Four Mistakes That Will Cost You Your Speeding Ticket Case

If you have decided to fight your speeding ticket, you should at least do it right. This includes knowing what to do and what not to do. For example, the following four mistakes can cost you dearly:

Attacking the Arresting Officer's Credibility

The law presumes that every criminal suspect is innocent until proven guilty. However, when facing the arresting officer in court, expect them to have an edge on you on who is to be believed. The judge may not say it, but courts tend to believe the arresting officer's testimony unless you can prove otherwise.

Therefore, merely attacking the officer's credibility (for example, by claiming that they singled you out or were out to get you) will not get you anywhere. In fact, it can get you on the bad side of the judge, especially if your allegations turn out to be baseless.

Going to Court in Shabby Dressing

The issue of dressing may seem minor, but the damage it may cause to your case isn't minor. Although there are no legal requirements as to how you should dress up for traffic court, be assured that how you dress will affect the judge's and prosecutor's opinion of you. For example, they may think you aren't taking the case too seriously.

Muddling Up Your Facts

Most speeding tickets are worn or lost based on facts. Therefore, you should know what the speed limit (for the section of the road you were on) was, whether the officer recorded the right speed or whether the traffic light was malfunctioning.

Going to Court Unprepared

Don't assume that a speeding ticket is a minor offense that you can easily handle – that would be a grave mistake. You need to prepare by practicing your testimony and getting your facts rights so that you aren't caught unprepared in court. This is especially true if it is your first time fighting a speeding ticket (but everyone needs to prepare). The judge and the prosecutor deal with these cases all the time, so facing them unprepared is like pitting an average person against an experienced lawyer during a trial.

If you handle your fight right, you should succeed in at least getting the judge to reduce the charges against you, even if you don't succeed in getting them dismissed. Using a traffic ticket lawyer will maximize your chances of getting a favorable outcome. When analyzing the cost of hiring a lawyer vs the cost of losing your case, don't just focus on the monetary fine you will be required to pay if you plead guilty. A speeding ticket can affect you in many other ways; a conviction may affect your insurance rates or get your driving license suspended. For more information, visit websites like http://www.clgnc.com/.