Don’t Pay That Speeding Ticket!
You probably read the heading above and thought: how crazy is it for a law firm to advise clients not to pay their tickets? After all, we all know that if you don’t pay your traffic tickets you could end up in even worse trouble—including landing behind bars—right? Well, yes and no. It is important that you have a thorough understanding of the consequences of simply paying a ticket before you do so.
Perhaps you were pulled over on a Jacksonville highway or street for speeding. The police officer likely told you that you had three choices: pay the ticket, take a driving course or appear in court to plead your innocence. Most people will choose the first option for no other reason than they just want to put the ticket behind them and move on. Additionally, most people really don’t have the time to take off from work or other responsibilities to take a driving course or appear in court.
Some people will stash the ticket in a drawer, intending to take care of it “later,” then will forget and end up with even more problems, including a license suspension or even a warrant for their arrest and charges for failure to appear. Those who believe strongly in their innocence may choose to appear in court, despite the time constraints, and those who already have points on their license may choose to take a driving course to avoid losing their license.
While you may believe these are your only choices in the matter, speaking with a Jacksonville traffic ticket lawyer will likely provide you with more options, most of which will provide you with a much better outcome—certainly better than you will end up with if you just pay the ticket. When you write a check and drop it in the mail, you have effectively pled guilty to the charge, garnering you a conviction, whether civil or criminal.
That conviction can add points to your driving record, leave you with a criminal record which could follow you forever, cost you money in fines and fees, and potentially even land you in jail, depending on the offense. Criminal traffic violations include DUI, highway racing, reckless driving, speeding which results in an accident, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license, to name a few.
Civil traffic violations include speeding, SunPass and toll booth violations, failure to yield, running a red light or stop sign, failure to wear a seat belt or have your children properly restrained and improper parking. You may have heard that by attending traffic school, you can keep those points off your license, however as a Florida resident, you are allowed only one time to attend traffic school per year, and only five times in a lifetime, and there are other restrictions as well. Further, the average increase in insurance costs for one single speeding ticket over the course of three years is a whopping $900.00.
How Points on Your Driver’s License Can Affect Your Life
All moving violation convictions—whether criminal or civil—will add points to your driver’s license. As an example, leaving the scene of an accident or a speeding violation which results in an accident will both result in six points against your license. Four-point infractions include reckless driving, any moving violation which results in an accident, passing a stopped school bus, exceeding the speed limit by sixteen or more mph, and willfully ignoring traffic control signals. Three-point infractions include exceeding the speed limit by fifteen miles or less, driving with an open container, violations of child restraint laws, and curfew violations in the case of a minor.
You could receive a thirty-day suspension if you accrue twelve points against your license within a year, or a three-month suspension if you accrue eighteen points within a year and a half. Twenty-four points within a three-year period will result in a one-year suspension of your driver’s license. Any suspension of your license could result in serious hardships—after all, you likely drive your car every day, like most Americans. To avoid negative consequences resulting from receiving a speeding ticket, call a Jacksonville speeding ticket lawyer today. For other traffic infractions, whether criminal or civil, your Jacksonville traffic ticket attorney will work hard to keep one mistake from changing the course of your life. Remember, the state has a prosecutor and virtually unlimited resources on their side—shouldn’t you have an experienced Jacksonville traffic ticket lawyer by your side to even the playing field?
Why Choose an Attorney from Our Traffic Violation Defense Firm?
You have plenty of options when you choose a Jacksonville speeding ticket lawyer therefore you may wonder why you should choose us. We believe our experience and commitment to all our clients really sets apart from other attorneys in the area. Our attorneys frequently work as a team in order to best represent our clients, and, after all, wouldn’t you rather have six attorneys fighting for your future than one? By working together we are able to craft an effective defense for your traffic ticket. Our decades of experience have resulted in access to an array of other professionals who can help build a defense on your behalf. We will do our best to prevent points from being added to your driving record; when possible we will try and have your charges dropped entirely, however when this is not an option, our attorneys are skilled negotiators and will fight aggressively for the best solution to your problem.
Your Jacksonville traffic ticket attorney will examine even the smallest of details related to your ticket, and will request all evidence from the state as we conduct our own investigation. Our attorneys come from a variety of backgrounds, including former prosecutors and former public defenders, giving us a unique perspective on your case. We treat each and every case with passion, drive and dedication, holding “Superb” ratings on independent review site AVVO. The attorneys have been featured on both local and national news stations to discuss DUI and traffic laws and will use their extensive knowledge to your advantage. Don’t let that traffic ticket de-rail your future—call today.
