Thursday, January 31, 2013

Some Ways to Beat a Speeding Ticket So That the Fines Won't Hurt You

Speeding tickets can devastate insurance rates, so it's probably a good idea to learn how to get out of one. And no, I'm not talking about doing anything illegal or immoral. There are things you can say and ask for in court that are going to make it very difficult for a judge to pin the ticket on you. You just have to know some simple ways to beat a speeding ticket.

First off, be nice. Going into the courtroom and demanding things, or being rude to the judge is not a good idea. If you make them angry they will find something to slap you with. They have to sit in a stuffy room all day and deal with boring cases, they're just waiting for someone to mess up. If you don't want to have to pay your ticket, be courteous of all things.

One of the best ways to beat a speeding ticket is to come to court prepared. There are certain things you can ask for that will make it very difficult for a judge to enforce the ticket.

For instance, depending on your state and county of residence there are certain laws stating that a radar gun that hasn't been calibrated in X amount of days is inadmissible. Do you know what that means? If a cop is too busy to get his equipment serviced, you're off the hook! This is great for you.

At this point you might be thinking to yourself, "So what? I'd rather pay the ticket. I just don't want to deal with it anymore." But have you thought of the long term costs of your ticket? Once your insurance company finds out about your little incident they're going to charge you all they can get.

The prices of speeding tickets vary, and don't be fooled. Regardless of how much your speeding ticket was has nothing to do with the extra rate your insurance will charge you. Lets say your ticket was $200. Wow! You must have been going fast, and you paid it not thinking much about it. Your insurance company receives a letter from the DMV, and now you're in trouble.

ACME Insurance Agency ( for demonstrational purposes ) has decided that you're more of a "risk" now. So, your insurance is going to go up $25 a month for the next three years.

* $25 * x 36 (12 months x 3 years) * $900

Fighting a Speeding Ticket in Court - Fight it Before the Costs Add Up

Avoiding a traffic ticket is an important skill that most of us could stand to learn. Cops don't necessarily care why we were speeding, they're just doing their job by catching us. There are ways of fighting a speeding ticket in court. And they don't involve anything illegal or dangerous, just some common sense.

Do you have any idea what the repercussions of a speeding ticket can be? Especially if you've had more than one? Your insurance company is going to take you to the cleaners!

The money you fork out for the ticket is what? Somewhere around two hundred dollars? Well, once your insurance company finds out about it they consider you more of a "risk" so they raise your premium $20 a month, for about three years. What's the total cost of your ticket?

$ 20 x 36 (3 years x 12 months) = $ 720

And then you add in the original cost of the ticket (roughly around $175).

So, its' going to cost you about $895 dollars for getting pulled over for speeding that one time. Fabulous! As if you didn't have anything else to worry about. No Christmas presents this year kids, Sorry!

Do yourself a favor and be prepared for court. If you've already got the ticket in hand there is no point in getting upset, it's just going to make things harder for you in the long run. There are certain things you're entitled to ask for such as: information on the radar gun used, calibration, and the maintenance records.

If the gun wasn't properly calibrated then fighting a speeding ticket in court will be easy, but you'll have to prove it. In some states/counties if the gun hasn't been serviced in a certain amount of time the radar evidence is not admissible in court. So be sure and check your local laws before barging into court and making demands.

One other thing that will work in your favor is a dismissal, because the officer doesn't show up. It's pretty hard to defend a ticket when the officer is busy, so you must always (and I mean always!) show up to court. Also, if you've asked for materials and maintenance records the cop is going to be so frustrated he might not show up at all. They're looking for an easy way to get their money, remember that. They don't want fighting a speeding ticket in court to be any type of option for you.