If you think you don’t deserve the traffic ticket you got, you can exert effort to fight it off. There are certain strategies you can do to successfully fight traffic tickets.
- Challenge Officer’s Subjective Judgement. It is fairly easy to challenge the police officer’s view, especially in making subjective judgement if you violated the law or not. It is always better if you can point out facts that shows the officer wasn’t in a good place for an accurate view of what really took place or if the cop was busy with another task during the time of the alleged violation. There are 20 states where exceeding the speed limit is subject to the officer’s subjective judgement. This increases your chance for success in challenging the officer’s view.
- Challenge Officer’s Observations. In a state where the law requires objective observation rather than a judgement call, you have to prove that your versions of the facts are more accurate and correct. Usually the one with the badge gets the judge’s favour, unless you can challenge the ability of the officer to accurately observe what happened. To prove the officer otherwise, you can use a witness’s statement, a clear diagram, photographs, and other evidence to cast doubts.
- “Mistake of Fact.” Prove that you made an honest mistake, like you weren’t able to see the stop sign because it was old and faded. The Judge might give you a little leeway.
- “Legally Justified.” You can try to prove that your actions were “legally justified.” One example is slowing down on the left lane because you have to make a lawful left turn.
- Avoid Harm. You can try to prove that your action was a legal “necessity” defense due to an emergency that is not of your own making. This is recognized in all 50 states.
Consult or hire an attorney that specializes on traffic laws to effectively use these major strategies to fight off traffic tickets.
