’ll have nice chances of beating your ticket. Drivers who fight tickets in D.C., for example, reportedly fare very well.
The Charge Can Be Negotiated
Just like amount due can be negotiated, the charge itself can also be negotiated. This is especially important for those of you who have prior offenses on your record.
You should note, though, that when we say “negotiate,” we mean just that. Your traffic ticket lawyer will sit down with the prosecuting attorney and try to agree on a less severe charge.
In other words, your charge isn’t necessarily going away.
Even so, a lesser charge is still preferable to the charge you would have originally received. Though it will still look bad on your driving record, it won’t affect your insurance rates as much as the original charge. That’s still a huge win.
The Prosecuting Attorney Might Just Back Off
This tip is geared more towards the people who received traffic tickets for petty violations. These include things such as speeding and running red lights.
If your lawyer is cunning, he or she might play a cat-and-mouse game with the prosecuting attorney. To be exact, your lawyer could pretend that he or she has built a case which relies on strong evidence that makes you look less guilty than you are.
And just not disclose what this “strong” evidence is.
Believe it or not, sometimes the prosecuting attorney will back off if your lawyer huffs and puffs in this way. After all, pursuing a case which involves a speeding ticket is hardly worth a ton of effort in most cases. That prosecuting attorney would no doubt rather put energy into a more serious case.
As we mentioned earlier, though, this pretty much only works for minor traffic violations. If you’ve done something less forgivable, there is little chance of that prosecutor just letting you walk away.
Get a Traffic Ticket Lawyer Today
You can beat a traffic ticket. In order to do so, however, you need a good lawyer by your side. To be more exact here, you need a good traffic ticket lawyer, someone whose specializes in traffic violations, by your side.
Fortunately, you’re already on the right track to finding that lawyer. Hera at a LaSusa & Deb, we have lawyers who deal with cases involving traffic tickets.
If you’re in another type of legal bind, we can also be of use to you. Just contact us or pay us a visit so that we can get started on your case.
