Most motorists occasionally make decisions that violate traffic laws. Even people who are fastidious about obeying criminal statutes may expect a little flexibility regarding traffic statutes. They exceed the speed limit, roll through red lights when there is no one present or conduct turns without using their indicators first.
If people make those choices when there is a police officer nearby, the officer may decide to stop them. Police officers can issue traffic citations for many different types of moving violations. Those citations carry a fine. Many drivers pay the fine without ever considering any alternative solution. They may view fighting a ticket as unnecessary or expensive. However, some people choose to hire attorneys to assist them after a traffic citation.
What common reasons motivate people to hire lawyers to fight tickets instead of just paying them?
Risk to their career
If the person issued a citation has a commercial driver’s license (CDL), their future career opportunities could be at risk. Citations can make drivers ineligible for CDLs. Employers may also choose to fire drivers with citations because of how their citations might affect the company’s insurance rate.
Worries about insurance costs
Every traffic ticket is an accusation of unsafe behavior. Paying the ticket is essentially a guilty plea. Insurance companies look at how much risk an individual represents when they decide how much to charge for their liability insurance coverage.
Every ticket increases how much a motorist may pay for their insurance. Insurance companies can look back at recent driving records when deciding how much liability car insurance should cost. Virginia keeps reporting certain offense, like speeding, for up to 11 years. Avoiding a traffic infraction by fighting the ticket can help drivers keep their insurance costs reasonable.
Concerns about their license
Virginia records a specific number of demerit points for every ticket issued. Enough serious traffic citations could still theoretically lead to a license suspension. Those who don’t want their license to be at risk in the future and those who have multiple prior recent tickets may want to defend against a citation to protect their driving privileges.
There are many reasons to hire a lawyer to fight a traffic ticket. For many people, doing so may actually be the more economical solution given the potential long-term costs of paying a ticket. Fighting a traffic ticket can potentially help drivers protect their careers, their budgets and their driving privileges.