There are a variety of reasons a police officer may pull someone over. A few examples can be running a red light, failing to use a turn signal, or exceeding the speed limit. Speeding is one of the more common reasons you may find yourself being pulled over. If you get pulled over in Barstow or anywhere in San Bernardino County for speeding, you can be charged with an infraction. Infractions are violations of the law but are not considered to be felonies or misdemeanors. You cannot be sent to jail for an infraction but you can receive fines and other penalties like points being added to your driver’s license. If you receive a ticket for a speeding infraction or any other violation and you wish to fight the ticket, we can help.
If you live far away from the Barstow courthouse, it is a very good idea to retain our law firm so we can go to court for you. We know people cannot afford to miss work or any other important personal obligations in order to drive long hours back to Barstow. Hire our firm to appear for you, so you don’t have to.
Below are 5 must things that you should consider when you receive a speeding ticket
- Write down the facts of your case.
- Check to see where you have to appear in court.
- Do not ignore your speeding ticket.
- Review your options.
- Be careful not to get another ticket while your case is pending.
Write down the facts of your case
The first thing you must do immediately after you are issued a traffic citation is to do your research and understand what charges you are facing. Are there traffic violations other than speeding that you may have been charged with? Write down the facts of your case. Where were you pulled over? What questions were you asked by the police officer? How did you respond to the police officer? This step is critical and can have a major impact on the result of your case.
Check to see where you have to appear in court
The second thing you must do once you receive a speeding ticket is to check to see where you have to appear in court. If you are stopped for speeding it is likely that when the police officer gives you the ticket you will be asked to sign it. By signing the ticket, you are signing your “Notice to Appear,” which means that you promise to appear in court or pay the fine (these options will be discussed in more detail below). Signing the ticket does not mean you have not admitted guilt to the infraction. It just means you have promised to respond to the listed court no later than the date listed on the ticket. If you lose your ticket before responding be sure to check your mail because all courts in California are required to mail a reminder notice to you that explains your options. If you hire a law firm like Wallin & Klarich, we will appear in court for you so you don’t have to show up at all.
Do not ignore your speeding ticket
The next thing you must do is to make sure you do not ignore your speeding ticket. Failing to respond to the court within the time stated on your ticket can result in your driving privileges being suspended. In some cases, the court can issue a warrant for your arrest if you fail to appear. If you hire a lawyer to appear for you, these more serious punishments can be prevented.
Review your options
As mentioned briefly above, you will have two options in which you can choose after you receive your ticket. In some cases, you can admit guilt and you may be able to pay the fine without having to appear in court. However, in many other situations, your appearance in court is mandatory unless you retain a lawyer to appear in court for you.
If you decide to pay the fine the conviction will show up as a conviction on your DMV record. You will receive one or more points on your driving record and your car insurance company may increase the premium you pay for insurance or in some cases may decide to cancel your insurance policy. If you accumulate too many points on your driving record your license may get suspended.
In some cases, you must appear in court. You can hire a lawyer who can appear in court and enter a guilty or not guilty plea for you. If you do this you likely will not have to appear in court. If you appear in court and plead guilty, rather than just paying the fine without coming to court, you can request an arraignment to enter a plea. This means that you are pleading guilty, but you want to exercise options to lower the ticket price or reduce the number of points that would be added to your driving record. By pleading not guilty you can either request a trial where you can argue your side of the case and fight to get your charges reduced or even dropped completely. In most cases, an experienced police officer will be in court to testify in your case. He will likely be the officer who issued you the citation. If you wish to contest the citation it is a very good idea to hire a lawyer to represent you at the trial.
Be careful not to get another ticket while your case is pending.
It is important not to receive another citation prior to appearing in court on your existing traffic matter. It will not help your case if you decide to plead not guilty and the court sees that there is another similar traffic case pending against you. The judge can increase your punishment if you have prior convictions for similar traffic offenses. You should contact our law office to see what your next steps should be if you receive another citation before your other case has come to court. A speeding ticket in Barstow will result in penalties beyond a base fine and will result in points added to your DMV record along with a loss of your driving privilege in some cases.
How Can Wallin & Klarich Help You?
It is important to find a lawyer that has the experience to help you. Wallin & Klarich have been representing clients in Barstow Traffic Court for more than 40 years. As your representation, we will be prepared to argue on your behalf at trial and will present the best legal defenses in an attempt to reach the outcome you are looking for. All of our traffic attorneys are familiar with the customs, judges, and procedures of traffic court. With offices in Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Victorville, West Covina, Torrance, and Los Angeles, there is an experienced Wallin & Klarich traffic attorney available near you who is always ready to evaluate your case when you call.
Call us today at (877) 4-NO-JAIL for a free telephone consultation. We will be there when you call.
