Best Strategies For Fighting A Traffic Ticket

While most of us manage to get through life without being involved in a GTA-style car chase, it’s pretty common for people to commit more minor traffic violations every once in a while, and get slapped with a costly ticket. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, and you’re not quite ready to go quietly, here are some proven strategies for fighting your traffic ticket…

Challenge the Officer’s Subjective Decision

From Wikimedia

In a lot of states, with a lot of traffic tickets, it’s surprisingly easy to challenge a police officer’s view of the violation they picked you up for. This is particularly true when it comes to situations where the police have to make a subjective decision as to whether or not you violated the law. For instance, if you’re issued with a ticket for performing an “unsafe left”, you can argue that your actions were safe and responsible in light of the traffic conditions at the time. It will be a big help for your side of the argument if you can point out facts which show that the officer in question wasn’t in a good position to see what exactly happened, or was busy doing something else. Find out whether or not a subjective judgment has been made, and then look for holes in it.

Challenge the Officer’s Observations

From Wikimedia

In instances where the state law needs an objective observation by an officer, rather than a judgment call over whether or not the action was safe, it can often come down to an argument over whose version of events is correct. In these situations, you’ll need to gather evidence that will convince a judge that you, and not the guy with a badge, are telling the correct version of events. Statements of bystanders, passengers and so on who are willing to testify for you, images of the road conditions at the time, and any other evidence that would cause doubt in the officer’s ability to observe your alleged offense can all tip the balance. Knowing how to source the evidence, along with what’s useful and what isn’t, can require the assistance of legal professionals like these: http://www.kellerlawoffices.com . Before you have it all confirmed though, you should be looking to gather any kind of evidence that could possibly have an impact.

Prove That What You Did Was Legally Justified

From Pixabay

You may also be able to successfully fight a traffic charge by proving that the actions you took were legally justified, considering the specific circumstances of your alleged violation. If you were driving in the left lane, for instance, it’s a legal defense in many states that you needed to slow down in preparation for a safe left turn. If you find yourself in this situation, you don’t need to deny that you were well below the speed limit or holding up the vehicles behind you, but you can and should offer up facts about the situation that legally justifies the action you took. These defenses are often very powerful, as they don’t go against what legal officials are saying.