Traffic Laws
When most drivers are charged with breaking traffic laws, they usually just bite the bullet and pay the ticket. After all, a traffic ticket is a pain in the neck. It costs money and time, and shatters your confidence as a driver. Defending it in court seems like another way to prolong the misery. The traffic laws seem pretty open and shut when you don’t look at them carefully, so most people figure it isn’t worth their time to find the ticket.
In reality, however, there is a lot of discretion afforded to cops, judges, and the state in general in enforcing traffic laws. Just because you have been charged with the traffic violation ? even something that you actually did ? doesn’t mean that you will necessarily be convicted of it. Often, it is worth trying to fight a traffic ticket. Just by showing up, you might win.
For example, if the cop doesn’t show up in court you are off the hook as far as traffic tickets are concerned. A lot of police officers don’t bother. They make their quota off of people who break traffic laws and then don’t show up for court date. If you do, you might be in luck. You might be fortunate enough to have the cop has not show up. If this is the case, the judge will have no alternative but to immediately dismissed the charges.
Knowing your traffic laws can also stop you from getting a ticket in the first place. For example, you should know exactly what cops need to do to search your car. Even if you aren’t carrying contraband, it is good to know your rights. If a cop asks you if he can search your car, it is almost always to your advantage to say no. When he is asking, it is because he doesn’t have the right to do it without requesting permission. If you don’t allow him, he can’t dig through your possessions. This can save you a lot of legal hassle later on.
If you have the money to spend on it, flexing a little legal muscle is a great way to get out of breaking traffic laws. A lot of the time, if the judge sees a lawyer in the room and the cop knows that you are represented, they will want to have the case over with. It simply isn’t worth the time and effort to fight you and your lawyer over one measly ticket. Occasionally, however, the strategy backfires and the judge enforces a harsher punishment. Still, those people I talk to tell me it is worth the risk.
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