You got a traffic ticket. Its the first time you have broken the law. And you don’t know whether you should pay the ticket and take the points or fight this ticket – with the help of a traffic lawyer – in court to keep your record clean.
For states and cities, traffic violations are an easy means to fill empty coffers. Modern technology makes it easy to find minor violations and send a ticket automatically.
Insurance companies are also increasing surcharges on licenses with points on the grounds of dissuading drivers from violating traffic laws.
Keeping all these points in mind, it’s advisable to hire an attorney to fight your ticket in traffic court. The immediate cost far outweighs the overall cost of the violation.
Here are some factors that will help you understand how an attorney will help you in traffic court.
1. It saves time
Attending court and fighting your case is a time-consuming affair.
This is equally troublesome for working and non-working people.
A traffic lawyer knows the courtroom where the case is presented. They know the judge who will preside over your case. That frees you of the ordeal of finding the courtroom, paying court fees, and all the other complications of fighting your case.
An attorney will present your case on your behalf and allow you to attend to other pressing matters.
2. A traffic lawyer will advise on the best course of action
Let’s say you intend to fight the ticket in court. However, looking at the ticket, an experienced attorney will tell you whether it is in your best interest to fight the ticket in court or not.
That said, a plea bargain is another excellent way to get the fine and accompanying punishment reduced.
As a defendant, you are not experienced enough to know when to enter into a (plea) bargain and when to fight in court.
A traffic lawyer will be able to better guide you on which course of action is best.
3. Experience
A traffic lawyer handles dozens of briefs daily.
They are way more experienced than an individual contesting their first traffic violation.
They can tell whether the ticket can be dismissed, the fine reduced, or whether the ticket needs to be paid in full.
This allows the client to make an informed decision about whether to fight the ticket or pay the fine.
4. Economics
The word attorney paints a picture in people’s minds of a massive bill at the end.
Today, that scenario is changing. In the past, a traffic ticket would cost you a fine and some points on your record.
On the contrary, today traffic tickets mean fine amounts for the city, surcharges for the county, then some more taxes for the state. These two, when combined, often exceed the total ticket amount.
On the insurance front, points on your license for the next two to three years leads to higher surcharges that you will pay for the next two to three years.
This means that a traffic citation will cost you heavily for the next two to three years. On the other hand, a lawyer’s fee gives the defendant a chance to clean their record as well as saving money in the long run.
5. A traffic lawyer has regular exposure to the court
Any traffic lawyer that deals with ticket violations will have a friendly adversarial relationship with the Prosecutor’s Office. They meet these people daily. They know whether they will pursue a ticket or settle for a (plea) bargain.
The same holds for traffic court judges.
They know whether a judge is unusually strict about speeding violations. They know whether the judge will go easy on a first time offender who has an otherwise clean record.
6. Prosecutor’s Leniency
When a case is taken on by an experienced traffic lawyer, the prosecution is aware that the defendant cannot be badgered.
What is badgering? This is when the same question is asked again and again, and the defendant makes a mistake in answering the question due to the repetitive nature of the questioning.
Another benefit of a traffic lawyer representation is that the prosecution will not ask for a harsher punishment than required.
It has been proven that where defendants are represented – in traffic violation cases – by an attorney, penalties were reduced as compared to the cases where defendants represented themselves.
Conclusion
Traffic lawyer help for a traffic violation may seem excessive at first; nonetheless, the overall benefits far outweigh the initial cost.
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