Did you get a traffic ticket in Spotsylvania County? Let’s look at your options for fighting it! If you want to talk to a Spotsylvania traffic lawyer, just give me a call.

Beware of pre-paying

First of all, you should think twice before you prepay your traffic ticket. It’s tempting to get the ticket out of the way by just paying the fine, but you’re also giving up important rights.

The ticket you received should have a notice that informs you about your waiver of rights. Basically, you are giving up your right to a trial, your right to remain silent, and your right to confront the evidence against you.

Do you really know what will happen if you plead guilty to your traffic ticket? I’ve had people call me after they prepaid their ticket and realized the conviction caused havoc in their life.

In sum, you should call a traffic ticket lawyer before you prepay any ticket.

Check for ticket defenses

Part of your traffic lawyer consultation should cover the defenses you might have. The Commonwealth has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you broke the law, and you can raise affirmative defenses in your case. Things to consider include:

Was there a problem with the officer’s observations?

Was your vehicle actually the vehicle that allegedly broke the law?

Was there a legal justification for your driving behavior?

Is there a defect or problem on the ticket itself?

Are you the driver of the vehicle that the officer observed allegedly violating the law?

There are certainly other possible defenses to analyze based on the facts of your case. For example, speeding tickets must be proven by an acceptable manner of measuring your speed. If the officer cannot prove his speed measurement, your speeding ticket could be dismissed completely.

Consider other possibilities

Even if there are no substantive defenses for your traffic ticket in Spotsylvania, you may still have options.

Depending upon the facts of your case and your driving record, you may be able to attend a driver improvement school to have the ticket reduced or dismissed.

If driving school isn’t an option in your case, you may still be able to obtain a reduction by completing some community service.

To take either of these options, you would at least have to pay the court costs for your ticket. And if the ticket is just reduced, you would have to pay the fine for the reduced charge.

Consult a Spotsylvania traffic lawyer

I’d love to talk with you. Give me a call to discuss your traffic ticket. I offer free consultations that will cover the basics of your case, possible defenses, and other solutions to this situation.

Originally published at AndrewFlusche.com. © 2009 Andrew Flusche. Talk to a Spotsylvania Traffic Lawyer