How To Appeal and Beat A Speeding Ticket and Other Traffic Citations

Throughout my life, I have gotten about 13 speeding tickets, however I only have one ticket on my record. It was after that first ticket that I decided that I needed to learn more about the justice system, traffic school as well as how to have the upper hand with traffic laws. Ever since I began studying full proof ways to increase the chances of dismissing your ticket in court and I have managed to avoid 12 traffic citations. The reason for this is the fact that when it comes to law enforcement, you are dealing with people that are required to follow certain laws and procedures that are meant to protect the accused person. (plaintiff) You will find that when you understand the primary principles of law enforcement and traffic citations, you will be more capable of fighting a traffic ticket in court. Its also very important to portray the image of a good person, we are all human beings (including the traffic judge and police), and when you treat them as a respectable human being with feelings, the chances of them being more lenient with you will increase.

I have been studying law for a few years now, and I offer this advice simply as advice. This is not intended to be legal advice, but rather comprehensive guidelines that you should follow to increase the chances of beating your speeding ticket. These guidelines are simply my opinions based on the experiences I've had along with a little law and traffic court loopholes mixed in. Now that you understnad that, here are the secrets that could help thousands of people get their traffic tickets dismissed, unfortunately many people don't know this stuff, and hopefully this article will help to increase your chance of beating a speeding ticket or traffic fine.

When the Officer approaches the vehicle, make sure you maintain a good attitude.

1. Maintain a Good Attitude - Its important that you show respect for the cop, smile, and answer back with Sir or Mam. By showing respect, your chances of getting a warning are much better. By arguing with the cop, your chances of him being lenient with you are drastically diminishing. You want to do everything you can to get the cop to like you.
2. Turn Off Your Car, and turn on the Interior lights - Make sure your hands are on the top of your steering wheel, relax, you don't want to have a look of panic on your face as it could make the officer suspicious. Remove your sunglasses and your hat if your wearing anything. Make sure you stay seated and stay buckled in order to avoid getting a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. NEVER - Get out of the car without being instructed to step out of the car.
3. Be Polite and Cooperate with the Police - Save your pleas until after the cop goes through preliminary procedures. (These procedures include running your Identification, checking your insurance and license plate tags) Sometimes the officer will hardly speak to you until he finishes the preliminary traffic protocols.
4. Once the Officer runs your Information, Politely ask if you may speak to him about the citation - If you know you are guilty of breaking the law, admit it and tell the officer that he responsibly pulled you over for a legitimate reason. Honest officers will admit that police work involves a significant amount of pride, and if you can fulfill their pride expectations sometimes the police will be more forgiving and they won't find it necessary to punish you anymore. The more proud you make the officer feel, the better your chances are of driving away with just a warning.
5. Politely Ask If You Can See the Radar, Then Ask Questions - In many jurisdictions, the officer is required to let you see the radar upon request. If he says no, do not push him hard because that is the reason for going to court. You cannot appeal a traffic citation with a police officer, if you try it will not end in your favor. If you want to appeal the ticket, appeal it in court. After he lets you see the radar, or after he refuses, its a good idea to ask a few more questions just to show concern and let him know that you are sincere.

For Example: You Could Ask "Officer can I ask you how often you guys calibrate your radar, or when the last time his radar was calibrated." OR "Where were you when you clocked my speed. Do not ask these questions in an argumentative manner, and do not use sarcastic tone. Doing so will only aggravate the cop.

6. Pleading your Case - Once you've discussed the basics, and developed some type of positive connection, you can ask for mercy. Make sure you are sincere with the officer and let him know that you sincerely care about your driving record. Do not get angry or argue with the cop, resist any urges you have to make sarcastic comments, they won't help you when you get pulled over. Ask for mercy, and try to justify it with a sufficient reason or circumstance if you can.

7. Leave the Scene In a Nice and Peaceful Fashion - If your mercy plea did not work, your best bet is to leave in the least memorable fashion. You still have the option to fight the ticket in court and its best if he does not remember you. In most cases, cops only remember you if they want to make sure you get punished or pay the traffic fine.

