If you received a traffic ticket, the last thing you should do is pay the fine right away. Paying the fine is an admission of guilt. This could cause your car insurance rates to skyrocket overnight, along with other consequences like possibly having to attend driving school.
Your first action after getting a ticket should be to call a traffic crimes lawyer. Even if you feel your chances of successfully contesting the charge are slim, an attorney will have the skill, experience, and resources needed to minimize the worst negative effects in your case. They could even get the ticket thrown out. Speak to a Delaware County traffic crimes lawyer with McKenzie Law Firm, P.C. to see how they can help.
How many of us have been stopped by an officer, only to have no idea what we’re being stopped for? It seems like some officers will look for any excuse to make a traffic stop. There’s no reason for you to just pay a ticket, especially if you feel you were stopped for no reason, or your rights were violated.
It’s all too common for drivers to feel a mix of intimidation and acceptance when they get a ticket, like nothing they might do could change the reality of the situation. The truth is you always have options, and a traffic crimes lawyer can always help – even and especially when you feel you have no chance of challenging the ticket.
Then, when some drivers do challenge the ticket, they often either don’t show up to court or hope the ticketing officer decides not to go to court that day. Rather than leaving your fate in court up to chance, you can turn to an attorney who’s built their career on representing people in situations like yours.
The fact is that courts bank on defendants paying the fine. It’s why you still need to show up in person to contest the charge but can easily pay your fine online with the state’s ePay system.
Your criminal defense attorney can do a lot more than simply argue your innocence in court. Depending on what you’re dealing with, your lawyer could also work to get your license reinstated if it’s already been suspended, handle a bench warrant if you didn’t go to court, and work to prevent this violation from impacting your points.
Your traffic crimes lawyer will first do all they can to get the ticket thrown out. They may point to inconsistencies on the ticket itself, look for inaccuracies and malfunctions in speed-detecting equipment, or even argue human error on the part of the ticketing officer.
Of course, “traffic crimes” is a broad, catch-all term encompassing several violations, with everything from simple parking tickets to a DUI arrest all falling under the umbrella term. As such, your attorney’s strategy will depend in large part on the severity of your charge and the evidence introduced in the case.
The short answer is all of them. The right traffic crimes lawyer will have the breadth of experience and jurisprudential knowledge needed to handle anything from a speeding ticket to a felony hit-and-run charge. Title 75 of the Pennsylvania code covers all manner of information about traffic crimes, from the types of violations there are, consequences of violations, and minor matters like information on registration and licensing.
Some of the more minor violations include failing to stop at a stop sign, going through a red light, speeding, or improperly passing another vehicle. It’s important to note that ignorance of a particular law or regulation is not a valid excuse for violation. All drivers are expected to understand the road rules when given their driver’s license.
What sets Pennsylvania apart from many other states is its points system. Where other states might consider each violation separately, traffic violations in PA often result in points getting added to a driver’s record. After accruing six points, you could be forced to attend mandatory driver education or even see your license suspended.
So long as your charge falls under the umbrella term of traffic violations, an attorney can always help. Common attitudes fall on opposite sides of the spectrum: defendants either feel their ticket is too minor to challenge, or that they’re facing such a serious charge they have no way out of.
No matter the size or scope of your case, a traffic crimes lawyer will have tools at their disposal for mounting a successful legal defense. Don’t get pushed into a corner and intimidated out of fighting back. It is within your legal rights to contest any ticket and fight any charge against you in court, and an attorney can help with that.
At its core, McKenzie Law Firm, P.C. is a practice dedicated to advocating for those who feel voiceless. Our founder has built a wealth of experience, handling litigation and composition for various firms and state entities.
Since building his practice more than a decade ago, David McKenzie has built a reputation for success. You can count on him to fight tirelessly for your innocence.
You have every right to contest your charges in court, and your chances of success could be higher than you think. If you’re unsure.
