If you’ve recently been pulled over for speeding, you may be debating the merits of fighting the ticket you were handed by the officer whose lights twirled and blinked in your rearview mirror only moments before. Perhaps you want to fight the speeding ticket because you genuinely believe that you weren’t going as fast as you were clocked. Perhaps you want to fight the ticket on principle. Or perhaps the ticket is just so expensive that you don’t have any hope of paying the full amount owed.
On the one hand, you have nothing to lose. On the other hand, if you want a better shot of winning your case, you’ll want to enlist the help of an attorney who understands how to get results in these kinds of situations, so you’ll need to invest not only time but a little bit of money into such efforts. Whatever way you “come down” in regards to this decision, there are several factors to consider as you weigh whether to fight your recent speeding ticket or not.
As an experienced Greensville County, VA speeding ticket lawyer – including those who practice at The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt – can confirm, the initial cost of paying a speeding ticket is not necessarily the total cost associated with that ticket. Meaning, that if you don’t fight your ticket, you may incur additional costs that make the experience of being cited for speeding much more expensive than the total ticket amount owed suggests.
For example, incurring a speeding ticket may raise your insurance premiums. Insurance premium raises may remain in place for six months to several years. Say that your premiums go up by $10/month as a result of your speeding ticket and remain raised to this new base premium amount for two years. This means that the cost of your speeding ticket will not only be the amount owed but also the extra $240 in insurance premiums paid as a result of your infraction.
With that said, if this is your very first speeding ticket and you weren’t going even 10 miles over the posted speed limit, it may not be worth your time and effort to fight the ticket. The question of whether to stand up or not really depends on your unique circumstances.
If you are unsure of whether it is worth your time, effort, and resources to fight a Virginia speeding ticket or not, it is a good idea to speak with an attorney who practices traffic law. Most attorneys offer consultations with no strings attached because they genuinely believe that anyone who has rights under the law deserves to understand what those rights are. Speaking with a lawyer can help you to clarify your situation and will allow you to ask questions so that you can make informed decisions about your options. Then, you can take whatever next steps make the most sense for you under your unique circumstances.