5 Tips to Remove a Speeding Ticket from your Driving Record

General information, not legal advice. This post describes how traffic stops, accidents and traffic court work in general. Every case turns on its own facts, and reading this post does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your own ticket, call The Traffic Ticket Attorneys at (310) 455-6810 for a free consultation.

Getting a speeding ticket is never fun, but the real issue is addition of points on your driving record. These can make your insurance rates go up and even make you ineligible for certain jobs. If these points cross a certain limit, you may even lose your driving license. In some areas and situations it may be easy to deal with it, but in most cases, there is at least some provision for drivers to have their speeding tickets removed from their records.

Let’s discuss a few tips that can help you remove your speeding ticket.

1. Keep your cool at all times

When you get a speeding ticket it is assumed that you have violated the law. Being polite and complying with all of the officer’s requests is the first step to show that you are a reasonable person and should be given a second chance. How you behave with the officer does influence the verdict of the court should you wind up there and it will definitely affect whether the officer lets you off with a warning or cites you.

Whether to admit guilt when stopped for a traffic violation is each driver’s own choice. Some officers may be more willing to let a driver go with just a warning after an admission, while others might use it against the driver in court. A driver who chooses not to admit guilt can avoid being argumentative and does not have to say how fast they were going.

The general rule of keeping your cool applies all the more when you are in court. Whether you feel its right or wrong, remember that the law says you were in the wrong and you are now asking for a consideration. If you are claiming to be innocent, i.e. you received the ticket in error (you were not speeding), keeping your cool will make you appear to be a reasonable and believable individual instead of a hothead who is lying because he got caught.

2. Investigate the situation

State laws vary in whether you can remove a speeding ticket from your record by attending traffic school or not. In some states, it is relatively easy to use traffic school to avoid getting points on your record for a first offense while in others, it is difficult or impossible. Subsequent tickets (after the first) may not offer the same opportunities for a clean slate.

You must determine how long it will take you to contest a speeding ticket in your state. This can vary by county as well, so make sure you check it with the relevant authorities. If you do not enter a plea by the proper date, you will probably be considered guilty and may lose your chance to attend traffic school.

3. Talk to the officer

During the stop, discuss the situation with the officer in a calm manner. A driver who made a mistake may choose to admit it. Officers are human and they may be more likely to let you go with a warning if they think you have learned your lesson from the situation. However, this may be used against you in court should you later end up there.

A driver who does not believe they made a mistake can argue the case calmly and without insinuating or stating that the officer did something wrong. Ask about the equipment or the road situations. If you get the impression that you are driving the officer crazy, move on.

4. Attend traffic school

Traffic school is known by different names in different states but the purpose is usually the same. People who receive speeding tickets or sometimes, other types of Long Beach tickets are required to attend classes about traffic rules and driving safety in exchange for removing the points on their license. This does not completely do away with the ticket because in most cases you are still liable for the payment of all the related fines but it can surely help you avoid an increase in the insurance charges.

Most states have a limitation on how often you can attend traffic school to remove points from your record. For example, in California, drivers can attend traffic school no more than once every 18 months. The violations must also meet certain qualifications such as not going more than 25 miles per hour over the speed limit and not being caught under the influence of alcohol or drugs in order to be eligible for traffic school.

5. Fight the Ticket

Not all states allow traffic school as an option for getting rid of the speeding tickets. In these states your options may be to plead guilty and receive the points on your license or fight the ticket in court.

To conclude, you should be well prepared ahead of time with information about the circumstances or anything that could make the judge lean your way (such as the speed limit sign being hidden) and a solid recollection of what happened when you were issued the ticket. Whether to admit guilt, before the case or in court, is a decision to make with an attorney’s advice.

Image: Michael Coghlan on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.