Should I just pay my speeding ticket?

You may not be very happy when an officer pulls you over and gives you a speeding ticket. You may not have the money to pay it or worry about what it will do to your insurance rates. Perhaps you can pay it, but you really do not want it to impact your driving record. In any case, you have the right to fight a speeding ticket in court.

According to NerdWallet, you can try to get the ticket dropped completely or negotiate a lower penalty. There is a lot to do if you want to go to court. You may want to begin with delaying your hearing to give you time to make decisions and develop your case.

Hiring an attorney

You can hire an attorney to handle all the details for you. This may be your most favorable option if you do not have the time to do research and gather the evidence that you need for court. If this ticket could result in the loss of your license, it is almost always in your leading interest to hire an attorney. Otherwise, it is your decision.

Preparing for court

If you do decide to go it alone, then you will need to gather information about the traffic stop. You want to get the details on the weather and traffic conditions. and you should also look into the type of speed equipment the officer was using. You should research witnesses who could possibly testify for you. You also want to plan out your questions, trying to make them leading where the answer is one or two words. Finally, you need to decide on what outcome you want and plan how you will get that outcome.

Preparing to fight a traffic ticket in court is something that could help you avoid the hassles that come with a speeding ticket. You may be able to avoid high fines, an increase in insurance rates and a ding on your driving record.