Whether you are guilty or innocent of a traffic violation in America you are entitled to a fair treatment and a hearing. The most valuable thing to remember is no matter if you are wrong or right how you are perceived by the officer at the time of the stop, or to the court when you plead your case affects your chances of receiving a fine or having points taken off your license. Even if you have done nothing wrong, it is the manner in which you present yourself that is often more important than any helpful evidence you provide to support your case.
Traffic stops don’t usually happen on a good day. A moment of distraction on the road is most often due to a bad day at the office, being overly tired, or having an argument with a love one. The second the lights show up in your rearview mirror these emotions need to be set aside. Take several deep breaths, and try to relax mentally before the officer approaches your vehicle. Keep in mind from this point on appearing calm and reasonable will help this situation, while becoming angry or irate will hurt your changes of getting out of the Traffic ticket.
When speaking with the officer the less you say the better. Never openly, admit wrongdoing. If you dispute the officer’s reason for the stop state this only once, and only if asked. The most helpful part of this exchange is actually the officer not remembering much of what was said. If you were in the wrong, then being polite has an added benefit of sometimes getting only a warning instead of a Traffic ticket. Either way, the most effective course of action is to be polite, and ask only limited questions of the officer. If you are given a Traffic ticket ask if you can mail in the fine even if you have no intention of doing so, since if the officer believes this case is not likely to go to court, there is a possibility he or she will take less notes.
Do gain as much information as possible in finding out why the officer stopped you. If it was for speeding find out how fast the officer believes you were traveling. As soon as possible after being stopped, make your own notes of what happened. Take into consideration everything that occurred. Were you traveling in a group of cars, for example while yours was the only one stopped? Do you have a car of a common color, and could the officer have mistaken another vehicle for your own? Also, make note of the weather, the number of cars on the road, and obstacles, which might have been in the way. If possible, take photos of such obstacles, which might have effected your driving such as a stalled car, illegally parked trucks, traffic cones, or roadwork being performed.
Go to the officer’s initial position from which he observed you. Take pictures of the view of traffic from his initial angle to check his perspective. All of this can help you later. For example, even the weather can be an important factor. For many police departments there are boxes to be checked off for the weather to save the officer time in having to write this down. Many times, out of habit, officers accidentally check boxes showing clear weather or no obstacles in the road. Having photographic proof casts down on his version of events in court.
If you have several tickets, high car insurance costs, or if getting a Traffic ticket could harm your work record it is prudent to get a lawyer. When the Traffic ticket is for DUI it is cautioned that you get a lawyer, as even first-time offenses can have serious consequences. If not, then before a court date is set file a motion for discovery with the court. Discovery allows you to see all the evidence or statements against you that will be used in court. This way, there are no surprises when you plead you case.
If you are guilty of the offense, it is in your own best interest to try making a deal with the prosecutor. At this point since the case has not gone to court it actually saves time and money for this office to allow you to plead to a reduced charge, lower fines, or a smaller reduction of points off your license. If you plead a deal on your own read it through carefully and understand it.
When you must appear in court, dress appropriately. Speak politely with the judge and present your evidence carefully. If your case is dismissed, or if you receive a reduced charge and fine remember to check your record within a month to make sure the dismissed or lowered ticket appears as such on your record.