Speeding tickets are one of the most common violations that drivers get charged with. Not only do they carry hefty fines, but they also add points to your driving record that can lead to higher car insurance rates. The good news is, there are ways to avoid getting a speeding ticket. The most important thing is to know the laws of your state and follow them. In addition to knowing your driving laws, there are a number of legal strategies that can help you fight and win a Speeding ticket case.
One of the most important things to remember is that a police officer needs to have probable cause to pull you over. Probable cause means that the officer has evidence that you were actually speeding. This evidence could include radar data, an independent witness or video footage. It’s important to have this evidence because, without it, the police officer would not have the legal basis to pull you over in the first place.
Another trick to beat a speeding ticket is to not look like you are going fast. This might seem strange, but it can be effective. You can do this by driving approximately the same speed as the vehicles around you on roads and highways. This will help to prevent you from appearing to be a speeding target because police officers are looking for cars that are going noticeably faster than surrounding traffic.
Be careful when using this strategy though because it can backfire. If you drive too slow, the police officer might assume that you are admitting that you were speeding and decide to give you a ticket anyway.
There are a few other tricks to try when fighting a speeding ticket, such as challenging the accuracy of the radar device or questioning the officer’s testimony. It’s also a good idea to read over your citation carefully for errors. If there is an error on the citation such as a misspelled name, incorrect date or other inarguable fact, this may be enough to get your case dismissed.
In some cases, a judge may drop your speeding ticket if you can show that it was unsafe to be driving at the speed you were traveling at given the road conditions. This is known as a defense of “not guilty by reason of insufficient evidence.”
If you are unable to get your speeding ticket dismissed or if you have chosen to simply pay the fine, there are other ways to reduce penalties and preserve your driving record. For example, most states offer traffic school or other diversion programs that allow drivers to keep points off their driving records if they complete the course within a certain time period.
One of the most important things to remember is to always drive responsibly. Even if you have a good reason to be speeding (such as being late for an appointment or to pick up your pregnant loved one), speeding can be dangerous and put others on the road at risk of injury. It is also important to understand that accumulating too many points on your driver’s license record can result in a license suspension or even revocation.