Many individuals have faced the scenario of driving along the roadway when they suddenly see blue lights in their rearview mirror. Commonly, police officers pull over drivers for traveling over the speed limit. If this type of situation has happened to you and the officer issued you a ticket, you may wonder whether you have to pay the ticket or if you have other options.
As with any other type of violation of the law, you have the right to defend against allegations. When it comes to defending against a speeding ticket, the circumstances under which the officer issued the ticket can play an important role in how you present your case.
Absolute speed limit
If you have received a citation related to a violation of the absolute speed limit, you may have a difficult time challenging the ticket. With an absolute speed limit, the posted speed limit in an area dictates how fast you and other drivers should travel in that area. Therefore, if an officer believes that you traveled over the posted limit, that belief may have led to your ticketing.
Defense options
Though defending against this type of accusation can have its difficulties, you do have options for creating a presentation. Some of those options may include:
- Emergency circumstances – In some cases, you may have the ability to successfully argue that you needed to travel over the speed limit due to imminent danger behind you. For instance, you may have a strong argument if a natural disaster was taking place and you sped while trying to find shelter or escape the threat.
- Question speed detection methods – If you want to challenge your speeding ticket, it may prove beneficial to find out how the officer determined your speed at the time of the incident. An officer could use various methods to do so, such as radar, laser, sight or pacing. Once you determine which method determined your speed, you may want to challenge the accuracy of that method.
- Mistaken identity – Because many vehicles on the roadway likely have a similar color and model to the one you drive, you may have the ability to argue that the officer stopped your vehicle by mistake when looking for a similar one.
When determining the best method of defense for your situation, you may wish to closely analyze how and why the traffic stop occurred. This information may help you decide which approach to your case may prove most beneficial for you.
