At least once in your lifetime you’ll likely be stopped by a police officer as a result of speeding…and receive a traffic ticket. There are countless excuses for traveling above the posted limit; no matter the reason, the smart thing to do is hire an experienced traffic attorney.

Different Types of Speeding Tickets

There are various types of speeding tickets. Some of them depend on the location of the alleged violation. For example, there are designated traffic areas where extra-careful driving is required (i.e., construction zones, school zones, accident reduction zones, etc.). Fines are often enhanced for these special categories.

Another type of speeding ticket is the one which has a high rate of speed (i.e., 94 M.P.H. in a 60 M.P.H. zone). For these situations, you’ll almost always pay a higher fine and may have to complete a driver improvement class or complete community service, depending on the court.

In the State of Missouri, all traffic tickets will be processed either in state court, county court, or city/municipal court. For example, if you’re stopped by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and issued a ticket, your case will proceed in state court. Every court in Missouri has its own legal procedures, its own schedule of fines and court costs, and the prosecutor(s) have their own policies with respect to dealing with defendants in traffic and criminal cases.

How to Respond

You received a speeding ticket or other “point-producing” violation. Now what? There are three paths you can choose:

Simply Plead Guilty

Plead guilty to the ticket and pay the fine and court cost (some courts require your appearance even when pleading guilty).

BENEFITS: Save a few minutes (sometimes) and no attorney’s fee.

CONSEQUENCES: Depending on the type of traffic violation, a conviction and a certain number of points will be added to your Missouri driving record or out-of-state driving record; this will cause an increase in your automobile insurance rates; if you already have points on your driving record, the new points may suspend your driving privilege; if you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), the points may disqualify your CDL, and as a result, you may lose your job; if you have a restricted license, such as a learner’s permit, any points may disqualify it; there are other harmful consequences…too many to list!

Represent yourself in Court

In the vast majority of cases where defendants represent themselves, they will lose at trial or get a bad plea-bargain from the prosecutor because they don’t understand the law, they don’t understand rules of procedure and evidence, they don’t have trial experience, and they don’t have legal negotiating experience.

BENEFITS: No attorney’s fee and feeling prideful/independent (it’s a false sense of security, but we’ll list it as a benefit).

CONSEQUENCES: Depending on the type of traffic violation, a conviction and a certain number of points will be added to your Missouri driving record or out-of-state driving record; this will cause an increase in your automobile insurance rates; if you already have points on your driving record, the new points may suspend your driving privilege; if you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), the points may disqualify your CDL, and as a result, you may lose your job; if you have a restricted license, such as a learner’s permit, any points may disqualify it; there are other harmful consequences… again, too many to list!

Hire a Professional Attorney

BENEFITS: The legal fee to hire an attorney for most violations is usually reasonable. At the Traffic Law Headquarters, the attorney’s fee for most minor tickets is only $45; save time by avoiding inconvenient court appearances; avoid points on your driving record; prevent higher automobile insurance rates; keep your driving record clean; in some cases, avoid the suspension of your driving privilege; avoid losing a restricted driving permit; avoid losing your commercial driver’s license; avoid the possible loss of employment; avoid many other negative results.

CONSEQUENCES: Pay a minimal attorney’s fee.

If you get pulled over and receive a traffic ticket, do the smart thing. Hire a professional!

trafficlawheadquarters.com

Brentwood Office: (314) 963-6334 / St. Peters Office: (636) 387-0957