Regardless of the road you’re on, it’s important to know the speed limit so that you can drive within the legal limits of the law. However, even if you’re a safe driver, there are likely to be times when you drive faster than the speed limit.
With officers on the lookout for speeders, doing so could result in a traffic ticket. If you find yourself with one of these in hand, don’t assume that your only option is paying it. You can defend yourself in court, with the idea of avoiding a punishment or reducing the impact on your life.
Here are some of the most common speeding ticket defense strategies:
- You had a good reason for speeding: For example, you can argue that you were speeding on the highway to avoid driving closely to a trucker who was acting in an overly aggressive manner.
- Everyone was doing it: This is a particularly common strategy if you were pulled over for speeding in heavy traffic. Take, for example, if you were driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on a fast-moving highway. You can argue that driving the speed limit would have put you and others in danger by impeding the flow of traffic.
- Plead guilty to a lesser penalty: In a perfect world, you would walk out of the courtroom without any consequences. However, this is easier said than done. You may want to plead guilty to a lesser penalty. For instance, you can agree to pay the minimum fine and court costs if you’re able to avoid points on your license. This will help prevent an insurance cancellation or premium hike.
Along with the above, you can simply hope that the officer doesn’t show up in traffic court. To improve your odds, attempt to change your date at least once.
A speeding ticket isn’t the most serious crime, but it’s likely to set you back several hundred dollars. Furthermore, it can result in points on your driving record, which can increase your insurance premium.
With the help of one of these speeding ticket defense strategies, you may be able to avoid the most serious penalties.