Should I Hire a Traffic Attorney or Just pay the Fine?

 Exceeding the speed limit is a commonly shared experience by drivers, whether done on purpose or accidentally. The National Motorists Association ranks North Carolina in the top 10 for states most likely to hand out a traffic ticket.  If you have ever been issued a speeding ticket, then you might have wondered what to do next.

95% of people who receive speeding tickets just pay the fine and don’t contest the ticket in court. Although this is the easiest and most convenient method, it’s not always the best method. By paying the fine, you automatically admit guilt in the matter. The courts don’t just punish the guilty by levying fines.  You may also receive points on your driver’s license depending on the state that issued the citation, which will cause your insurance rates to rise. In some states, if you exceed 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, your license can sometimes be suspended. Despite this, many people do not hire a traffic attorney to handle speeding tickets. Often, the cost of hiring an attorney to contest your tickets can outweigh the long term costs of just paying the penalty. For example:

•    An attorney may successfully defend you from a speeding ticket and prevent points from being added to your license.  This can protect you from a sharp increase in insurance premiums that may incur if you just paid the ticket outright.
•          Most contested tickets in court are won on technical defenses, not the facts, and these technical defenses are better identified by an experienced traffic attorney. 
•          If you contest your ticket on your own and fail, you will be responsible for the court costs as well as the original fine.
•          You should be aware that different states have different ways of penalizing speeding tickets.  So, a ticket that you receive in a different state might translate differently to your state’s DMV.
•          Each county in each state has different traffic court procedures. An experienced traffic attorney that practices in that county will know the specific court procedures and use this to their advantage. 
•          Traffic laws are ever-changing and an experienced traffic attorney will know the current laws and how to obtain the best outcome for your case. 

So, if you find yourself being issued a traffic violation, you should be aware of the advantages that an experienced traffic attorney can provide you.  You don’t have to feel that the only option is to just pay the ticket. Next time you see those blue lights in your rearview mirror, prepare a strong defense by letting an experienced attorney at Merritt Webb be at your side.