Kurtz & Blum, PLLC - Criminal Justice Attorney

Raleigh Speeding Ticket Lawyer

What to Do When You Are Pulled Over for Speeding

Speeding tickets are often the first and only contact people have with the criminal justice system. Since they are so commonplace, many people think that they can be either ignored or handled without thought. Before making a big mistake, you should know what to do if you are stopped by the police as well as what to do if you get a ticket.

The first thing you need to know is to be nice. If the officer insults you, be nice. If the officer says something you know isn’t true, be nice. If the officer is the biggest jerk you’ve ever met and you are enraged to the point that you feel you might suffer an aneurism, you should still be nice. Unlike the wisdom professed by Patrick Swayze’s character in Roadhouse; there is absolutely never a time when you should not be nice to a cop.

Rather, you should always keep in mind that you want to project a level of politeness and respect to the police officer. There is absolutely nothing to lose by being pleasant. There are even times when being affable might just prod the cop into cutting you a break. Giving the officer a hard time might make you feel better in the moment, but it never pays off in the end. It will almost always hurt you in court if you give the police a hard time; worse, it might even result in additional charges. Be polite and cooperative when talking with the police and your speeding ticket will be easier to handle.

The second thing that you need to know about dealing with law enforcement is that if you are stopped by the police, anything you say can be used against you in court. This applies just as much to a minor infraction like speeding as it does to a major crime like drug trafficking. You might think that would only be important when it comes to serious criminal charges, but you’d be surprised. If you say that you know you were going 20 miles over the limit but so was everyone else, be prepared for those words to haunt you in court. If we can handle your case without you ever needing to go to court, you should know that we hear everything our clients said when we talk with the officers. The extension of this is that the cops may also tell the prosecutor and the judge. You should refrain from admitting to speeding. You do not have to admit your guilt.

What to Do After You Receive a Speeding Ticket

Once you have been given a speeding ticket, you have several options:

Bad Options:

  1. You could just pay the fine or plead guilty on your own without a lawyer. If you handle a ticket yourself, brace yourself for the consequences. On top of the fine, points will be added to your driver’s license and your insurance premiums will increase under most circumstances. The points can get you into trouble quickly, especially if your driving record isn’t spotless or if you are a relatively new driver. If your ticket occurred in a work zone or school zone, a speeding ticket becomes even more expensive.
  2. You could go to court on your own and try to negotiate your own deal. There are several possible outcomes here that make this a terrible idea. First, you could mistakenly believe that you need to use a PJC or prayer for judgment when that would actually hurt you by wasting a valuable PJC when you didn’t need to use one or by using one after you have no remaining PJCs left. Either way is damaging. What’s more, unless you do traffic cases on a daily basis, there is no way for you to know what the best deal you can achieve with any particular district attorney / judge combination might be. Our considerable experience with traffic cases informs us as to who will do what and under what circumstances.
  3. Hiring the cheapest lawyer you can find is another dangerous way to handle your ticket. Granted, there are plenty of more serious charges that you could have but even a small speeding ticket can have big consequences. There are a lot of reasons why hiring a lawyer simply because they are the cheapest is a bad idea. For example, some traffic lawyers won’t even bother getting your traffic record before they determine how they will handle your case. We always get your record before we act. We refuse to act blindly even if it does require a bit more effort on our part. Instead of listing all the reasons why you shouldn’t hire the cheapest lawyer, take a look at this video we produced to answer exactly this question. You should also be wary of any attorney who claims they can simply get your ticket dismissed. As lawyers, we can’t guarantee results and a lawyer who does guarantee results is breaking the rules of professional conduct by making such a guarantee.

Good Options:

  1. There is only one good option. Take the time to research and secure the best traffic lawyer possible to handle your speeding ticket case. This will minimize your personal inconvenience and ensure that the ultimate outcome is the best possible in your particular case. Traffic attorneys are thoroughly familiar with the legal process, handle tickets routinely, and understand what the range of outcomes is for any particular case as well as the way to achieve the best outcome.

At Kurtz & Blum, PLLC, we handle traffic cases each and every day. We know all of the assistant district attorneys and all of the judges. We know how they react to different types of cases as well as the best way to approach them. Our traffic lawyers will ensure that you get the best possible outcome for your speeding ticket. At Kurtz & Blum, PLLC, we’re in your corner.

Our traffic and speeding ticket lawyers help people throughout Wake County, NC. We frequently handle offenses arising out of the following cities: Morrisville, Wendell, Holly Springs, Garner, Rolesville, New Hope, Knightdale, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Fuquay-Varina, Zebulon, Cary and Apex.

Testimonial:

I highly recommend Kurtz and Blum. Their professional staff assisted me in resolving a traffic matter in a timely matter to my satisfaction.

Review by: Don S.
Reviewing: Traffic Ticket Legal Services
Date published:2012
Rating: ★★★★★5 / 5 stars
Awards & Recognition:
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