Traffic Ticket for an Improper Turn onto a One-Way Street

When you’re ticketed for an improper turn, this means an officer either spotted you making a turn which either caused a hazardous situation or a car accident. Also, if you make a left hand turn while in an inside lane and turn into the outside lane on the street you turned on to, or make a right hand turn during a red light where a “No Right Turn on Red”  sign has been posted you can be ticketed for making an improper turn by a law enforcement officer. Something as simple as an unsafe lane change, or changing lanes without signaling can be considered an improper turn.

There can be a number of punishments for making an improper turn, depending on where you live or where the infraction takes place. Most of these cases don’t typically end with just a ticket. Most drivers have points added to their license, and insurance increases due to unsafe driving habits. The violation can remain on the drivers’ traffic record for 3 years. Also, if the improper turn causes an accident, this infraction often results in fault being placed solely on the driver that made the improper turn.

Objecting to the Ticket

If you were pulled over and given a citation for an improper turn and you feel that the citation was either unwarranted or mistaken, you do retain the right to both object to and fight the penalty for the ticket. You must contest this ticket in court, however. Trying to take the ticket to the issuing police station and arguing your case won’t do you any good, as the police officers don’t argue cases outside of court, and once the ticket is issued, only a judge can decide to dismiss the charge.

• The first step in fighting any ticket is to not ever admit guilt to the offense while speaking with the officer. This does not mean you should argue with the officer. Arguing may even result in your arrest if the argument goes too far, as arrest is at the officer’s discretion. Getting arrested will make your case almost impossible to challenge.
• Your next step is to collect the police report from the police station and challenge any point in the statement made by the officer that you feel is questionable. If the location is stated incorrectly, or any of your license information is misprinted on the ticket, you may be able to have the charge dismissed due to incorrect processing of a traffic ticket.

Getting Help

If you are considering fighting the ticket in court, you may want to hire an attorney. He or she can defend you or help you to arrange a plea bargain and may and be able to at least have the penalty lessened for the offense.