When a police officer pulls someone over, they often write a ticket citing that person for some kind of traffic violation. Traffic violations are typically civil infractions that carry fines. There are some exceptions, including more serious offenses like impaired driving or reckless driving, both of which may result in an arrest rather than an officer issuing a ticket.
Quite a few people immediately pay off a ticket, and they do so because they assume that paying the ticket is the fastest and cheapest way to handle the situation. However, those accused of traffic violations can defend themselves in court just like those accused of more serious criminal infractions.
Many people ignore this option because they think that hiring an attorney will cost more than a ticket, but having a lawyer represent you after a traffic infraction could help you successfully fight the citation.
A lawyer’s services could pay for themselves
Depending on the tickets that the officer writes for you and your driving history, a single citation could cost you thousands of dollars over the course of several years. You will have the immediate cost of the ticket itself. That will only be a fraction of the citation’s total price tag.
Once you pay the ticket, the state will add it to your driving record and add demerit points associated with the offense to your license. Too many demerit points could mean the suspension of your license, which means more costs for you. Even if you avoid losing your license, moving violations on your driving record can cost you money by increasing what you have to pay for car insurance in the future.
Keeping points off of your license can keep you behind the wheel
Moving violations in Kentucky carry a specific number of demerit points. The most serious offenses, like reckless driving, add six points at once to your license. Most traffic infractions will result in an addition of three or four points.
Keeping those points off your license will make it easier and cheaper for you to insure your vehicle and also reduce your risk of losing driving privileges if the police pull you over and issue a citation again in the future. Although many people don’t think about defending against traffic tickets, the benefits of fighting a ticket far outweigh the costs involved in doing so.