• You Can Contact the Officer At Work - Politely ask if you can setup a time to meet with the officer or to talk to him about the ticket you recently received. In most cases, officers will meet with you in a very short amount of time. Remember, you are the taxpayer, and this is a great way to establish a connection with the cop. This meeting is definitely a great way to get out of your ticket. Don't just go to the meeting and ask if he will let you out of the ticket, it won't work. Think up a good story or try to remember your reasoning behind the nature of your traffic violation. Be very polite to the officer and try to think of a good reason that will likely motivate him to forgive the offense in the name of understanding. If you can get the officer to relate with you, he will be more likely to forgive you and show mercy.
• Any Cop has the full authority to dismiss your ticket - It is really important that you realize that possibility. Treat him with respect and realize that he holds the key to set you free from the ticket. Do not be intimidated, you have the right to speak with the officer about your citation simply because you are a taxpayer and citizen that pays his salary.
• You Can Write a Letter to the Cop - Perhaps you met with the officer in person, but it wouldn't hurt to write him a letter that explains your case. Make sure your letter is professional and sincere. It is also very important that you include your contact information incase he needs to contact you. You may even request an alternative punishment. He may refuse the alternative punishment, but chances are he will be impressed by your follow through and he may be more inclined to drop your traffic ticket.
• Repeatedly Call or write letters to the prosecutor or Judge - Sometimes you may find that the officer is not very sympathetic. If thats the case, you can still contact the judge that will oversee your case. You can also contact the prosecuting attorney will be and you can call him at his office. For information on how to find out who the prosecuting attorney is: You can check the links below. Remember that at this point you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Plead your case to either the prosecutor or judge and make sure that you are sincere, rather than just some annoying person trying to dismiss a traffic ticket.
• When you go to Court Follow all the Rules - Make sure you maintain a good relationship with the court, befriend the court clerk. Call consistently and speak to him or her by their first name. By doing this you are less likely to miss important deadlines.
• Delay The Court Case As Much As Possible - Ask for as many delays for your trial that you can legitimately ask for. Request or plead for your trial date to be delayed as long as you can. The longer its been since you received the ticket, the better. The officer is more likely to forget you. In some cases, the case was delayed so long that by the time the court date was set, the officer that wrote the ticket had already transferred to another area. If thats the situation, the case will automatically be dismissed.
• The Option of asking for Alternative Punishment - The most common concern for traffic citations is keeping the ticket off of your insurance record. In many cases, the court clerk has the option to let you attend driving school which could help you keep the ticket off your record. Sometimes you might have to pay a court fee and a fine, but the good news is your insurance premiums aren't going to increase.
• Know your Rights and Understand Your Case - When you go to court to fight a traffic ticket, you have been accused of a crime and you show up in court to defend yourself. The ticketing officer signed the ticket which means he swore that he saw you break some specific traffic law. When an officer does this it is called an affidavit.
• When you show up to your first Court Date To Appeal the Ticket, Don't Plead Guilty - When you plead guilty, you are saying that you are guilty of the accused crime. You forfeit your chance of keeping the citation off your record, and you will have to pay the fine or face a penalty. Make sure you dress nice, show up on time, it may not be a good idea to wear a suit though, you don't want to wreak of money as the judge will be less inclined to dismiss your ticket or decrease the fine. Also make sure you address the judge as "your honor" You have the option of going to the courtroom in advance to observe dress code.

When you show up to court the judge will ask you "what you plead". If you plead not guilty, you are safe but there are other please to consider. "No Contest" can bring weird consequences in certain courts. It can also have the effect of making your ticket disappear from the courts records. For more information on this, it would be a good idea to speak with a lawyer in your area or check out the link below.

• Go to Court, State Your Plea, and Get The Traffic Citation dismissed - If you go to court and fight your ticket, you will be assigned to a trial date. Be sure not to miss your trial date or you will be found guilty. For example, it is not that uncommon for the ticketing officer to be absent for your case in court. If that happens, your ticket gets dismissed automatically. Alternatively you could speak with the officer before the case, and if he is a little uneasy about his case against you, he may agree to let you off the hook. Of course, all this depends on the circumstances of your case, but it doesn't hurt to talk to the cop if your going to plead not guilty in traffic court.
• Trial - The process of trial is simple, the prosecution states the case against you. You have the opportunity to respond to the accusation and you can also call witnesses if you feel like it. Thereafter, the prosecution will respond. It's easy to make this work to your advantage, in the worst case scenario, your found guilty and you've lost nothing. But it definitely makes a lot of sense to acknowledge and utilize the rights that you have as a citizen.
• After Trial, the judge will make a ruling - Guilty or not guilty, or some alternative type of punishment. You then have the option to appeal it or accept it. This is the end of it unless you are found guilty and you decide to appeal it. Then you will be able to continue to fight the ticket using yourself or a lawyer to defend you in court.