If you recently received a ticket for speeding in Lake Mary, you are not alone. Many drivers have the unfortunate experience of getting pulled over and being handed a ticket for exceeding the posted speed limit on a road or highway. Some may pay these tickets, while others fight to get them reduced in court. However, there may be a way to get the ticket dismissed altogether in some cases.
The process for how to get a speeding ticket dismissed in Lake Mary involves taking action quickly. Waiting until your court date to take action can not only limit the options you have for dealing with your ticket but also reduce the likelihood of getting your traffic ticket dismissed. In turn, this can lead to a conviction and points on your driving record and other adverse consequences.
The process for getting your Lake Mary traffic ticket dismissed is often smoother and more successful when you have an experienced traffic ticket defense lawyer on your side. The small investment in retaining an attorney can pay big dividends in the form of lower insurance premiums if your traffic ticket is successfully dismissed.
Understanding the Impact of a Speeding Ticket in Lake Mary
There are several consequences you should consider when deciding how to handle a speeding traffic ticket in Lake Mary. The first and most immediate impact you will experience after being convicted of speeding is financial. You will be ordered to pay court fees and a fine that depends on how fast you were speeding. The more you exceed the speed limit, the higher your fine will be.
Next, Florida considers speeding a moving violation and will assess points against your license if you are convicted. “How many points for speeding in Florida?” you might ask.
Speeding less than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit results in three points, while speeding 16 miles an hour or more over the speed limit results in four points being added to your license. If you were speeding and a crash occurred, you can have six points added to your license.
After accumulating 12 points in 12 months, the state will suspend your license. The more points you accumulate over time, the longer your suspension period will be. For example, after getting 12 points in 12 months, your license will be suspended for 30 days. Once you have 24 or more points in 36 months, your license will be suspended for one year.
Getting any amount of points on your license can have other negative impacts, even if your license is never suspended. Car insurers will regularly review their clients’ driving records when assessing the risk of loss a client presents. When your record has points on it, your insurer might consider you a greater risk and charge you higher premiums for coverage.
Finally, if you are a professional driver, getting a speeding ticket can cause your employer to take action against you. For example, your company may have a policy that calls for drivers who are convicted of speeding or other traffic offenses to face disciplinary action.
Alternatively, you may be fired from your job as a driver if your employer’s insurance company will not insure you due to your driving record.
Ultimately, the effects of a speeding traffic ticket in Lake Mary go far beyond paying a fine and fees. They can have a long-lasting impact on your personal and professional life, even if this is your first ticket. For this reason, it is worth considering how to get a speeding ticket dismissed and pursuing that outcome whenever possible.
Exploring Your Options After Receiving a Speeding Ticket
You have options after being cited for speeding in Lake Mary: paying the ticket, taking your case to trial, or completing a driving course. You could also ignore your ticket, but this is not advisable. If you fail to appear in court to address your traffic ticket, your driving privileges could potentially be suspended, and you could be assessed additional fees before your license is reinstated.
Option 1: Pay the Ticket
Your citation for speeding will contain a total that represents the amount of fines and fees applicable to your violation. One option for resolving your ticket is to simply pay the fine and fees in full before the court date listed on your ticket. Paying your ticket is tantamount to admitting guilt, so a conviction for speeding will be entered on your driving record.
Option 2: Reach a Plea Deal
Some prosecutor’s offices will negotiate a resolution to your traffic ticket that results in you pleading to a less severe charge or dismissal of your case if you meet certain conditions. A typical agreement might have you plead to a non-moving offense and pay a fine, for example.
A lack of evidence supporting your charges is just one of several reasons speeding tickets get dismissed or pled out by prosecutors.
Option 3: Fight a Speeding Ticket in Lake Mary
You can contest the speeding charge by appearing in court and requesting a hearing. At the hearing, you would have the opportunity to challenge the officer who stopped you and the evidence that allegedly shows you were speeding. Also, in Lake Mary traffic court, defenses you have to your ticket are raised.
If the prosecutor cannot prove you were speeding on the date you received your citation, your case would be dismissed. You would not have to pay any fine or fee, and no points or conviction would be added to your driving record.
Option 4: Complete Traffic School
Some drivers are eligible to avoid a license suspension or have their speeding charge dismissed upon completion of traffic school, a basic driver improvement course, or a defensive driving course.
These classes are designed to teach you safe driving habits and to reduce the likelihood that you will speed in the future. Your insurance company might also provide a financial benefit to you if you complete traffic school.
Not all drivers will qualify for this option, so you would want to inquire about it early so you have time to consider other alternatives if necessary. However, for drivers who do qualify for a defensive driving class ticket dismissal in FL, this can be among the easiest and most beneficial traffic citation dismissal options in FL.
