If you recently received a ticket for speeding that you do not feel was justified, you'll likely want to fight it in court so that you do not have to pay. Here are some tips for fighting that speeding ticket in court.
Explain How You Felt Like You Were In Danger
It is possible that your speeding was justified because of the behavior of another driver. You may have felt like you were in danger because someone was tailgating you too closely, so you needed to speed up in order to prevent them from hitting you. You could use this as a valid reason to justify your actions since you were trying to prevent an accident. Of course, this will only help if you were going only slightly over the speed limit.
Explain Why You Didn't Realize How Fast You Were Going
While ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse, you may have a good defense about why you didn't realize how fast you were going. It is possible that you were keeping up with traffic and matching the speeds of the surrounding vehicles or that there were no other cars surrounding you to gauge your speed and you didn't realize that you were accelerating as fast as you were. Another possibility is that the speed limit changed and switched to a lower speed limit, and you were still going the previous speed. If you were in a position where you were not putting others in danger, this could be a valid defense that can help you win in court or can lower the fine that you have to pay.
Explain How You Were Going Down A Hill
If you received the speeding ticket after you were going down a hill, it's possible that you increased your speed without realizing it. You can challenge the ticket by asking the officer if they clocked your speed at the top or bottom of the hill. If it was at the bottom of the hill, you could explain how your vehicle's momentum caused you to go above the speed limit.
Challenge An Error In The Ticket
If you find things on the ticket that are incorrect, it is possible that you can challenge the validity of the ticket in court. For example, the incorrect car may have been listed on the ticket, or your name may not be correct. You could use this error to argue that the ticket does not match your vehicle's description or the driver's description, making it invalid.
To learn more, contact a speeding ticket lawyer.