A moving violation may not send you to jail, but it can make a difference on your insurance rates and future driving privileges. When you get too many tickets on your driving record, it can affect your license and raise your insurance. Keeping a traffic ticket off your record could be the best thing for the future. Do you need a lawyer to help you fight a traffic ticket? Technically, no, you don’t. Will a lawyer help you find a better outcome? Yes, it’s possible.
What Do You Do About the Ticket?
You’ve gotten a traffic ticket. Your options are to pay the ticket without going to court. You can send in the fine to the court and plead nolo contendere, which means that you don’t contest the ticket. It’s like pleading guilty. That is probably the easiest option, but you do have others.
Some states let drivers take a driving class to keep a ticket off their driving record. You pay for the class, so it might cost you the same amount as the fine, give or take a few dollars. But the important thing is that the ticket doesn’t go on your record. Your insurance company may even accept the certificate from the driving school and give you a small discount on your insurance. It depends on your policy and company.
You can go to traffic court and try to fight the ticket. You can argue your case without a lawyer. Maybe there were extenuating circumstances. You can hope that the ticketing officer doesn’t appear in court that day. You can also argue that you have a higher risk of getting a ticket because you drive more than the average person, or over 15,000 miles per year. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the court would reduce your fine or even waive your ticket.
This is when a lawyer offers benefits. Your lawyer can help you find legal arguments that hold weight with the court. Technicalities, such as the ticket not being filled out accurately, could void the ticket completely. A lawyer can help you find the technicality that would help your case.
Weigh Your Options
Traffic offenses that carry more points than a speeding ticket should be considered more serious. If you’re facing long-term consequences, such as that with a DUI, you may want to consider having a lawyer on your side to protect your rights and to find the best outcome. Contact a traffic lawyer in Fairfax, VA, like from May Law, LLP, about your situation.