How Legal Representation Can Help Dismiss a Speeding Ticket
One question many drivers who receive a traffic ticket ask is, “Should I hire a lawyer for a speeding ticket?” None of the methods for handling your speeding ticket requires you to hire an attorney, but having a traffic ticket lawyer in Lake Mary on your side can be immensely beneficial. Your Lake Mary traffic defense lawyer can:
- Review your citation, dash cam, and other evidence to gain a full picture of your stop
- Obtain and look at your driving record, and advise you of the options you have for addressing your ticket
- Help you connect with defensive driving courses to get your speeding ticket dismissed, if available
- Collect evidence and interview witnesses if you decide to challenge your ticket
- Appear in court with you at all hearings so that your driving privileges are not inadvertently suspended for failing to appear
- Appeal a conviction for speeding if you take your case to trial and lose
Just because speeding tickets are a common experience for many drivers does not mean handling them on your own is a good idea.
A knowledgeable and seasoned traffic defense lawyer can give you an unbiased and objective opinion about your options and the best course forward. They can also help you navigate the legal system effectively and present your case in court, if necessary.
No attorney can guarantee that your speeding ticket will be dismissed. Even where dismissal is an option, dismissing a speeding ticket in Florida can be a complex process. However, an attorney’s knowledge and skills can increase your chances of a favorable outcome to your case that minimizes or eliminates the negative consequences of a conviction.
Strategies to Fight a Speeding Ticket in Court
With the advice of an experienced Lake Mary traffic lawyer, you might decide that the best way to handle your ticket is to fight it in court. Successfully challenging your ticket requires a plan, evidence, and the legal skill to effectively use that evidence. Here are the general steps of how to fight a speeding ticket in court:
Your Plan
There are numerous ways to challenge a speeding ticket, but not all of these grounds are available in your case. You and your lawyer will work together to identify the ways your ticket can be challenged, which can include claiming:
- There were defects with the officer’s speed detection equipment
- Heavy traffic made it impossible for the officer to single out your vehicle for speeding
- The officer stopped the wrong vehicle for speeding
- The posted speed limit was not accurate, or the sign was missing
Remember that speeding is a strict liability offense, meaning that the prosecutor does not need to show you intended to violate the law. Therefore, some excuses, such as “I did not mean to go that fast,” or “I had no idea how fast I was going,” are not good Lake Mary traffic court defense arguments.
Gathering Evidence
Once you know how you intend to challenge your ticket, the next step is to find and collect the evidence you need to execute your defense. In other words, simply alleging that the officer’s radar unit was malfunctioning is not enough to win; you must provide evidence of it.
To accomplish this, you or your lawyer will make use of legal tools like subpoenas and requests for production. These orders compel individuals and entities with knowledge of the stop or who have evidence relevant to your case to provide it to you and your legal counsel.
It is not enough to merely locate this evidence or even collect it. It must be preserved in a format that makes it admissible in court at your trial. There are complex rules about how this is done, which is one of several reasons why having an attorney’s help can be pivotal in your case.
Why Prompt Action Matters
Traffic tickets do not go away if you ignore them, no matter how minor the infraction might be. The longer you put off addressing the ticket, the more challenges you will encounter when you do decide to handle it. Conversely, resolving your citation promptly can be beneficial in several ways:
- You avoid having your driver’s license suspended for non-compliance
- Prosecutors are generally more open to plea arrangements or other resolutions instead of a conviction or trial
- You do not have to pay additional fees or costs for late payments
- Evidence is more readily available if you want to contest your ticket
How quickly should you take steps to address a speeding ticket in Lake Mary? Your citation will contain a court appearance date: this is the date by which you must either pay the ticket in full or appear in court. In many cases, this date is not long after your stop.
Therefore, you should make an appointment to speak with a knowledgeable attorney as quickly as possible after being ticketed for speeding. Doing so gives you the greatest amount of time to consider your options and decide on the appropriate course of action.
Preserving Your Driving Record in Lake Mary
Do not fall into the trap of thinking a speeding ticket is “no big deal.” The fines and costs you pay to handle your ticket before court might seem like a minor inconvenience, but the long-term effects of your decision can make this single decision far more costly than you anticipated.
It is worth exploring how to get a Lake Mary speeding ticket dismissed and all other options you have for handling your traffic ticket..
Your driving record is important, and a traffic ticket for speeding can negatively impact it. If you are prone to getting traffic citations, your speeding ticket brings you that much closer to a license suspension. Even a first-time speeding ticket can lead your car insurance company to increase your premiums substantially.
Beyond these consequences, a clean driving record can be essential to obtaining and maintaining your employment and professional driving credentials. For these reasons and more, you should always consider the potential impact of a speeding ticket before deciding how you wish to handle it.
Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Traffic Ticket Dismissal Options in FL
By now, you know that the answer to the question, “Do speeding tickets go on your record in Florida?” is yes. At The Ticket Fighter Law Firm, we are committed to helping you protect yourself, your driving record, and your financial interests from the effects of an unnecessary speeding conviction.
We will help you understand what we can do to address your charges, guiding you through the entire process of handling your ticket.
If you are wondering how to get a speeding ticket dismissed and whether you qualify, get answers from a reliable source. Contact The Ticket Fighter Law Firm to speak with an experienced speeding ticket attorney in Lake Mary, FL, today.