Some Ways To Keep Traffic Tickets OFF Your Record
Look, we have all been pulled over at least once in our lives. If you haven’t. the lucky you! Keep up whatever it is you are doing, because most of us must deal with a traffic stop at least once or twice in our lives, usually more for the average person. In fact, google tells us that the average driver will receive seven to eight tickets in their lifetime. What they said was 7.7 tickets in their life, but I used a figure that would apply since you can’t get 7/10 of a ticket.
- Sometimes you don’t always agree with a reason that an officer pulls you over. Believe it or not, they hear someone like you probably every single day spouting about how you don’t deserve whatever punishment you’re getting for doing something you KNEW you were not supposed to be doing. This makes it their job duty to then stop you from doing said no-no activity and either give you a citation or some sort of ticket or even worse, take you to jail. Instead of arguing with the officer and attempting to plead your case right there at the traffic stop (this is what court is for), just take responsibility for whatever it was he/she pulled you over for. They are just doing their job. Own up to it, accept the ticket or the citation and treat the officer with respect. If you do all of this, chances are he might listen to what you have to say and be able to help you out somehow.
- You are always going to want to stay respectful when you are addressing or talking to an officer of the law, no matter what way the conversation is going. Remember, officers of the law are people, just like you and me. They do not like to be treated with disrespect, talked down to, or treated rudely. If you keep that in mind, and remember that there is a living, breathing person under that uniform and all that gear, then you will most likely be simply fine. If you were not doing anything insanely dangerous on the road or cutting people off, the officer will probably not approach your vehicle with any sigs that he is alarmed for his or anyone else’s safety. So, if he comes up to the window relaxed, lets do our best to try and keep him that way. You always want to make sure that you are saying Sir and Ma’am, please and thank you. If you do this, you may get off lucky with a warning instead of a ticket.
- Don’t be dramatic. You may think that some waterworks, or arguing with the officer, or trying to get some pity out of him may work. Unless he is incredibly stupid, and this is his first traffic stop alone ever, this will probably not work. If you go even farther and THREATEN the officer, then you may be in for a bad day. You will most likely find yourself smushed up against your car with your hands being wrenched behind your back and wondering to yourself: “Why didn’t I just shut my mouth and take the ticket?” So, trust us, just do that, and don’t do all the extra stuff. It really isn’t worth your time, and especially isn’t worth theirs.
- Try to apologize. If you aren’t full of yourself with pride (idiot stuffing), this may work. If you can choke down your anger and whatever else it I that has kept you from doing this so far, you may be able to come out ahead. There have been a couple of situations where this has worked for me. I have never been crying in front of an officer, but I have begged him not to give me a ticket, I have begged a lot of them. I have a lead foot, so I found myself in this predicament quite a lot of times. It worked for me a couple of times, so why not try it. Maybe you can not let go of your dignity so easy, but it was not a problem at all for me if it meant that I was not getting another ticket. Now, where it might REALLY suck is if you did all that begging, and they STILL gave you a ticket. Which has ALSO happened to me and is a distinct possibility.
- If you do some research, and talk to some people, maybe even a traffic lawyer or someone that specializes in these cases, you may be able to get some information on the subject that you simply weren’t aware existed. Making sure you have taken adequate time for preparation is important. DO your research. Cases can be thrown out for any number of things. Especially traffic cases. Could be defective equipment, or even wrong information on the citation. If your plan is shooting from the hip, you might fail. Now, on the other hand, if you are taking your time and firing with precision from a calibrated sniper rifle, then you probably have a much bigger chance of hitting your target, right? Be the smarter shot, and possibly walk out of there without a ticket, maybe even just have it dismissed! Which brings me to my next viable option.
- Asking some questions never hurts! If you do, make sure they are relevant and are not wasting anyone’s time, especially the judges. Ask questions about the equipment that was used to clock your speed. Make sure that you ask about the calibration dates. This is incredibly useful information that may be able to get you out of a ticket. If it is a possibility that it could help you, then why not ask, find out? If you really don’t want this ticket to stay on your record, then fight it! The right way. Figure some things out!
- If the officer is not in court during your arraignment, then the case can be dismissed. So, instead of paying for a ticket, maybe just show up to court instead and see if the officer does. You never know, he could have “went out with the boys” the night before and was too hungover to make it into court. Maybe it isn’t that, and it is a more pressing and serious reason. We certainly don’t wish anything like that on anyone, but the whole point is to check. Things happen every day, and something might have happened that can get you out of this court date.
There are some other things that can help you, but if you have received a more serious driving infraction, like a reckless driving or a DUI, then it might be a better idea to let your lawyer handle the details and to do his best at what he does instead of you trying to represent yourself and come at it from all these different angles.
As far as driving goes, for the most part, just try to blend in with traffic. Don’t get into a situation where you must worry about stuff. Make sure you aren’t the fastest person on the road, thus drawing attention to yourself. Weaving in and out of traffic. Things like that. Merging is okay but watch your speed and the amount of space that you have in between your car and the other one that you are either getting behind or in front of, and realize that you are usually doing both. Stay aware, but relaxed. Do your best to remember to put on your seatbelt every time that you turn those keys in the ignition. Some states cannot pull you over for not wearing your seatbelt, but all of them are able to give you an additional ticket or citation if you are not wearing one when you are pulled over for a different reason. Make sure your headlights and brake lights work, as well as your turn signals and anything else you need for the proper operation and safe handling of your vehicle. If you do all these things, you should be fine. Take your time, and remember, be safe!
Short Author Bio:
My name is Blake Congdon. I am 28 years old and have been all around the United States and other countries as well. Along the way I have picked up tons of experience and knowledge. I am a web designer and salesman, a consultant and lead generator. Recently I have been working on building websites, it is something I enjoy and am able to monetize. I have lately discovered that writing is something that I also like to do. I live in Richmond, Virginia with my wife, close to my mother and my family, a short distance away so that spending time with them as they get older is much easier. I like a simple life, and do not overcomplicate things.
Some of the recent sites that I have been working on:
https://powerwashingrichmondva.com/
https://windshieldrepairsparks.com/
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