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3 Strategies for Fighting Traffic Tickets
Faced with a traffic violation that usually involves paying a fine, your initial instinct is probably to just pay up, no matter if you’re actually in the blame for the alleged offense. However, there’s no reason to go this way if you’re certain of your innocence. First, consider hiring reputable traffic ticket attorneys in San Diego to help you prove your innocence. Then, get familiar with some of the most useful strategies for fighting unjust traffic tickets.
How can I fight a traffic ticket?
Traffic violations and tickets seem like a very small deal, at least in the beginning, so the vast majority of people choose to simply pay their fine and get it over with. However, a simple traffic violation negatively affects an individual’s driving record and it also influences insurance rates, so it’s better to fight it than to let it slide. Here are some strategies for fighting traffic tickets:
Disputing the opinion
The first thing you can do when faced with an unjust traffic ticket is to dispute the officer’s opinion of the event. A police officer is required to place their personal opinion regarding the events that led to your violation, which is vital in those violations where it’s up to the officer to explain the reason behind you receiving the violation.
There are different examples where you can successfully dispute the opinion of the officer regarding your violation and get out of it. For example, if you’re going 75mph in a zone with the limitation of 65mph, you’re free to argue other drivers using the same speed due to the safety of driving 75mph in that zone.
Another example is illegally changing lanes due to certain traffic conditions occurring at the moment. Also, you can dispute your lane-changing maneuver by emphasizing its safety at the point of your violation and that you weren’t placing any other participants in danger with your actions. There are also many other circumstances in which you can dispute personal opinions.
Disputing evidence presentation
Another common way to fight your traffic violation is to dispute the way in which the officer accusing you of the violation has presented their evidence. You can achieve this by implementing some strategies for disputing evidence that will corroborate your claims, such as:
- Eyewitness statements from pedestrians, other drivers, and passengers confirming your side of the story.
- Diagrams that clearly state your relation to other cars at the moment and which emphasize that your maneuver was completely safe or justifiable according to traffic circumstances.
- Providing photographs of the alleged scene of the violation that work in your favor and that allow you to clearly demonstrate the truth behind your claim against the evidence supplied by the police officer.
Presenting evidence for “Mistake of Fact”
This allows you to call upon your state of mind during the alleged violation and provide evidence that you were acting according to your best judgment. For example, illegally switching lanes could be because of the worn-down state of the lane markers, not allowing you to discern between the legality and the illegality of your actions.
Another common strategy is disputing the position and the visibility of a stop sign that you unwillingly ran because you failed to properly notice it due to conditions beyond your control.
Who are the top traffic ticket attorneys in San Diego?
When you’re facing one of the most frequent types of traffic violation charges, it’s important to reach quickly and hire an experienced lawyer who will help you deal with your charges. There are many reasons why you should hire an experienced legal professional to provide legal counsel. Not only do they know all the details regarding common traffic offenses, but they’ll also represent your best interests in court.
However, if you’re unsure which legal firm you should hire in San Diego and the area, you should always go for Monder Criminal Lawyer Group. We’re a boutique firm that focuses on tailored representation and a personal touch. We’ll take the time to carefully inspect the circumstances of your case in Liberty Station or any other place in the city and work on creating the strongest possible case in your favor. Give us a call today!
