Every day, tens of thousands of people are fall on the wrong side of the law while on the road. Traffic violations are one of the most commonly-committed offences in the world! If you ever find yourself being accused of violating traffic law, here’s what you should do.
What defines a “traffic violation”?
A traffic violation could mean many things. When we talk about traffic violations, we’re usually referring to things like speeding or careless driving. It can also refer to irresponsible parking or to driving around with broken windshields or lights. So you could be right in thinking that they aren’t that “serious”. Of course, it depends largely on the circumstances.
How serious was the offence?
A lot of these offences are matters of relativity when it comes to the severity of the charge. You may have gotten a speeding ticket, which doesn’t sound that serious. Perhaps you were only going five miles per hour over the limit. But a speeding ticket could also mean you were going twenty miles per hours over the limit or more. So it’s all circumstantial. Of course, a traffic violation may also include drink driving – a very serious offence indeed.
Do I need legal help?
That depends on the offence and what you plan to do. If you’re unable to contest the charge via the methods outlined by the ticket, then you may need the services of traffic lawyers. A speeding ticket lawyer for instance, will let you know how to best handle a speeding ticket. So if you get flagged for speeding, then make sure to consult a speeding ticket lawyer immediately. And if the charge is very serious, then you should definitely be considering it – especially if it’s a DUI. Why not contact Paxman & Paxman today for any advice you might need
Is the ticket you received accurate?
Most traffic violations will see a police officer giving you a ticket as opposed to you being arrested. You should check the ticket to see if the information is accurate. Don’t just pay attention to descriptions of the alleged crime. Check the details of your car, for example. If the officer wrote down your license plate wrong, or incorrectly defined the make and color, you can probably get the ticket dismissed.
What is the outlined procedure for contesting the ticket?
There should be information on the back of the violation ticket that outlines the official procedure for contesting it. This will generally come in the form of contact details for a traffic violation bureau or the local police station. Of course, the main purpose of that information is to send you to the right places to pay your fine. But these lines will also be what you need to go through to challenge the charge.
Should you just pay the fine?
Whenever you’re in such a scenario, you should weigh your options carefully. Let’s say that the infraction in question is very minor. It may not even see any points added to your licence. The fine is commensurately small, too. In this case, you may want to consider simply paying the fine and moving on. It takes considerable time and effort to contest these things, after all. Of course, if you didn’t do what you were accused of doing, then you’ll also have your own principles to consider.
