Although a traffic ticket might seem simple, if you want to pay a lower fine and avoid having your insurance rates go up, you should hire a lawyer.
Lawyers experienced in handling traffic tickets, like John Radziewicz at Crescent City Law, are well-versed in local traffic laws and can navigate traffic court much better than someone who’s not familiar with the ins and outs of the traffic court system.
How can a lawyer help with your traffic ticket?
From moving violations like speeding tickets, running red lights, or making an illegal left turn, to more serious violations like driving with a suspended license, traffic ticket attorneys can help in the following ways:
- Reducing the amount of the fine – Traffic tickets, especially speeding tickets, are costly, and without the help of an attorney, you might be forced to pay the full amount of the fine. In some parishes, you’re looking at upwards of $300 to settle a speeding ticket, depending on how fast you were going. An attorney can work to get your fine reduced, and you won’t have to spend hours or even up to a full day in traffic court fighting to pay less money.
- Getting the ticket altered from a moving violation to a non-moving violation – A good traffic attorney can work to get your violation reduced from a moving violation to a non-moving violation. Not only does this reduce the fine, it also reduces the points on your driver’s license* and can help to avoid insurance hikes. For more speeding tickets, a lawyer could also help you avoid having your license suspended.
*Louisiana doesn’t apply points against Louisiana Driver’s Licenses. It is unclear whether a conviction for a traffic ticket in Louisiana will result in points on your out-of-state driver’s license.
- Getting the ticket dismissed altogether – Occasionally, lawyers are able to get traffic tickets dismissed over technicalities, such as the ticketing officer not showing up in court. Attorneys can also examine the ticket and look for any technical errors that might have been made when the citation was issued. These are errors that wouldn’t be noticed by someone unfamiliar with traffic court. Although this is not always possible, the chances of you having your ticket dismissed completely are much higher if you have an attorney working on your behalf. In some cases, you might still have to pay a fine, but you can have the ticket removed from your driving record or the fine reduced.
When should you hire a traffic ticket attorney?
If you have received a traffic ticket and you are considering hiring an attorney, ask yourself the following questions:
- Can you afford to have points on your driving record?
- Can you afford for your auto insurance rates to increase? If so, how much?
- Do you have several hours to spare to sit in traffic court and wait for your name to be called by the judge?
- Is your fine more or less than the traffic attorney’s fees? More often than not, the fees an attorney will charge you to fight your traffic ticket are far less than you think.
