Fight My Ticket

The first step to take to fight my ticket begins when I am pulled over. Police officers conduct numerous routine stops during the course of a month. As with anyone who may have hundreds of these interactions per month, they can easily lose track of the details of your particular stop. Your should try to remain anonymous. Be polite and cooperate, even if you think that you may be guilty. Essentially, don't give the officer a reason to remember you. Your recall of the situation is probably much greater than his since it's your only stop, while it may be one of a hundred to him. This will be important if you decide to fight your ticket in court. Although the magistrate or judge may give great weight to the testimony of the officer, you should attempt to record and recall every detail of the situation if called upon to testify and you should be prepared to examine the officer about his lack of recollection of the details of your stop.

The most important aspects of how to fight my ticket is to not admit your guilt when pulled over. At first the officer may ask you for license and insurance information, but usually the very next questions will be "Do you know why I pulled you over?" If you're looking to learn how to fight a speeding ticket, or how to fight a traffic ticket in general, you should know that the answer to this question is always "no". You may have been driving 60 mph in a 25 mph zone, but you cannot know for sure why the officer pulled you over. Do not try to guess! This may be seen as an admission and anything you say may be used against you in court. Simply answer "no" and do not become argumentative with the officer. If the officer may tries to engage you in conversation, be aware that they may be tricking you into an admission on your part. Regardless of whether you committed the violation or not, accept the ticket without admitting anything.

When deciding how to fight my ticket, I have to begin preparing my defense immediately when pulled over. Take notice of road condition and signage. What is the weather like? What time of day is it? Is it raining or is it clear? Perhaps it's foggy. How was the officer's visibilty? Is there sufficient light? What about stop signs or speed limit signs? Are they clear and visible? Are they properly posted? You should record all relevant details as soon as possible. These may or may not be necessary later, but it shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to do. Review your ticket immediately for mistakes or omissions. Create diagrams if necessary. Talk to witnesses if there are any available. Do whatever you can to gather as much information as possible about the stop. Click on the link above or the big arrow link below for more ideas on what you should gather at the scene of the stop.

There are two types of defenses when you decide to defend yourself in court. There are technical defenses and factual defenses. Technical defenses are based upon technical issues, as opposed to factual issues. If there was improper signage (remember how we gathered all of the important information at the scene?) or if the officer charged you with the wrong offense, these are vaild defense.What if the radar the police used has not been recognized as an accurate indicator of speed? This you should know. Factual defenses allege that the police got certain relevant, factual matters incorrect. For example, if you are given a ticket for running a red light but you can prove that the light was yellow or green (perhaps through eyewitness testimony) then you have a strong defense. In addition, in many jurisdictions the case against you will be dismissed if the officer does not show up to court. You can request that the hearing be delayed and try to decrease the likelihood of the officer showing. There are many more tactics and strategies to use to help you fight your ticket. For much more detailed information on how to fight my ticket, click on the link above or the big arrow link below.