Florida has a reputation for being full of terrible drivers, with Florida Highway Patrol pulling over about three million people in the last five years. Many of these traffic stops resulted in the driver receiving a traffic ticket.
You have two options if you find yourself with a Florida traffic ticket. You could pay it, or you could fight it. Before paying, consider the many benefits that come with fighting your ticket.
Whether it is a speeding ticket or another driving infraction, speaking with a traffic defense attorney can help you fight your ticket.
Correct Inaccuracies and Mistakes
Police officers are human, and they can make mistakes. They use equipment, such as radar detectors, that can become faulty. If either happens, you may have an unjustly issued ticket.
By fighting your ticket, you hold the police officer and law enforcement accountable. Identified mistakes and errors can result in your ticket getting dropped.
Protect Your Legal Rights
By fighting your ticket, you can exercise your legal rights. Getting a traffic ticket is getting accused of breaking the law. You are entitled to defend your innocence at a trial.
During your trial, you can present your evidence and witnesses. You can also cross-examine the police officer’s testimony, witnesses, and evidence. You could prove your innocence and get the ticket dropped with an effective defense.
Police Officer May Not Show Up
Part of being a police officer is testifying in court. This includes testifying about what happened that led to them issuing you a traffic ticket. Unfortunately, they don’t always make it.
Unforeseen circumstances can prevent them from showing up. It doesn’t always happen, but you automatically win when the officer doesn’t attend your traffic court date.
Points on Your License
One of the most significant drawbacks of not fighting your traffic ticket is the points. When you simply pay your fine, you accept responsibility, and the points are automatically assessed. You can fight the ticket or take a driver improvement course if you want to avoid the points.
There are limits on how many times and how often you can take the driver improvement course. This could leave you with no option but to fight the ticket to avoid the points.
Florida traffic laws outline which infractions come with three, four, or six points. Minor driving infractions and speeding less than 15 miles over the speed limit come with three points. Speeding over 15 mph over the speed limit, running red lights, engaging in reckless behavior, or endangering the public comes with four points.
The most severe violations, such as speeding caused accidents, fleeing an accident scene, or causing severe injury, come with six points.
Fines and Fees
Many people avoid hiring a lawyer because they assume it is expensive. However, not hiring a lawyer and not fighting your ticket can be more expensive. Traffic tickets come with a broad range of fines and fees depending on the infraction.
Hiring a lawyer can result in your ticket getting thrown out, saving you from having to pay these fines.
Increased Insurance Costs
You may not see an increase in your insurance rates right away. However, your insurance company will eventually require you to renew your policy. When this happens, it will run a report on your driving history.
You can expect your insurance company to increase your rates. People who get traffic tickets are viewed as a higher risk than those who do not. The increased risk means a greater liability for the insurance company.
The insurance company then passes this increased risk to you by increasing your rates. This is a common hidden cost of speeding tickets, making fighting a traffic ticket essential.
In extreme cases, an insurance company could cancel your policy entirely. Now, you must look for a new policy. This can become difficult, as other insurance companies are less likely to approve a policy when your current company has dropped you.
Avoid License Suspension or Revocation
If you get too many points on your license, you face getting your license suspended or even revoked. Accumulate 12 points in 12 months, and you face license suspension for 30 days.
You face a three-month suspension if you get 18 points in 18 months. Then, 24 points in 36 months results in a one-year suspension. This may seem like a lot, but you can quickly rack up this many in a single traffic stop.
For example, you could get three points for speeding 15 mph or less over the posted speed limit. Then, there are another four points for running a red light. Then, there are three more points for driving too fast in the current conditions.
This adds up to 10 points in a single traffic stop. One more traffic stop in the next year gives you points, and you are over the minimum limit for driver’s license suspension.
Revocation
In a worse situation, if you accumulate 15 violations that give you points in five years, your license will get revoked. These traffic laws are in place to protect the general public from individuals who are habitual offenders of the Florida traffic laws.
Potential Employment Issues
If your employment involves driving, even a minor infraction can disastrously affect your career. Because of liability, companies do not want to hire someone with driving infractions on their record for a driving position. Fighting a traffic ticket is a must to ensure you protect your current livelihood and future career.
Even if your career doesn’t involve driving, you may need to drive as part of your commute to and from work. Getting traffic tickets could result in points that lead to a suspended license and increases insurance costs. This could prevent you from being able to commute, creating a hardship in your career.
Hire a Traffic Defense Attorney
If you recently received a traffic ticket, speak with a traffic defense attorney. Because every situation is different, your legal rights and options can vary significantly.
The team at RHINO Lawyers can help you strategize the best approach for fighting your traffic ticket. That way, you can avoid many negative impacts of getting traffic tickets.
Fight your ticket with RHINO Lawyers and avoid extra expenses and points on your license.
CONTACT TAMPA TRAFFIC TICKET ATTORNEY
RHINO Lawyers can help and guide you through a system molded by law enforcement, judges, and lawyers for decades. Having won cases for our clients in similar circumstances, our criminal defense team knows what it takes to fight on your behalf.
Let RHINO Lawyers answer your questions and review the facts of your case with a Free Consultation. So, get started by completing the “Free Instant Case Evaluation” or by calling us any time, day or night, at (844) RHINO-77.
