Speeding a car on the road might sound adventurous, but can lead to dire consequences. It enhances the risk of fatal accidents and sustaining injuries while also affecting your insurance rates, costing your money upfront and in the long run, and putting you under the threat of license suspension.
Hence, it is always better to drive within the safe speed range. If you have already received a speeding ticket, you will have to bear the consequences. However, with a few options in hand, you can minimize the damage.
Got a speeding ticket? Don’t worry yet. Here’s what you can do.
Now that you have already got a speeding ticket for violating the rules, you can select from any of the three options:
Pay the fine
Fight the ticket
Negotiate the penalty
Moving further, let us walk you through each option.
Pay the fine
You know you were speeding. The officer knows you were speeding. Why waste time challenging the ticket?
Most people look for an easy way out without evaluating the consequences. If you agree to pay the fine, you will have to pay the cost of the ticket, which depends on many factors, like the driving speed, location, etc. Furthermore, the ticket will bring certain points to your driving license. Your insurance rate may shoot up as a consequence of getting a ticket.
Consider all these things before you pay for the ticket. Also, pay it as soon as possible or else, you may end up inviting extra fines and many new problems.
Fight the ticket
Another option that you have is challenging the ticket. If you think you weren’t speeding or somehow feel that the officer is unjust, you have all the rights to fight the ticket in court. Here is where you can fight a traffic ticket in California.
For this, you will have to appear in court, where you are allowed to represent yourself or hire a lawyer for the purpose. Yes, if the stakes are too high i.e., if you fear losing your license or the penalty being too high, it is better to hire a lawyer. If the prosecutor manages to prove that you were speeding, you will be bound to pay the full fine. The judge may also reduce your fine, or if you are lucky, the ticket could be entirely dismissed.
But again, weigh the pros and cons before contesting a traffic ticket, especially if you have to fight an out-of-state ticket. Of course, you will not want to travel 1,161 miles from Texas to California just to beat a ticket. Fight an out-of-state ticket only if you can hire an attorney to visit the traffic court multiple times from Texas to beat a California speeding ticket or any other state for that matter. We must tell you that some states allow drivers to fight a speeding ticket by written declaration. Educate yourself about all the rules and regulations before you challenge a ticket.
Negotiate the penalty
The third option is seeking mitigation. If this is your first ticket in several years or the first ticket of your life, you can save yourself from paying a hefty fine.
All you have to do is admit to the speeding ticket and tell them why you were speeding. If your explanation is reasonable, the judge may lower the penalty, give you more time to pay the fine, or provide you with an alternative, like a defensive driving course to slash the penalty.
But to enjoy this privilege, you must provide a reasonable explanation for the violation. And if you take this route, you cannot appeal it later because you have already accepted the charge of speed violation.
