This Traffic Lawyer Web Ring site owned by Steven J. Scheinin.
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Oh boy, now you did it! The police officer stops you for speeding, or gliding through that stop sign, or going through the red light, which you knew was yellow. He gives you a ticket (they don't seem to give out warnings anymore). What do you do? You could go to Traffic Court. That takes time, missed pay from work, plus waiting around half a day for your case to be called. On the other hand you can pay the ticket, usually between $75.00 and $275.00. It sure seems the easy way. I suggest you think again.
By paying the ticket you are admitting that you are guilty of the charges. This will usually result in points on your traffic record, which will in turn cause an increase in your insurance premiums. Consider, on the other hand, of going to court and explaining to the Judge your reasons for your actions. Usually you will fair no worse for exercising your right to Trial. Many people admit they were wrong, but ask the Judge to consider their good driving record in reducing their charges or fines.
For those with no prior traffic citations, the District Court Judges will consider offering Probation Without Verdict, provided you did not give the police officer a hard time. With Probation Without Verdict, the Judge may still impose a fine, usually equal to or less than the pay out fine on the ticket, but you will receive no points on your driving record.
Should this not be your first citation, you should still consider going to Court in the hopes of having the charges or fine reduced by the Judge. A clear explanation of mitigating circumstances of why you did what you did is often beneficial in having the charges or fine reduced.
When you appear in traffic court the maximum fine is $500.00, even though the pay out amount of your ticket is less. It is rare that a Judge will impose a higher fine, but not unheard of, especially if you gave the police officer a hard time.
Depending on your insurance company, your premiums could double with as little as 3 points on your driving record. For this reason, more people are taking lawyers to traffic court. The lawyer's fee (usually in the area of $750 - $1200) is small compared to an increase in insurance premiums of $5,000 over three years.
Should you be unfortunate to receive a traffic citation, consider the benefits of going to Court as opposed to points on your record.
For my fees on handling your traffic problem, click
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