Speeding: an expensive traffic ticket
Unless you’re a new or extraordinarily conscientious driver, you’ve likely received at least one speeding ticket. As such, you are aware that speeding tickets generate points that are assessed against your license. Less obvious is the fact that these points for speeding or committing any other type of traffic violation add up quickly; whose end product can be serious, as in a suspended license.
If you simply pay a speeding ticket, you can forget about expecting a fair outcome because by doing so, you are admitting guilt in the eyes of the law. There will be no better outcome than a guilty verdict from the court, and you will be responsible for any fines and penalties imposed by law. Of course, these penalties will vary based on several factors, such as how fast you were going, whether or not you were in a school or construction zone, and the number of times you received traffic tickets. The standard penalties for speeding in the state of Florida are as follows:
• 15 mph or less
If this is what you were pulled over for, you will be fined approximately $200 and three (3) points will be assessed against your driver’s license. These will remain on your license for three years.
• 16mph to 29mph
This will also result in a fine increasing to approximately $250, and the points you earn against your license increase to four (4) points.
• 30mph to 49mph
This violation has much more serious consequences than previous violations. From 30 to 49 mph, not only do you have to pay the fine and receive (4) points, but you or an attorney you have hired also require a court appearance. You will not know until your court appearance how much the fine will be because it is imposed by the judge at the time of your appearance if you are found guilty of the crime. It is important to note that failure to appear in court may result in your license being suspended.
• 50 mph or more
oh boy! This traffic violation is a serious problem. He must appear in court for this violation and a conviction can result in a fine of up to $1,000, and that is only the first time he has been convicted. A second conviction may warrant a fine of up to $2,500. Those are pretty stiff fines, but if you get a third conviction, you can face a fine of up to $5,000. To make matters worse, this conviction can lead to a driver’s license revocation for up to ten (10) years.
Although neither of the first two crimes mentioned here require a court appearance, it is definitely advisable to prepare a defense or hire a good traffic ticket attorney to defend you. It may seem like another expense, but there are several factors to take into account. Just a couple of these are as follows:
• Time – Time is precious and as the saying goes, time lost once can never be regained. If you decide to defend yourself, you will find that you have to spend a lot of time thoroughly researching the law you have been accused of violating, as well as the circumstances surrounding your stop, such as the time of day, weather conditions, road conditions, etc. In addition, you will have to work on preparing an adequate defense. That means you will have to be fully prepared to go to court and present evidence while maintaining the professional conduct dictated by the court. There is a good chance that you could be short for an extended period of time.
• Money – As I said, at first it may seem like hiring a lawyer is just one more added expense, but consider the other options available to you. Yes, you can probably go to traffic school, but you will still be responsible for paying the fine, court costs, and traffic school itself. These expenses add up quickly. Let’s not forget the increase in car insurance, and sometimes even life insurance, that can happen once you get points on your license. Those points are a strong indicator to insurance companies that you represent a higher risk. Insurance companies, of course, assess potential risk when setting premiums. It can get very expensive very quickly when you add these increases to the ticket and the court costs you will have to pay if you just accept the traffic ticket without fighting it.
Speeding is probably one of the easiest traffic tickets to get, and with traffic conditions like here in South Florida, it’s virtually impossible to drive with cruise control on for any length of time. These same conditions—road congestion, construction, bicyclists, pedestrians, the blinding glare of the sun, or the darkness of sudden rain storms—also make it extremely difficult to be alert to watch the road and check the speedometer at the same time. hour.
It is for these reasons that it becomes increasingly frustrating that nearly all police officers are less inclined to give drivers some slack for minor speeding violations. Perhaps this is because the various law enforcement agencies are pushing harder for enforcement, or perhaps it is because of what appears to be an us versus them attitude. If you’ve been arrested in the past few years, you know what I mean. You are very rarely greeted by a police officer who appears to be nice, and you feel like you are being treated like a criminal before you know why you were pulled over. This propagates the us versus them mentality, but now from the drivers’ perspective. No one wants to be treated in a hostile way.
Yes, going 50 miles per hour over the speed limit probably warrants some pretty stiff tickets, but in our experience, most of our customers are going 15 mph or less over the posted speed limit when they get a traffic ticket, and this is often due to a rapid reduction in the speed limit. If you have been issued a speeding ticket, let us provide you with a free consultation by calling us at 954-967-9888.