When to Hire a Traffic Violation Attorney for a Ticket

A driver should hire a lawyer to dispute a traffic violation ticket in a number of case-specific circumstances, typically those involving the potential for administrative penalties and costly financial implications related to the citation. The following article outlines certain scenarios where a driver should employ a traffic violations lawyer to dispute a ticket.

Offenses Creating Criminal Records

Depending on the state and jurisdiction of the citation, certain traffic violations are handled as either non-criminal citations or criminal offenses. If a driver faces a citation for a criminal offense, he or she should retain legal representation to dispute the traffic citation.

Offenses Creating Administrative Penalties

The overwhelming majority of states employ a points system to track and penalize habitual traffic violations offenders. If a driver has accrued sufficient points previously that will result in license suspension based upon point totals in light of a new conviction, he or she should retain a traffic violations lawyer to dispute the citation and prevent license suspension. From a proactive stance, any driver in danger of point based suspension, such as one more future citation causing mandatory suspension, should consider using legal counsel to dispute the existing citation as well.

It is also notable that certain traffic violation offenses by themselves, depending on the driving laws of a given state, may potentially entail automatic license suspension upon conviction. In these cases, a driver should seriously consider disputing the citation with a traffic violations lawyer to preserve his or her driving privileges. While the issue of preserving the privilege to drive may be one of convenience for some, certain drivers, upon loss of license, may be unable to continue their current employment, which will require driving as part of the job function or driving to reach place of employment. Furthermore, certain professional licenses may be subject to review or suspension based on administrative action restricting driving abilities.

Offenses Creating Future Financial Expenses

Many drivers balk at disputing citations with a traffic violations lawyer based on the costs of retaining legal counsel. In reality, many offenses ultimately create more financial losses for a driver in the end than legal counsel will to dispute the citation. For example, certain states tack unsafe driver fines and fees to drivers with certain point totals on an annual basis, which are in addition to the actual fines and fees associated with the offense themselves. Furthermore, certain administrative penalties, including suspension, revocation, or driving school attendance, involve a costly process to bring a license into good standing. Finally, the indisputable argument for the cost-benefits of disputing a traffic ticket revolve around increase insurance premium costs, assessed on a monthly basis for up to three (3) years, as the result of traffic violations conviction.

Getting Legal Help with Traffic Violations

In reality, a wide number of viable defenses to almost any traffic violation are possible, but the vast majority will require the insight and representation of a traffic violations lawyer in the jurisdiction where an offense occurred. Consult with a traffic violations lawyer to learn more about the possible methods to dispute your individual traffic violation, as well as take action to prevent conviction and the associated problems.