Tips for Fighting a Speeding Ticket in Court

26 March 2020
 Categories: Law, Blog

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Do you feel like you were given an unjustified speeding ticket? If so, you should fight it in court. Here are some tips for facing a judge to dispute your speeding ticket. 

Hope the Officer Doesn't Show

Know that there is always a chance that the officer will not show up to your court date. If this happens, then your case will be dismissed and you won't have to pay the fine. While your defense shouldn't hinge on this happening, know that this is a possibility that can work in your favor.

Use Dashcam Footage

Do you have a dashcam set up in your vehicle? This could be the key to help defend yourself from a traffic ticket. For example, you could say that you were simply going with the flow of traffic as your defense. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to prove that if it is your word against the officer's. Having dashcam footage during the time you were pulled over can help show what the surrounding traffic was like at the time. If you were going slower than other vehicles or they were keeping up the same pace, then you can justify your speed by saying that you were keeping up with surrounding traffic. 

Justify Your Reason

If you had a good reason for speeding, it is worth telling the judge what was happening at the time so that a neutral party can listen to your justification. While this does not guarantee that your ticket gets dismissed, it could help justify your actions and lower the fine that you have to pay. For example, if you were traveling somewhere quickly due to an emergency where time was of the essence, a judge may hear your case and sympathize with your situation. 

Some other reasons for speeding that you could use are if you are passing somebody and needed to go above the speed limit to do so, or were traveling downhill and did dot realize how fast you were going. While you were still technically breaking the law, it could be a good reason to have the ticket dismissed.

Use Your Driving Record

If you are older and never had a speeding ticket before, it is possible that your excellent driving record could be enough to justify having the ticket be dismissed. Just be honest with the judge and apologize for your actions. You may be surprised at how lenient they will be in this situation.

Not sure if you can beat that speeding ticket alone? Hire a speeding ticket attorney to help fight it for you.