No one wants to end up at the mercy of a patrolling officer while on the road. Unfortunately, many drivers just like you end up dealing with that exact scenario for various reasons.
When an officer pulls you over and issues you a speeding ticket, do you know exactly what it means for you in the now and in the future? How should you react to speeding tickets, and how should you handle receiving one?
Repercussions of speeding tickets
Nerd Wallet discusses what to do in the event that you get a speeding ticket. It first points out several of the potential negative impacts that a speeding ticket could have, such as affecting your driving record and costing you money. You could face the possibility of a license suspension depending on your circumstances, and a speeding ticket will cost you fines, court fees and insurance rate spikes.
What to do on the day of the ticket
However, you can take several steps to potentially lessen some of this burden. First, speak as little as possible and keep things polite and unremarkable. This gives the officer little to use against you in court and may even make it hard for them to recall details. Next, write down everything about the incident after the officer leaves. This includes the date, time, location, affecting circumstances and how the officer determined your speed.
After this, you can decide to negotiate lesser penalties, fight the ticket or even pay the ticket. However, if you choose this, insurance premium raises can cost you hundreds of extra dollars every year. If you decide to fight the ticket, consider contacting an attorney to help you win your case.