Fighting Speeding Tickets Tips & Advice

If you’ve just received your first speeding ticket, then you are likely considering whether it’s worth the time and effort to fight your speeding ticket, or if it is just easier to pay up. Before you get out your check book you may want to consider some of the pros and cons of fighting traffic tickets:

Pros of Fighting your Speeding Tickets

1. Not paying the fine: if the ticketing officer doesn’t show up at your hearing then your ticket will automatically be dismissed. At over $100 a ticket, this can save you a lot, for just a small time investment on your part.

2. Avoiding points: when you beat a speeding ticket you won’t have any points assigned to your license, which will save you in the long run (especially if you get more speeding tickets down the road).

3. Keeping insurance costs down: while you may think that once you’ve paid your speeding ticket your worries are over, think again. Once you renew your car insurance you will find out that insurance companies do not look favourably on those who have speeding tickets on their driving record. Expect to pay more for insurance, sometimes a lot more depending on your demographic.

4. Finding a compromise: even if you can’t beat your speeding ticket chances are that you can ask the judge for a compromise that will reduce your costs. For example, you can request that no points be assigned and instead you can attend a driver’s education class, which will ensure that your insurance company doesn’t penalize you for your infraction.

Cons of Fighting your Speeding Tickets

1. Having to pay anyways: sometimes you may have rotten luck and get a judge who looks down on those who fight traffic tickets, and may be unwilling to compromise. This means you will still pay for your ticket, plus court costs. Fortunately these judges are usually few and far between, and they will still have to throw out your ticket if the officer who wrote you up fails to appear.

2. Court costs: if you decide to hire a lawyer to help fight a speeding ticket then you will have to pay out of pocket for this expense. It is usually recommended that you fight your speeding tickets yourself, and there are a lot of resources available to help you. However, if you feel more confident about beating your speeding ticket with professional guidance then go ahead – you’ll still save in the long run with reduced insurance costs.

3. Time: usually it is a good idea to delay your court case as long as possible to increase your chances of the ticketing officer not attending. This means that you will have to spend some time on the phone with court clerks to reschedule your appearance, as well as attending court on your final date. This time spend may cost you if you have to miss work.

In the long run it is usually more beneficial for you to fight a speeding ticket than to just pay it, but you need to weigh the pros and cons, and decide based on your personal circumstances.