Been Cited For Speeding? 4 Steps You Need To Take Right Away

If you've recently received a speeding ticket, you need to act fast to protect your rights. Speeding tickets can have a serious impact on your life, your insurance, and on your driving record, which is why you can't afford to make mistakes. Here are four steps you must take if you've received a speeding ticket. 

Check the Basic Details

Now that you're dealing with a speeding ticket, make sure the basic details are correct. This is a legal document, so all the information should be accurate. First, you want to make sure that your name, address, and date of birth are correct. Next, you want to ensure that the information regarding the citation is correct, including the date of citation, speed you were going, and location of incident. If there are errors on the speeding ticket, you'll need to have those corrected. Serious errors may provide you with a basis to fight your ticket in court. 

Identify the Calculation Method

If you received a speeding ticket, the police officer had to use a calculation method to determine your speed. There are several methods that police officers will use to calculate the speed you were traveling. 

Clocking

Clocking is a common method used by law enforcement. It often utilizes a stopwatch technique that gauges how long it takes you to travel from one point to the next. However, if the proper information isn't inputted correctly, the calculations can be off. 

Radar

Many law enforcement agencies utilize radar for speed detection. Radar utilizes a radar gun to calculate speed. However, if the radar gun hasn't been calibrated recently, the calculations may not be accurate. 

Pacing

Pacing is another method used for calculating speed. With this technique, an officer will catch up to your vehicle and then pace behind you to calculate speed. Unfortunately, if the officer fails to allow enough distance for the pacing, they may document a higher speed. 

Understand Your Options

If you've received a speeding ticket, make sure you understand your options. Failing to understand your options could leave you with the worst-case scenario on your driving record. Your first option is to pay the ticket and move on. Your second option is to request traffic school. Your final option is to fight the ticket in court. 

Hire an Attorney

If you've decided to fight the ticket in court, don't try to handle the legal case on your own. In most cases, the police officer to issued the ticket will be present in court, which will make it difficult for you to receive a successful outcome. Hiring a traffic ticket attorney will even the playing field and improve your chances of achieving a successful outcome.