How To Beat a Speeding Ticket in Washington State: 6 Magic Ways To Defeat Pesky Traffic Tickets
Updated 5/29/21 – Published by: Igor Shapiro
We’ve all seen a Washington State Trooper sitting by the side of the road while traveling along Interstate 5. When you glance at your speedometer, you realize you’re going too fast. To avoid a hefty speeding ticket, you slam on the brakes as quickly as possible. Your stomach sinks a little more with each passing Trooper as you see the Trooper drive out in front of you. When you check your rearview mirror, you notice that a Washington State Trooper has pulled you over and issued you a speeding ticket. Your mind is racing with thoughts when it takes a Trooper to issue you a speeding ticket. What effect will this have on my insurance premiums? Is it feasible that this will impact my current and future job prospects? How can I have this speeding ticket dismissed? How to beat a speeding ticket?
Even if you studied the permissible language on the ticket, you still have questions about your alternatives when you get home. So, what’s the best course of action? You either don’t have the time or are afraid of coming to court because you’ve never done it before. However, you were following traffic and did not believe you deserved a speeding penalty because you did not believe you were traveling too fast. You begin to wonder if it isn’t better just to pay the bill and go on. It’s not like the Trooper never mentioned anything about slowing down. “How can I prevent getting a speeding ticket?” “How to beat a speeding ticket?” you wonder again.
How To Beat a Speeding Ticket: The Real Cost of Not Fighting Your Speeding Ticket
Why should I fight a traffic fine? If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, disputing traffic fines might be worth it, even if you win. Even if you are right, it may cost you more to miss work to attend your hearing. It may be worth fighting a ticket if it means thousands of dollars in higher insurance rates.
The fine for a speeding ticket is insignificant compared to the increase in your insurance premiums that follow a conviction. A speeding ticket in Washington State will remain on your driving record for three years. You may see an increase in your car insurance rates even if you have a clean driving record up to that moment. Let go of your discount for being a safe and responsible driver!
How To Beat a Speeding Ticket: What Does That Mean in Terms of Dollars and Cents?
A year’s worth of car insurance in Washington comes to an average annual premium of $884.24. In other words, if you pay $884.24 a year in auto insurance, just getting one speeding ticket can cost you $177.00 more. Compounded over three years (the length of time a ticket would remain on your record), it adds up to $531 more than you would have spent had you received your speeding ticket and decided to pay merely.
Getting another ticket in the next three years will further increase this fees increase. The damage done to you is far more significant than the amount of money you will have to pay in restitution.
Many motorists who get a speeding citation don’t realize the consequences until too late. Paying the fine and moving on with your life is much easier.
Failing To See The ‘Forrest’ For The Trees
In the year 2019, the Washington State Police issued 706,773 traffic penalties. Driving fines totaled more than $106 million in Washington, according to the state’s Department of Revenue. According to the most recent data from the state, 43 percent of those drivers just paid them for their services.
An extra 13% of drivers expressed a desire to be heard on mitigating measures. Even though they pleaded guilty and accepted a reduced sentence, the ticket remained on their driving record and negatively influenced their insurance prices in this instance.
Drivers requested a postponement of the race’s finish in 8% of cases. More information regarding the findings that have been postponed is accessible at this location. These drivers make it a point to take the required precautions to maintain a clean driving record and keep their insurance prices as low as possible.
Ultimately, only 13 percent of drivers who encountered the Forrest elected to appeal their driving records and insurance premiums.
How To Beat a Speeding Ticket: You Got Pulled Over for Speeding in Washington State
You’ve been issued a speeding ticket, and you know what to do now. If you receive a speeding ticket in the state of Washington, you have three choices.
The police officer who delivered the speeding ticket personally has 15 days to react if the ticket was handed to you personally. You have 18 days from the date you receive the ticket in the mail to respond to it.
What should you do if you receive a traffic citation for speeding? Drivers can choose from three different choices, depending on their requirements.
How to beat a speeding ticket:
- How to beat a speeding ticket: Pay it. You have a legal obligation to make a payment. Furthermore, the ticket will appear on your driving record, but it will almost probably cause your insurance rates to increase due to making such a terrible decision.
- How to beat a speeding ticket: Ask for a mitigation hearing. To have your case heard in mitigation, you must first admit to the infraction while also providing the court with an explanation of how you arrived at that determination. The court may decide to lessen the fine, but keep in mind that it will place the ticket on your driving record regardless of whether you pay it. If you request a postponed investigation, you may have to put your ticket “on pause” for six to twelve months. Suppose all of the conditions are met, including that you have not received any additional tickets during that period. In that case, the ticket will be dismissed, and you can obtain fro moving offenses such as speeding tickets only once every seven years and only in certain circumstances.
- How to beat a speeding ticket: Contest the infraction. If you do not receive a postponed finding, this is the only method to avoid having the ticket recorded on your driving record. In some cases, a disputed hearing may be necessary, in which the state or city prosecutor must prove your guilt by a preponderance of the evidence, or you may assert your innocence.
It is common practice in Washington State to receive speeding tickets and other civil violations. Or, to put it another way, the Judge will employ a lower standard of proof to assess whether or not you are guilty or not guilty. According to criminal law, to be guilty of a crime, there must be no reasonable doubt that it has been committed. Civil traffic violations are decided based on the preponderance of the evidence, which is applied in both cases (such as speeding tickets). Before deciding on whether or not you committed the offense in question, a judge will review all of the evidence in your possession. Understanding the distinction will aid you in your defense and help you understand how to beat a speeding ticket.
Should You Hire a Traffic Ticket Attorney Instead of Learning How to Beat a Speeding Ticket?
In Western Washington, the average cost of engaging a traffic ticket attorney is $250 per incident. Almost all attorneys have a long and illustrious track record of achievement. It is widely believed that investing a bit more money upfront will result in significant savings in the long run. The decision between hiring an attorney and dealing with a rise in insurance rates is only a portion of the equation. What is the monetary value of your time?
If you retain the services of a traffic attorney, you will almost always avoid having to appear in court. In addition to saving you time and stress, you will not be responsible for the preparation and presentation of your case. As a result, if you’d like to keep your prices as low as possible over the following three years, please get in touch with us immediately. We, at the Law Office of Igor A. Shapiro, we know how to beat a speeding ticket. We contest traffic tickets in Washington State daily. We can provide you with a free case evaluation right now, and we can work with you to reduce your insurance premiums.
How To Beat a Speeding Ticket – Done For You
Now that you have learned how to beat a speeding ticket, we’d like to offer you a chance to let us take on the battle for you. As part of the Law Office of Igor A. Shapiro, we fight back and battle to obtain you the best bargain possible or even beat the ticket in its entirety. We will make it simple to fight back and have your ticket reduced or canceled. Just a few clicks on our website or a quick phone call. Contact us today 425-264-2000
