3 Reasons You Should Fight Your Speeding Ticket In Court

Did you recently get a speeding ticket? If so, your first instinct may be to simply pay the ticket and get it behind you. However, if you do pay the ticket, you may have to pay a substantial amount of money in fines and you may get points on your driving record. That could increase your insurance premiums. Fortunately, you have options available. If you believe you weren't speeding, you can opt to go to court and argue your case before a judge. If you're successful, you could have the ticket thrown out and avoid any further penalties. Fighting the ticket, though, is only a good idea if you have a legitimate argument to make. Here are three signs that you may want to take your ticket to court:

The police officer's view was obstructed at any point during the ticketing process. Did you see the police officer the entire time from the moment they pulled out until you were pulled over? Or did something like a building, a bend in the road, or even construction temporarily block your view of the officer's car? This is important because if your view of the officer was obstructed, that also means that his or her view of you was obstructed as well.

If the officer didn't see you the whole time during the process, you can make the argument that he or she may have pulled over the wrong car by mistake. This is a legitimate argument in many courts since there are so many similar looking cars on the road. If you can use a map or photos to show where the obstruction of vision occurred, you may be able to convince a judge that the officer made a mistake.

The officer didn't use radar to track your speed. While police officers often use radar to record the speed of passing cars, that's not always what happens. An officer may be driving and may not have his or her radar in use when they spot you. In most states, officers can visually pace your car compared to other vehicles and estimate your speed. While they can use this methodology to write a ticket, there's no guarantee that it will hold up in court.

The officer should write their methodology on the ticket. If it's not radar and you believe the officer made a mistake, you may want to go to court and challenge a visual methodology. It's possible that the officer won't come to the hearing, in which case the ticket will likely be dismissed.

You were safely over the limit. In many states, you're actually allowed to drive over the limit as long as you are driving safely. If you're ticketed for only driving a few miles per hour over the limit, then you may be able to make the argument that you were still driving safely. That's especially true if there wasn't inclement weather and traffic wasn't heavy. If you can show that conditions were safe and your speed was consistent with surrounding traffic, you may have your ticket dismissed.

For more information, talk to an attorney who handles traffic tickets. They may be able to identify other ways to challenge your ticket.

For professional legal help, contact a law firm such as Hornthal Riley Ellis & Maland LLP.

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