The 10 Steps to Decide Whether You Should Fight a Traffic Ticket

by 2 dogs

The 10 Steps to Decide Whether You Should Fight a Traffic Ticket

These days it seems almost impossible to avoid getting some kind of traffic ticket in Toronto and it seems that a lot of the time the reason for getting the ticket does not seem fair. It is difficult to make the decision on whether or not it is worth it to fight a traffic ticket, fighting a traffic ticket can be time consuming and in the end a complete waste of your time as you will end up having to pay the ticket anyways.

 

Before getting to the 10 steps there is an important fact that you should know that may make your decision easier right off the bat. When you decide to fight your traffic ticket you should know that 20% of the time the officer will not show up in traffic court, in most municipalities the case will be dismissed if the issuing officer does not show up.

 

1. The traffic law that you violated will be either handwritten or checked off in a box on the ticket, make sure that you get any information you can concerning the specific law that you violated.

 

2. When you look up the information concerning your traffic ticket make sure it is the most current and up to date version of the law as these laws can change from time to time.

 

3. Once you have found the information you should print or make a copy of the information you have found so that you can go over it carefully and even reference information that may pertain to your case.

 

4. Laws are usually written in multiple elements which can be confusing for some to understand, you should break it down into separate phrases that will make it easier for you to remember key points.

 

5. Once you have the traffic laws broken down into separate elements go through each part and check to see if you violated every part of that law, you may have a case if you can find an aspect of the law that you did not violate.

 

6. Ask yourself if you had a legitimate reason for violating the law, this can sometimes be a good case as to why you did not deserve the ticket. Go back to the scene and see if the signs stating the law were missing or obscured by a tree or bushes or maybe you were taking evasive action to avoid a possible accident.

 

7. In most cases the fine amount will be printed on the traffic ticket itself, in the case that it is not you should find out exactly what amount you will have to pay if you decide not to challenge the ticket.

 

8. Certain tickets may affect your drivers record in different ways, if you plan on just paying the ticket you should first find out what it will affect on your record. Some tickets will cause you to lose points from your license and cause it to become suspended.

 

9. You should also be aware of whether or not the traffic ticket will affect your insurance rates, it doesn’t hurt to call your insurance company and ask them directly as the ticket will not actually cause any change to your rates until you have actually been convicted.

 

10. Take all the information you have gathered into consideration when deciding to fight your traffic ticket. If you believe that you will be able to present a reasonable case, what it will cost you in time and effort as well as how much money it is going to cost you if you choose to fight the ticket or just pay it.

 

Making the decision to fight a traffic ticket is a big decision and in most cases it is unlikely that you can have the ticket dismissed, but you should always go over the details and weigh out the factors as to whether fighting the ticket would be worth it. Just keep in mind that defenses that will almost never work in court are: “Everybody was speeding I was just following everyone else,” “The officer is incorrect,””I was unaware of the law,””Nobody got hurt,” and “I was in a hurry to get to (some not so important emergency).”