Seeking a Ticket Dismissal?
We get behind the wheels of our automobiles every day but it’s not so often that we feel as if we’re taking any sort of risks. However, even the most responsible driver can sometimes make a mistake. If a cop is there to witness it, you could end up with a ticket on your hands and a mark on your record.
Old tickets hanging around your record can be a big problem. The points they can add to your driving record can prove problematic later on, and that’s not to mention the outstanding fines that can linger over your state of financial stability.
If you’re in this situation yourself, you might be very interested in the act of ticket dismissal. Getting rid of tickets hanging over your head can be a freeing feeling. How do you do it? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
1. Take a Defensive Driving Course
Many states across the country just want to see their roads become safer. Speeding tickets and high fines are punitive measures attempting to push drivers to become more responsible.
If you’re able to show the courts that you’re taking the responsibility of driving seriously, they might consider dismissing your ticket. You can do this by enrolling in a driver’s responsibility course, sometimes referred to as a defensive driving course.
Not all states have these classes set up but many do. In many cases, enrollment in this class will result in your ticket being thrown out, ensuring that it never makes it to your record, to begin with.
This isn’t a fix that will work for everyone: you will still need to reach out to the courts ahead of time to ensure that they’re willing to accept your enrollment in lieu of a ticket. Those who were exhibiting extremely reckless speeding might not be granted this reappraisal.
This kind of behavior is on the rise and will likely be cracked down on by the law.
Those who are facing a second or third time speeding charge might not be able to make their tickets go away so easily either. Often, this is a one-time remedy for first-time offenders.
A defensive driving course will still cost you some money, of course. However, the total should be less than what a ticket fine would cost, and that’s not even factoring in the potential rise of your car insurance premiums.
If you’re having trouble finding an approved course, you can reach out to your local DMV for a list of recommendations.
2. Attempt Mitigation
If this is a first-time offense, or if it’s been many years since your last driving offense, many traffic judges might be willing to give you a little bit of a break. You just need to ask for it.
Requesting mitigation is a process that’s worked for some drivers around the country. Mitigation might not manage to keep the ticket off your record, but it could limit the damage that the ticket does do.
What does mitigation mean? It occurs when a driver pleads guilty but makes a case for why they acted the way that they did. If the reasons are fairly reasonable, the judge may opt for leniency. They also may not.
If you’re specifically seeking to keep the ticket off your record, you can ask the judge what would be necessary to make that scenario so. They might point you to a defensive driving course like we discussed above or offer other potential solutions.
3. Contest a Ticket
What if you’ve gotten a ticket that you think you don’t really deserve? It can add insult to injury to have this kind of ticket added to your permanent driving record. You didn’t even do anything wrong to begin with!
If you’ve found yourself in this situation, you might move to contest the ticket and plead not guilty. In this instance, you might want to have a speeding ticket attorney by your side. If you have no experience at all contesting tickets or operating in a courtroom, there’s a good chance you won’t get the outcome that you’re seeking.
On the other hand, an attorney has likely handled hundreds of cases just like yours before. They’ll know what strategy to take and what angles will be best to present your case in. An attorney can guarantee you a win and a dismissal, but they can certainly increase your odds of getting that outcome.
In many cases, it will be some sort of technicality that gets a ticket removed from your record. Normal citizens are not trained to look out for these technicalities, but attorneys surely are.
If you think you’ve been given a ticket wrongfully, you should take the time to write down all the details surrounding the ticket as soon as you can. You don’t want to forget anything.
Make note of your own behavior and what you were doing. Make note of everything the officer said and did. If there were witnesses nearby when you received the ticket, see if you can get their contact information and their take on the events that occurred.
All the evidence you gather directly after receiving a ticket can help you to contest it successfully later on.
Seeking Traffic Ticket Dismissal
Getting hit with any sort of traffic ticket can derail your day, week, or even month. It’s no fun to have a ticket added to your driving record. Pursuing ticket dismissal is one way to help clear these charges and avoid some of the more negative elements that come with a traffic ticket.
The above information can help you determine how to pursue this goal. Need more help with your case? Give us a call anytime.
