There is a little bit of research that you can do before you get to the courtroom which can help you in your case.

1. Look up the infraction that you are charged with. This might be done on a city or county website or you might have to go down to your city or county court offices to see the laws in place. What you do with this information is try to figure out what the prosecutors actually have to prove to make you be found guilty. Take this information and dissect it into pieces and think about how you could argue against one or all of them. If you challenge just one point of this violation, a fair judge has to find you innocent.

2. Look for any mistakes on the ticket. It’s not common for there to be a mistake but sometimes there are mistakes. If there is one, normally these will be dropped. It’s not likely but it’s something to keep in mind before spending lots of time thinking of a defense.

3. Be prepared to ask questions about how court works. If there is something that you don’t understand about court, there is only so much research you can do before you get to the courtroom. It’s acceptable to admit that since you aren’t an attorney that you don’t understand the procedures. A judge should explain these to you if you don’t understand what’s going on. Going along with something you don’t understand is a sure way of losing or agreeing to something you didn’t intend.

4. Prepare as many questions you can think of about the incident as you can. If the officer can’t answer a question or can’t answer a question clearly, it makes them not look as credible in court as you do. Yes, it should be a system where you are innocent until proven guilty, but in this case the officer’s word is highly valued. Get the officer to look a bit confused on the subject matter and that word is going to be devalued for this situation making your chances a little bit better.

Really you have two main options. This works a little differently from one jurisdiction to the next, but it’s the same idea. You can pay for the ticket or you can fight the ticket. Sometimes you can go to the address printed on the ticket and pay for it as soon as possible. In some areas you have to show up on the court dates set within a week or two generally having to take off work and school to do so.

If you pay the ticket, then you are admitting guilt. This will add points against your license and make your auto insurance go up as you are no longer as safe of a driver as before.

If you fight the ticket, the worst that can happen is that you lose and still have to pay the fines.

Fighting the ticket could get you a reduced fine. Maybe the judge will take your 12 miles over the limit and lower it to 9.

It could get it lowered to a different infraction. For example, if you prove your speedometer wasn’t working properly, you could get some sort of faulty vehicle equipment charge instead which won’t go on your record.

It could involve some sort of traffic school. Many first time offenders are offered a short class called traffic school where they pay a reduced fine and the ticket doesn’t go on their record.

The ticket could also be thrown out completely. With the right information, you can build a defense to present in court that can help you beat the ticket.

Myth: A good excuse of why you were speeding can get you out of the ticket.

Have excuses ever worked in the past with judges or with the officer before the ticket was written?  Of course these have happened to work from time to time.  But this doesn’t mean it’s a solid defense.  The biggest problem with the excuse method is that when you are attempting to excuse your actions like speeding too much you are also admitting that you were speeding.  If you try this tactic, then no other defense is going to work since you have already admitted to breaking the law.  At that point it’s up for the discretion of the judge and most likely he or she must find you guilty.

Myth: If your ticket says that no court appearance is required, then you don’t have to show up in court to beat your ticket.

No court appearance required simply means that if you want to admit guilt and pay the fine, you can go right ahead and do this without showing up in court.  This doesn’t mean that you can somehow fight your ticket remotely outside the courtroom as some advocate.

Myth: Attacking the credibility of the officer on the witness stand will help you win your traffic defense case.

The big problem with this method is that these types of accusations or lines of questioning will be ruled as irrelevant to the case.  In most cases if the officer had some serious negligence recently they wouldn’t be out on active duty to have pulled you over.  If you do attack credibility, attack the credibility of the device or method the officer used to pull you over.

For example, in many jurisdictions the radar gun or laser gun must be checked and calibrated every few months.  If the calibration documentation is out of date, that’s the type of credibility you can bring up in court since the machine may in fact not be reading speeds properly.

Your basic two options in most jurisdictions it to pay the ticket or to fight the ticket.  Paying the ticket involves admitting guilt, getting points against your driving record, and most likely having higher insurance rates.  Fighting the ticket can result in lower fines, less penalties, traffic school alternatives, and even getting the ticket thrown out.  Each of these can save some money on fines and insurance rates.

If you feel that the ticket was unfair, it’s acceptable to take the ticket to court and try to defend yourself.  What are some common defenses that someone can do?

It’s a good idea to know your local areas laws.  Each city may have different laws on how to prove that you were speeding.  You can attack just one of these points in court and win your case if the judge believes you.

One defense is that you may not have known the speeding limit in the area because it wasn’t posted properly.  If you feel this may be the case, go back to the area you were pulled over as soon as possible and look for the missing or blocked speed limit sign.  Sometimes officers make mistakes on school zone times.  If your ticket has a time outside the time the school zone is in effect, this can get you off the ticket.

If nothing else, at least ask for traffic school as this will save your driving record and not impact your insurance rates.  If you haven’t had a poor driving record, this is normally an option than can be granted.

From state to state practices will work a little bit differently but for the most part these are general rules.  When you get this ticket, you have two options.  You can go down to the courthouse or whatever address is listed on the ticket to pay for it or you can show up to traffic court to contest the ticket.

If you want it over with the quickest way, it’s simple paying for the ticket but consider this first.  It’s going to be the highest fine as you have no chance to reduce the fine.  It’s going to go against the point system on your license in most states.  And it’s going to increase your insurance premiums for more than a few years.  So contesting the ticket isn’t really a bad idea as you can save money.

So how do you contest a ticket?

