Uh Oh.. I received a ticket, … What happens to my insurance?

Mitigation is a strategy intended to reduce the severity of your ticket. In doing so, you agree that you committed the infraction at hand, but the infraction will still appear on your record. The judge will review your case and may agree to reduce charges or fines based on your prior record or other factors.

A deferral is an opportunity to keep a traffic infraction off your record. One deferral is allowed every seven years for a non-moving violation, and one is allowed every seven years for a moving violation. Judges are not required to grant a deferral. If a judge grants it, you will be asked to pay a fee and agree to specific terms and conditions. If you pay accordingly and comply with the terms, which usually include perfect driving for one year, the infraction will not appear on your record. If you violate any of the agreements made in the deferral process, the infraction will appear on your record, and you will have to pay the full fine.

As an alternative to a court appearance, you may send a letter to the court to be read by the judge. We do not recommend this option. If you have a strong factual case, your presence in court can only help. You also forfeit some of your appeal rights when contesting a hearing by mail.

By requesting a contested hearing, you are using your constitutional right to have the plaintiff prove their case against you. For example, if you feel jurisdictional or procedural errors apply in your case, you can contest on these grounds. If you plan to fight your infraction, we strongly suggest legal counsel.

An experienced traffic attorney increases the chance that you can protect your record. Suppose it is impossible to obtain a dismissal (or a finding of "not committed"). In that case, we will attempt to negotiate with the prosecutor to protect your traffic record and your insurance rates.

If you are pulled over, always be polite and respectful. Do not make any admissions. You must identify yourself to the officer and provide your license, registration, and proof of insurance. You have the right to remain silent; exercise that right and ask for an attorney as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the weaker your defense may become.

If you receive a camera ticket, you must respond to it. Otherwise, you may be subject to an even higher fine, and your vehicle registration may be held.

If you are the car owner but were not driving, you can have your ticket dismissed. If you were driving but do not believe you committed the infraction, you would have an opportunity to review a video recording of your incident online. If the recording supports your case, request a dismissal. If not, request mitigation to reduce the fine since camera tickets do not go on your traffic record. Be prepared to explain why this happened and why the judge should reduce the fine.

Call us if you need assistance.