Passengers or bystanders who will testify to your version of events can help you convince the judge that you were right and the police officer's observations were inaccurate. 1. 3. In this situation, your speeding may be warranted as you were trying to prevent an accident that may have caused a multi-car pile up. The police officer will no doubt have knowledge of how the law works and will convince the judge you are guilty so coming to court without preparation leaves you defenseless and prone to lose. In many states, you can have a trial by mail where you write your argument in a letter. The DoNotPay bot can help you fight your traffic ticket in less than two minutes, saving you valuable time and effort. If the machines weren't calibrated or maintained according to industry standards, you may be able to get your ticket dismissed on the grounds that the officer's decision was based on unreliable information. You also can argue that he was not in a position to accurately observe you. For example, speed limits aren't absolute in more than a dozen states this means that even if you get a ticket for exceeding the speed limit in those states, you can still make an argument that the speed at which you were traveling was safe given the totality of the circumstances. For example, under New York vehicle and traffic law, the number of points for speeding can range from 3 points to 11, depending on the speed in excess of the limit. For example, if you had to swerve to avoid a huge pothole and were pulled over and given a citation for an illegal lane change, photos of the pothole would support your argument that your actions were justified. When you receive a traffic ticket in California, you may be tempted to ignore it. Guide to traffic tickets | California Courts | Self Help Guide It will be essential to also research your constitutional rights as some judges in the past have been biased to law enforcement so if you suspect you're being treated unfairly, politely and calmly tell the judge what you learned from reading the constitution. Most likely, your traffic ticket will offer several payment methods: mail, phone, or online. The cost breaks down to a 100$ base fine and about $400 in fees. To pay or contest a parking ticket, contact the agency (like the City or County) that gave you the ticket. VASCAR technology. To further support your argument, you could point out that the police officer was in front of you during the lane change, and that, due to the heavy traffic conditions, the officer most likely was paying more attention to the road in front of him rather than a car changing lanes behind him. Never skip court. If you dont remember what you said, then wait until you get a copy of the officers notes. [1] wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. How to Fight a Traffic Ticket In California and Win If you gave a number that was over the speed limit, then you have effectively admitted that you were speeding. Police officers often cite drivers for making unsafe turns or driving unsafely down a road. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. How strong your evidence is. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/91\/Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/91\/Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"