Ways of Fighting a Speeding Ticket

Speeding tickets can have a double whammy expense, first in the fines paid for the ticket and then in higher insurance rates. When issued a speeding ticket, you always have the option of fighting it before a judge. However, if you want to contest your ticket, you will have to do some legwork.

Posted Speeds

Find out what the default speed limit is for the road on which you were ticketed. Most cities and highways have a standard speed limit, so you'll need to know what that is. For instance, claiming you didn't know the speed limit is not a defense that will hold up if you were ticketed for going 8 miles over the standard speed limit. Likewise, if the speed limit is posted and you want to claim that the sign was obstructed or not placed properly so you didn't see it, it won't help much if you were going over the default speed limit.

If you want to claim that there was an obstruction or something similar, take photographs of the area your ticket was issued and of the sign in question, and be prepared to submit them to the court.

Confronting the Officer

The officer who issues your ticket is required to be at the hearing if you are contesting the ticket; if the officer does not show up for one reason or another, the ticket will be dismissed. You can request a continuance of your first date to try to increase the chances that the officer won't be able to attend the hearing, but the continuance will only be issued for a valid reason. The request needs to be made with the court clerk.

Radar

Sometimes, a ticket can be beaten by claiming that the radar device was improperly maintained or used. You may need to file a Freedom of Information request with the court to check the maintenance logs. Find out from the manufacturer what the range of the device is and compare that to the range that the officer clocked your speed; if the latter exceeds the former, you may be able to prevent the radar record from being admitted.

However, even if you can get the radar record removed, the officer can claim that he checked his speed in their vehicle when he pulled you over as a second verification that you were speeding.

References

• Fighting a Speeding Ticket