subject: Fighting a Speeding Ticket. Is It Worth It? [print this page] Fighting a Speeding TicketFighting a Speeding Ticket. Is It Worth It?
If you have been pulled over for speeding, no matter your reason, you may have been issued a speeding ticket. Even if you were clearly speeding and you know you received the ticket for just reasons, you still have a chance to fight it.
Speeding tickets can carry heavy fines depending upon several factors. The ticket fines vary based on speed or location, e.g. school zone or construction zone. Many cities and municipalities will have bracket fines. With bracket fines, you can pay one amount for speeding 1 to 10 miles per hour over the limit, other fines for speeding 11 to 15 miles per hour over the limit and so on.
You may be inclined to pay your speeding ticket fine directly to the court, but that may end up being the worst possible course of action. A speeding ticket can cost you much more than just the fine. Because paying the speeding ticket directly to the court results in a conviction on your driving record, there can be far reaching effects. Your car insurance company looks at your driving record and when they see a speeding ticket conviction, they assume that you are a greater risk to insure. This can cause them to hike your insurance rates, or even worse, drop your coverage completely. Law requires you to carry car insurance and if you are unable to obtain it, you are not legally allowed to drive.
If you decide to fight the speeding ticket, you can take time to go to court to do so. On your citation there will be a date, usually referred to as an "arraignment date." This is the date you are required to appear in court if you decide to dispute the charges. When in court, you will have the chance to ask about decreased fines and punishments. Your options may range from speeding ticket dismissal to deferred adjudication which is a probationary period. With deferred adjudication, if you meet all of the requirements, the speeding ticket will not appear as a conviction on your driving record and you will not have to worry about the consequences of a conviction.
Though you may think that the cost of a speeding ticket is not worth the trip to court, keep in mind that there are other expenses and penalties that come in the form of insurance premiums and convictions on your driving record.
Research more about speeding tickets, talk to Traffic Ticket Attorney, and know your options before you decide how to handle your speeding ticket.