The easiest way to contest the ticket when it’s your first ticket is to go to court and ask for traffic school or driving school.  Many courts will let you pay a much smaller fee than your ticket fine and sit in a few hour driver safety class and your ticket is dropped from your record.  This is what I did with my first ticket.

There are also other ways of fighting the ticket especially if you feel you are innocent.  This may involve getting a speedometer test, challenging the method by which you were pulled over like pacing, and bringing up points in court about the actual violation after researching the infraction.  There isn’t anything wrong with trying to prove your innocence as it’s your right to do so.

For many there has been reactions to speeding cameras. Some have gone as far as trying to cover their faces to attempt to make the case a speeding camera doesn’t know who is driving the car.

A technological breakthrough has devices recording the speeding camera and sometimes speed trap locations around an area. The tomtom or iphone for example have mapping devices that show others where these are located and warn someone when the speed camera locations are near.

Some city officials don’t like this technique and have looked into way of banning it. In some areas it has helped cut down on fines. Realistically people driving slower is safer than them continuously driving faster. Obviously the easiest way of avoiding all these problems is to drive the posted speed limit.

There are few defenses against speeding camera tickets. One involves you getting the picture that the camera took to show that it wasn’t you driving the car or can’t be proven that you were driving the car like a blurry image. Another would be that you had a legitimate reason for speeding like driving someone to the hospital or another emergency.

How To Get Out Of A Speeding Ticket.

The first and best thing that can be done is to develop trust with the officer. Think of it from their point of view. They are walking up to a car and have no idea who is inside. They don’t know if it’s going to be a dangerous situation, a heated situation, or a pleasant situation. The first thing you should do is get your license and registration ready and keep your hands in sight so they don’t feel their is a weapon that is going to be used on this. This also is safe for you so they will not overreact.

Basic concepts like being polite and courteous will go a long way with the officer. If you don’t waste their time and do your best to be nice, the odds of actually getting a warning as opposed to the ticket are much greater. Also consider that if you do make a scene, the officer will remember who you are.

So if you attempt to fight the speeding ticket or traffic violation in court, this officer will be sure to show up and make sure you are fined. There are chances the cop won’t show up to court if you choose to fight the violation and in many places you will end up winning. So don’t put yourself in the situation where the cop is going to want to almost get back at you for being rude.

Another consideration are what the symbols on your car like your bumper stickers are saying about you as a person. A bumper stick that says Cops Are Pigs, for example, will not help your case at all.

There are also specific things that can be done in court to get out of tickets where you question the situation, prove your side of the story, find a flaw on the ticket itself, and question the methods of how you were pulled over like pacing.

When you get your speeding ticket, it’s important to know what type of ticket you have received. This is where you can start building your defense. You have to know what parts of your actions are acceptable and what parts the prosecution or officer has to prove to make you be found guilty in court.

If you have got a basic speed law type of ticket, sometimes these may be referred to as safe speed laws, then you need to think back to the initial conditions that you were pulled over in. This would be what kind of traffic is on the road and what the weather conditions are. If the conditions were awful with fog and ice and traffic was congested and you were going much faster than the other cars, you probably don’t have much of a case. But if the conditions were clear with good visibility you have much more of a chance of winning.

The defense would be to ask the officer what the weather and traffic conditions were during the time he or she decided to pull you over. If the officer agrees the conditions are much like what you presented, then you have a case. You can argue that under basic speed law you were driving in a safe manor. Having a clean driving record free from other tickets and accidents will help your credibility because it shows that you have a history of safe driving and have been able to determine what is safe.

Initially the goal is to get rid of the officer’s fears. The cop has no idea who you are or what you are doing. They don’t know if you are nice or if you have a gun and are going to shoot them. There is an element of fear on their part. As they approach the car even if you haven’t found your license and registration it’s best to keep your hands visible on the steering wheel. If you are digging around your car, they might think you are getting a weapon. If they feel safe, they will be much calmer.

Don’t be rude or arrogant. Saying things like, “I’m going to take this to court,” or “Who do you think you are?” is not going to help you at all. He or she will find you extremely rude and may in fact hope to see you in court so the officer can see that you get a ticket. Being rude also increases the chances that you will get a ticket as opposed to a warning.

The biggest thing you should watch out for is admitting to the guilt of speeding. You do not have to admit to speeding and do not have to give an excuse as to why you were speeding. This is self incrimination which you never have to legally do. If you give an excuse as to why you were speeding, then the officer can bring this up in court telling the judge that you admitted to the crime therefore should be found guilty. If you are planning on fighting the speeding ticket in court, do not make this mistake.

Before you get your hopes up about some abstract wording in a law book somewhere that allows you to speed and be as reckless as you want, this doesn’t exist. But in some states there are exceptions that allow someone to speed in certain cases.

Some states actually allow cars to go up to 5 miles over the speed limit and won’t give out a speeding ticket. But you can still get pulled over to be given a warning about your speed.

Some states have a speeding while passing exception. If you are on a two lane road and want to pass someone going 5 under the speed limit, it’s going to take awhile to pass if you only go the speed limit. These states recognize that speeding to get around the car is actually safer than being in the lane with oncoming traffic for a long period of time.

Some states allow a car to drive with discretion especially when alone meaning that one could be speeding while still driving safely.

Knowing your local laws is what is most important. It’s difficult to cite every place in every state that has speeding exceptions because their are too many. Find out your local driving laws so you know what is and is not legal to avoid problems.

Knowing the laws in your jurisdiction can also help you fight a speeding ticket if you get one because you know what has to be proven to find you guilty. You never know what kind of exceptions might be found to prove your innocence according to the law.