Don’t Let Your Thirty-Day Time Limit Lapse Without Taking Action
If you have received a Daytona traffic citation, it is important that you keep your thirty-day time limit in mind, or you could have additional problems to deal with. If you agree to appear in court when you receive your ticket, then forget to do so, you could have a Failure to Appear charge to deal with as well, or if you put your ticket in a drawer, intending to deal with it later then forget, you could end up with a suspended license or worse…a warrant for your arrest.
When you received your traffic citation, the police officer likely told you there were three options available: pay your fine, sign up for traffic school or appear in court and attempt to convince a judge of your innocence. In any case, while a traffic citation may seem relatively harmless, there are many adverse repercussions you can suffer from a conviction for that ticket. Florida traffic citations can be civil or criminal; civil infractions include:
Criminal speeding citations can include:
A civil moving violation conviction can result in points being added to your driver’s license, while a criminal moving violation conviction can have long-term consequences such as the inability to obtain employment or housing, the inability to obtain a student government loan or a professional license and the inability to own a firearm. Any time your criminal history is run, this conviction will show up. A criminal conviction for a moving violation will also add points to your driver’s license. If you accrue twelve points on your driving record within one year, you could lose your license for a month; eighteen points within a year and a half will cost you your license for three months and if you reach twenty-four points within a three year period, you could end up losing your license for a year.
Why Paying Your Ticket is Rarely a Good Idea
Although it may seem easier to simply pay your traffic ticket, the moment you do so you will have a conviction for the offense. You may be able to attend traffic school in order to avoid having the points added to your driving record, however under Florida laws you are only entitled to attend driving school one time within a twelve-month period, and only five times total, unless the judge orders you to attend driving school (which does not count against your five times). Your best option is almost always to appear in court and plead your case, however this can be an incredibly intimidating prospect to most people.
Appearing in court on your own, and attempting to convince a judge that you did not commit the offense you are being charged with is very difficult, as judges tend to take the word of a police officer over a person accused of a crime. Further, should you object to what the police officer says, unless you have legal training it is unlikely you can cite the legal statute which backs up that objection. An experienced Daytona traffic attorney is your very best choice after receiving a traffic ticket. Our attorney will appear in court on your behalf, arguing your case using Florida laws as well as bringing up any technicalities which could result in your ticket being dismissed.
Perhaps the officer was not properly trained in the speed detecting device used to measure your speed, or perhaps the device was not properly calibrated or maintained. There may have been other extenuating circumstances regarding your traffic stop that your Daytona speeding ticket lawyer can use in your defense. In any case, appearing with an experienced, knowledgeable speeding ticket attorney in Daytona is much less frightening than appearing on your own—and much more likely to end up with a more favorable outcome.
Why Call Us?
Matters of proof come easily to your Daytona traffic attorney; the burden of proof is on the police officer to prove you committed the traffic infraction. While the standards are high, without an attorney by your side, it is not all that difficult for the police officer to prove. Your Daytona traffic ticket attorney will be ready to object to any omissions on the part of the state in order to have your traffic citation possibly dismissed. Our attorneys have extensive experience in traffic court and are very familiar with the law enforcement and court personnel.
Our attorneys work as a team in order to obtain the most beneficial outcome for you. We have former prosecutors and public defenders on our team and together have more than three decades of solid legal experience we will use for your benefit. We know that you have choices, and we believe our firm is the right choice after receiving a traffic citation. Our attorneys are actively involved in our community, and have access to many resources which will help build a solid defense on your behalf. Take your traffic ticket seriously—speak to a knowledgeable Daytona traffic ticket lawyer today for sound legal representation.
