Getting the occasional speeding ticket is an inevitable part of having a driver’s license, and as all women know, you’re busy going from one daily activity to another. Most people just pay the fine or sign up for traffic school and move on, with minimal long-term impact on their finances or driving record.
But if you’ve received multiple tickets in a short period, you should consider contacting a lawyer about the situation. A qualified traffic ticket attorney can help you avoid some of the pitfalls of excessive speeding tickets, including fines, insurance premium hikes, and driver’s license suspension.
1- Evidence Evaluation and Defense Strategies
If you only get the occasional speeding ticket, it might not be worth the time and effort to try to get it overturned based on faulty evidence or procedural violations by the officer. But if you’ve had excessive citations, a lawyer can investigate each and determine which of them might be able to be dismissed.
For instance, if the officer clocked your speed with a radar gun that hadn’t been properly calibrated or didn’t follow the proper procedure when issuing your citation, you may have grounds to get the ticket thrown out.
Some drivers think they can go to court and fight a ticket on their own. Unfortunately, this strategy rarely works out, as the officer almost always has more courtroom experience than the average driver. A seasoned traffic attorney has the expertise to identify weaknesses in the officer’s case.
2- Potential Penalties and Consequences
The potential penalties and consequences of a single speeding ticket usually aren’t so bad. Sure, there’s a fine involved, and you might get a couple of points on your license, but over the long run, it shouldn’t affect you too badly.
If you’ve had multiple tickets over a short period, such as a single year, however, the consequences can be much more severe. For one thing, many states have graduated fine structures for traffic citations, meaning each subsequent ticket is more expensive than the last.
Insurance companies also tend to be much more forgiving of a single transgression than a pattern of violations. Racking up multiple speeding convictions in a year almost always results in a substantial premium hike. You might even get dropped by your insurer and have to buy “high-risk” coverage, which is very costly.
Finally, depending on your state, you can even have your license suspended if you accumulate enough points on your license in a calendar year. A lawyer can help protect you against all of these consequences.
3- Impact on Insurance and Driving Record
Excessive tickets can impact your driving record with both the state and your insurance company. In addition to raising your premiums, a record littered with violations can inconvenience you in other ways. It can make it harder to rent a car, get a side job driving for Uber or Lyft, or pass a background check or security clearance.
That’s why it’s a good idea to consult with a lawyer to make sure your speeding tickets don’t have unexpected consequences down the road. It’s important to fix this problem as soon as possible, and using a lawyer is your best solution.
