How to Fight a Speeding Ticket in Connecticut
Fighting a speeding ticket in Connecticut is never a simple task. Connecticut has an absolute maximum speed of 55 mph unless the maximum speed limit is marked as 65 mph. This means that if you were driving more than 55 mph or 65 mph where marked, it will be very hard to fight the ticket.
Success depends on your ability to prove that you were not speeding at the rate the police said or you had a valid excuse for speeding, such as an emergency at home or urgent medical problem. Fighting a speeding ticket also can be very expensive because you have to appear before a judge, which requires lawyer fees and may involve court costs. The key to having a chance of success is preparation.
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Instructions
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Meet with a lawyer who specializes in traffic violations in Connecticut. She will be up-to-date on Connecticut traffic laws and can give you a good idea whether or not your ticket is worth fighting.
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Decide whether or not you want to fight the ticket. In Connecticut, your ticket will include an "Answer Date." You must either pay the ticket or notify the courts you are pleading not guilty by the answer date. If you do neither by the answer date, your ticket will be transferred to court automatically.
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Speak with the prosecutor. If you do not have much confidence in getting the ticket thrown out in court, you can plead with the prosecutor to lower the charge or fine. If you have a good driving record or it is your first offense, point that out and the prosecutor may grant you leeway and lower the fine.
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Convince the judge you either were not speeding or were speeding but should not have received a ticket.
Convincing the judge you were not speeding is the most difficult way of beating a speeding ticket. You need to convince the judge that the police officer who pulled you over was wrong. To do this, you could subpoena the maintenance records of the radar gun that was used to record your vehicle's speed. You also could subpoena the training records of the arresting officer to prove he wasn't trained to use the radar gun.
Convincing a judge you were speeding but should not receive a penalty may be easier if it applies. If you can prove you had an emergency, such as you needed to get to a hospital or had a serious problem at home, the judge may throw out the ticket. If traffic around you moved at the same speed as your vehicle, you may say you were driving at the speed of traffic and that driving slower could have resulted in an accident.
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Tips & Warnings
It is very important to contact a lawyer before beginning to fight the ticket. She will be able to help you decide whether fighting the ticket is a worthwhile endeavor or a waste of your time and money.
Fighting a ticket can be very costly. If you go to court and lose, you will have to pay court costs in addition to the cost of your ticket. In Connecticut as of 2010, average court costs and fees are $44.
References
- Photo Credit police car up close image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com
