If you have recently received a traffic ticket or a parking violations ticket, you would probably like to know how to fight moving violation ticket or parking violations tickets. To learn how to fight moving violation ticket or parking tickets check out these great tips:
1. Contest the police officer’s conclusion.
Many states make it pretty simple to contest an officer’s point of view. This is especially true when a situation is from an officer’s subjective judgment about a violation of the law. For example, subjective judgments about making a safe left is easier to contest that you were driving responsibly. It is a good idea to back your facts up with the fact that the officer was not in the best location to see the events entirely.
2. Contest what the officer has observed.
When a case requires the officer to observe a situation (not simply a judgment call), the situation becomes he said she said. In these cases, the person who wins is the person the judge believes. Typically, the officer wins, but if you can cast doubt on the officer’s observations you have a chance. This is when passengers, witnesses, and bystanders can help you prove your case. Bringing a diagram of the incident is a good idea. If you received a traffic ticket at an intersection, stop sign, traffic light, or a right of way area diagrams become especially important. Bringing pictures of the intersection, road conditions, and stop signs can also be helpful to proving your case. A great way to prove the officer could not accurately assess the incident is to prove that he had an obscured view of the scene.
3. Prove that your actions were necessary to avoid potential harm.
Emergencies do occur and are often not your fault. Perhaps you had to speed up because a truck went out of control in front of your vehicle. You must convincingly prove that you had no other choice other than to violate traffic law to avoid a potentially harmful situation. Maybe you were boxed in between cars and had to accelerate to avoid crashing into a car that was entering the lane on the right. Or perhaps someone was tailgating you and you needed to speed up momentarily to avoid being hit by an overly aggressive driver.
4. Prove that your situation was “mistake of fact”.
If you can prove that your situation was a sincere and reasonable mistake a judge might rule in your favor as a “mistake of fact” and dismiss your ticket. For example, if you the markers for a pedestrian crosswalk were faded and were difficult to see your ticket could be dismissed. Maybe you did not stop at a stop sign because a storm had hidden the sign with broken branches. Again, be sure to take pictures to prove your case whenever possible.
5. Prove that your actions were “legally justified”.
Maybe you were given a ticket for driving too slowly, however it is legal in all states to say that you had to reduce your speed to make a left turn. Some examples of defenses that prove your innocence are: you swerved because a bug flew into your car and distracted you while driving, your car began making loud and dangerous noises so you quickly pulled over, or you suddenly felt unhealthy (chest pains) and need to pull over to contact a doctor.