Going to court to fight a speeding ticket is often in your best interests, but it’s important to know what defense strategy is most likely to be successful. Here are some speeding ticket defenses that don’t work and how you can get trustworthy legal representation to protect your rights and your license after being pulled over.
Attacking the Officer’s Credibility
A potential defense that is rarely effective is attacking or undermining the officer’s credibility. A defendant may attempt to show that an officer gave them a ticket only to meet their monthly quota, or they may try to bring up past evaluations of the officer that were negative to suggest that they are untrustworthy.
However, police officers have the benefit of being presumed honest by the court and typically, this means their word is believed. You are far better off challenging the validity of the speedometer results.
Drilling Down Mistakes On the Ticket
Police officers often get small details wrong, like the color of your vehicle, especially if you were pulled over at night. Or, they may misspell your name or your address. Some defendants believe that if a ticket contains any kind of mistake that it becomes invalid. However, this simply isn’t true.
Minor errors are expected and may be a little embarrassing for the officer when called into question in court, but they’re usually not enough to warrant the dismissal of the entire ticket. To do this, you must be able to show that the error was egregious, such as writing down the wrong court date or charging you with an offense that doesn’t apply.
Suggesting You Were Just Going With the Flow of Traffic
Some defendants will argue that they were going just as fast as the other cars on the road, or may point out that another driver was going even faster. While naturally this feels unfair, in the eyes of the law, it doesn’t necessarily matter.
If you were clocked at a speed higher than the posted limit, the officer had the right to pull you over and issue you a citation, regardless of how fast or slow other cars on the road were driving.
Get Help Beating an Atlanta GA Speeding Ticket
To beat a speeding ticket in Atlanta and keep points off your license, you need a solid defense strategy that uses case evidence to your advantage. Get an Atlanta GA Speeding Lawyer now by calling The Kimbrel Law Firm now at (770) 349-9219.