There are probably a lot of reasons why you did what you did when you got your traffic ticket. Perhaps you were cut off by another driver, which caused you to crash into someone else. Maybe you were rear-ended at a stop-light, and the safest thing to do was quickly go through the red light and get safely to the other side. Some arguments will hold up in court and others won’t. If you are headed to court to fight your traffic ticket, there are some arguments you definitely should not make in front of a judge.
1. Nobody Got Hurt
Just because nobody got hurt, does not mean you did not break the law. If you ran a red light, you still ran a red light, even if you did not hit anyone in the process. Breaking the law is illegal and is punishable if you are found guilty of doing so. Telling the judge nobody got hurt is only going to make you look foolish as if it is plausible to break the law as long as there are no lasting consequences. It also shows your ignorance and the probability you will commit the act again.
2. You Didn’t Know the Law
Telling a judge you did not know the law is like telling a judge you should not be on the road. Everyone with a driver’s license is responsible to know all the laws pertaining to driving. When laws change, it is up to you to become familiar with them.
It is also up to you to pay attention to speed limit signs, yield signs, road construction signs, and anything else that indicates a certain behavior of driving. If you claim you did not know the law or did not realize the speed limit was reduced at a certain point, it shows that you do not pay attention, which makes you seem like an irresponsible driver who should not be behind the wheel.
3. You Have a Sympathetic Story
Judges hear a lot of stories. Sometimes they are true and sometimes they are made up. The judge has to decide what is right and what is not, and with that information, he or she has to make a decision on how to rule the case. If you have a sympathetic story, you better have strong evidence to back it up. For example, if you are hoping to get out of a traffic ticket by claiming your passenger was experiencing a medical episode, you will need the medical documents, a medical doctor’s testimony, or a responding officer to back up your claim.
Contacting a Lawyer
Sometimes the best way to ensure you don’t say something dumb in front of a judge is by hiring a lawyer to be by your side. Contacting a criminal defense lawyer from a law firm like Pioletti, Pioletti & Nichols could help you with the representation and assistance that you need.