When you get a speeding ticket, a fine may not be the only penalty you face. Some defendants who speed are charged with a criminal offense, while others who do not respond to the ticket could find themselves facing a bench warrant for an arrest. Even for a simple speeding offense, demerit points on a license can send car insurance costs skyrocketing and lead to a license suspension.
However, these undesirable consequences do not have to follow every citation as a Fairfax speeding ticket lawyer may be able to help you to keep a clean record, avoid the fine and other financial costs, and walk away without a conviction for speeding. Call today to discuss your case with a traffic defense lawyer in Fairfax.
You can plead not guilty when cited for speeding, and you can go to court to try and avoid being convicted of breaking laws that prohibit driving too fast. There are a number of defenses, including insufficient proof that you exceeded the speed limit. Many people simply hope that a law enforcement officer won’t show up in court when they decide to challenge their ticket, but there are better ways to fight your citation.
A Fairfax speeding ticket lawyer will explore the facts surrounding your citation. Did the law enforcement officer have a radar gun that was used to determine your speed? Was it properly calibrated and was the officer trained on its use? Was the officer positioned to see how fast you were actually going?
Many different questions can be raised and all you need to do is make the court doubt that you violated the speed limit laws, since the prosecutor has the burden of proving the case against you.
A Fairfax speeding ticket attorney should be consulted in situations where you get a citation and want to minimize or avoid consequences associated with a speeding conviction on your record. In situations where you have been charged with a more serious offense like reckless driving, however, it is even more essential to have a legal advocate giving you advice since a conviction could lead to jail time and the suspension of your license to drive.
Your attorney will help you to respond smartly and strategically so you can do everything possible to resolve the case in your favor and move forward with a clean record.
In Virginia, you can prepay a speeding ticket. It’s equivalent to pleading guilty. So you really are better off going to court and not prepaying, because then you don’t lose your opportunity to contest the ticket.
If you go to court, even if you end up pleading guilty, you also have the option to argue sentencing, which can result in a less harsh penalty than you would have gotten if you had just prepaid it.
There are a number of different laws in Virginia addressing individuals accused of breaking the speed limit, from Virginia Code Section 46.2-878.2 that imposes a $200 fine and the potential of up to 20 hours of community service for speeding in residential districts to Code Section 46.2-862, which indicates that going 20 miles per hour more than the speed limit, or above 80 miles per hour regardless of the speed limit, is considered criminal reckless driving.
You need to understand what laws you have been accused of breaking, what possible fine and other penalties you face, and what your options are for fighting conviction. A Fairfax lawyer with experience handling speeding ticket cases can provide the help you need no matter which speeding laws you have been accused of violating.
Get help as soon as you receive a citation- call a Fairfax speeding ticket lawyer today so you will have an advocate working on resolving your case quickly and effectively with the most favorable outcome possible under the circumstances.
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