(The following is a guest post)
Seeing red lights in your rear view mirror is never a pretty sight. When you see these lights, chances are pretty good you are going to get a ticket. However, getting a ticket doesn’t mean you have been deemed guilty of anything. You are allowed to fight the citation in court. What are some good ways to get your ticket dismissed?
Collect As Many Details As Possible
The police officer has to be a credible witness in court. He won’t be so credible if he cannot recall the events of the day in question. Take notes about everything that happened while you were being given the ticket. Note the weather, what you were wearing and any applicable road conditions. An officer who cannot remember the circumstances of your traffic stop is not the best witness. This gives you a huge advantage in court. Avoid doing or saying anything disrespectful to the officer at the time of the traffic stop. He will be sure to remember you during questioning.
Question The Accuracy Of The Radar Gun
One of the easiest ways to challenge the ticket is to challenge the radar gun. Any doubt as to the accuracy of the radar reading helps you avoid the ticket. Just because the gun says you were going 100 miles per hour doesn’t mean you were. Additionally, improper use of the gun can cause inaccurate readings. Establish the officer as someone who hasn’t been properly trained.
Postpone The Hearing
It is hard to have a ruling issued against you if the hearing never takes place. Your main goal in this case is to get the issuing officer to skip the hearing. Your ticket is automatically dismissed if the officer does not show up. Delaying the hearing increases your chances of this happening. Delaying your hearing is as easy as saying you are too sick to show up. Work obligations can be another valid excuse. Hopefully the officer has been transferred by the time your hearing date comes up.
Be A Good Salesman
You want the judge to be sympathetic to your case. A sympathetic judge is more likely to dismiss your ticket. Say that you were speeding because you had somewhere really important to be at the time. No one is going to know if you had a big business meeting or not. However, providing evidence of a birth certificate will prove you really were on the way to the hospital because your wife was giving birth. In fact, the officer may give you an escort to the hospital in some cases.
Fearing For Your Safety May Be A Legitimate Defense
You are allowed to take actions to preserve your own life. Speeding up to avoid someone who is going to hit you is one of those actions. Most judges will understand if you are taking an action that avoids something far worse from happening on the road. You never know when someone hitting your car causes a chain reaction of accidents. Even the officer would prefer you speed for a few seconds as opposed to being hurt in a crash. The reckless driving of others should not cost you a fine plus an increased insurance premium. If you do incur an increased premium, you should go online to compare car insurance quotes from top insurance providers. By comparing quotes, you can find out which provider is most suitable for you.
Your First Offense May Be Easy To Wipe Off Your Record
Appearing in court for your first offense may lead to a plea bargain. You may be able to simply pay the fine and move on. The court may even offer you the chance to take driving school to wipe the ticket off of your record. This means you don’t have to pull any tricks to negate the impact your first moving violation. However, be sure to avoid a second violation. Multiple violations can lead to your premium being raised by hundreds of dollars a year.
Being pulled over may be unavoidable at times. Knowing how to fight the ticket in court can save you a lot of money. Understanding how the court system works will give you an advantage when trying to get the ticket erased from your record. Taking just a little bit of time to prepare before the case can get you the desired outcome.
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This guest post was written by a contributing writer at Kanetix Ltd.. Kanetix is partnered with over 40 insurance providers and has helped millions of Canadians save time and money on their insurance.