What should I do after getting a speeding ticket?

A speeding ticket might seem like small potatoes, but it can have a big financial impact. In addition to the fine you may have to pay, your insurance premium could increase by 30-80 percent, depending on your situation. Excessive speeding could also result in your driver’s license being revoked.

Although many speeding tickets come with the option to have the court appearance waived, it is not always in your best interest to do so. By immediately paying the ticket and waiving your right to appear in court, you are also admitting guilt, so it is important to first consider if you may be able to fight the ticket.

See if you can get the case dismissed

Take the time to read the ticket over carefully. If the officer wrote down any significant errors, you may be able to get your ticket dismissed.

The case may also be dismissed if the officer does not show up to the hearing. To increase the odds of this happening, consider postponing the court date. If the officer schedules all of his or her hearings for one day, this may shake up the routine enough that the officer decides not to attend the rescheduled hearing.

Possible defenses

If your speeding ticket is based on evidence from a radar gun, you or your attorney can request the calibration record of the radar gun and the training record of the officer. If the radar gun was not correctly calibrated at the time you were pulled over, it may not provide reliable readings. Similarly, if the officer was not properly trained on how to calibrate or use the radar gun, you could argue that human error caused an unreliable reading.

You may also be able to argue that you were mistaken with another nearby driver in a similar-looking vehicle. The officer could have determined that this other driver was speeding, but then the officer could have lost sight of the other car, resulting in you being pulled over by mistake.

Speeding tickets can have more expensive consequences than many people realize. That is why it is important to consider all your options before waiving your right to appear in court.