The Right To Defend Yourself After a Traffic Ticket
Let’s say you’ve been pulled over by an officer and he or she accuses you of a traffic violation. After perhaps an unsuccessful attempt at talking yourself out of a ticket, you may be wondering whether you should try to fight it further. Even if you can afford to pay the ticket and move on, you may have points added to your driving record and an increase in your insurance rates.
You are entitled to defend yourself, so you must take every opportunity to do exactly that.If you decide to fight the ticket, the officer who issued it to you will have to show up in court and provide evidence for your conviction. The officer has to explain to the judge why there is good reason to accuse you of violating a traffic law. If they fail to do that, the judge may dismiss the ticket or reduce it greatly. If the officer doesn’t show up, it may be rescheduled for a different date or the judge will dismiss the charges against you.
Paying a ticket is essentially the same thing as admitting you did commit what the officer claims when writing the citation. However, if you ask for a hearing, there may be other options that lead to a lesser offense or don’t cause points to be added to your driving record. The reasons for fighting a ticket vastly outweigh the reasons not to, especially with your money and driving record at risk.
As our Traffic Ticket Attorney would also suggest, learning more about your options in fighting a ticket can help you decide whether it’s worth your time and energy to do so.
