5 Reasons You Need a Traffic Lawyer

Every year, about 41 million Americans earn themselves a speeding ticket.

Keep in mind, speeding is not the only traffic violation. If you run a red light, drive without a valid license, hit the road when impaired, drive a vehicle with burned-out headlights or fail to yield, you'll be guilty of a traffic violation.

While some violations are less serious and fairly straightforward to resolve, others – like DUI and hit and run – are serious and can get you behind bars. These are traffic violations but they carry severe criminal penalties and hefty fines and charges.

If you're being charged with a traffic violation, it can be tempting to fight the charge alone. You can either plead guilty and pay the fine; take time out of your schedule to go to court and see if the Traffic Agency will offer you a 'plea deal' to a lesser offense; or schedule a date for a trial.

Here is why you should hire a traffic violation lawyer.

1. You Don't Understand Traffic Law

Sure, traffic laws aren't the most complicated, but that doesn't mean just about anyone can understand them. If you've violated a traffic law, now is not the time to start researching the specific law and the potential consequences. You'll be too distraught to understand anything.

On the other hand, hiring a traffic lawyer gets you a competent professional with an in-depth understanding state and local traffic codes. This lawyer should have a firm understanding of your issue and give you an explanation as to what will be expected in Court.

They will evaluate the case brought against you, identify weakness and aggressively fight the ticket on your behalf. In most cases, a trial in traffic court is not worth the headache or the money that you will need to outlay. Contemplating going to trial on your own and examining or presenting witnesses could be (and most times is) nerve-racking for a non-lawyer to handle.

2. Dismiss/Lower Ticket Penalties

Did you know Americans pay north of $6 billion worth of speeding tickets annually?

This is a huge amount. It means when you get a traffic ticket, you'll certainly have to pay a fine.

If you're a first or second-time offender, it usually seems easier to settle the fine and move on with your life. But here is the thing, some tickets are wrongly issued, and others can quickly add up. A $500 speeding ticket, for instance, can hurt your bank account, you can be hit later with DMV fees apart from the fine itself and by just pleading guilty; it is unlikely you will get a 'deal; in the future for potential other offenses.

For those reasons, the best thing to do is to hire a traffic violation lawyer. He or she can contest the penalty, or explain your circumstances in a traffic court and get the judge to lower your penalty or even dismiss it entirely.

Obviously, getting a lower fine is good for the wallet, but there is more to it. When a penalty is dismissed, you typically won't accumulate points on your driving license. In New York State, your license will be suspended if you accumulate 11 points or hirer on your license. Points received are carried on your license for an 18 month period from the date of the offense. Depending on how many points you have, DMV can assess you with their own fees paid to the State of New York separate and apart from the court fines. Additionally, if you receive three (3) speeding tickets in a 18 months period the Traffic Violations Agency can suspend your license for an extended period of time based upon your prior offenses.

3. Gathering Evidence Information

You are confident that you did not commit the offense that you just received a ticket for. How do you prove that? The only way to establish the truth is to contest the ticket.

If your state or local authority has installed traffic cameras along the road you were on, it's possible to collect the footage or incident reports. If it's anything other than a red light ticket, the cameras will most likely not work in your favor.

The problem is, as a regular person, you might even not be aware that you can get video footage. And if you are aware, bypassing the typical bureaucracy of public offices can prove challenging.

The best thing you can do in such a situation is to hire a traffic violation lawyer.

These professionals know their way around bureaucratic government offices and can gain access to the video footage.

4. Get Alternative Discipline

The vast majority of traffic offenders are usually guilty as charged.

Although hiring a lawyer enhances your chances of getting a reduced penalty, this is not always the case. If the prosecutor has substantial evidence against you, there is little a lawyer can do.

However, depending on your record, a competent lawyer can be able to negotiate an alternative discipline.

A common alternative to a fine or suspended license is attending driving or traffic school! Well, going back to school is not an interesting prospect, but would you rather lose your license or pay costly fines?

5. Save Money

One of the primary reasons traffic violators don't hire lawyers is cost. They often wrongly assume it's cheaper to settle a fine or serve a probationary period than hire an attorney.

It's true, routine violations don't need a lawyer, especially if you're a first-time offender. But when you've committed a serious offense, you shouldn't fight the charge alone in a bid to save money. Also, if you have multiple offenses, are a repeat offender or are at risk for a lengthy suspension; hiring an attorney is the smart mve.

If you lose the case, for instance, the violation will show up on your driving record. The more points you have on your record, the higher the premiums you'll pay for auto insurance. The hirer the DMV assessment fee will be.

Beyond saving money, you'll also save time. For a small fee, a traffic violation lawyer will handle all the paperwork on your behalf, and represent you in a traffic court where necessary. You don't need to take time off of work to appear and wait around all day just to get a worse plea deal than an experienced attorney could receive on your behalf.

Hiring a Traffic Violation Lawyer Is the Right Step

As a law-abiding citizen, it's never your intention to violate a traffic law. However, sometimes circumstances beyond our control lead us into legal trouble.

If you're facing a traffic ticket or charge, you could be tempted to contest or fight it on your own, but is the risk really worth the reward?. Hiring a traffic violation lawyer gives you the best chance of getting the ticket penalty reduced or dismissed.