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Guest post from Rosemarie of The Busy Budgeter Disclaimer: This is an opinion article about saving money and should not be taken as legal advice. Please consult an attorney for legal advice.
As a personal finance blogger who has spent the last 9 years working as a police officer, I'm in a unique position to shed some light on how you can save money on traffic tickets. This is also a good guide to refer to if you have a teenage driver who has received a traffic ticket. The most important thing to realize, whether it be you in this situation or someone that you're trying to help, is that everyone makes mistakes. Getting a ticket doesn't make you a bad driver or a bad person. No one is perfect. Rules exist for a reason though, and tickets do need to be issued to ensure that our roads are safe. I get asked constantly how to "get out of" a ticket. While there is no surefire way to "get out of" a ticket, I thought this would be a good post to give you the best shot of having a ticket end in a favorable decision for you. It's important to note, that this advice is for minor traffic tickets. I'm not covering serious offenses, misdemeanors, felonies, driving while intoxicated, and any offense that carries the possibility of jail time with this guide. Your best chance at minimizing the financial impact of a traffic ticket is by following these 5 tips: #1: Follow the rules. The easiest way to avoid ever getting a ticket is to abide by all traffic laws. It's an almost foolproof plan! Pay attention to the rules of the road, wear your seat belt and take the laws seriously. Never drink and drive. Put your phone down while you drive. I can tell you in all seriousness, that a traffic ticket is not the worst thing that can happen if you violate the law. At the end of the day, we want everyone to arrive alive at their destination. #2: Be polite. If and when you are pulled over, try to understand that the officer or trooper is simply doing his or her job. Just like in many jobs, law enforcement officers have a little bit of discretion. Most likely, if you are being pulled over for a violation, you will get a ticket. However, there is a small chance that you can avoid the ticket by being polite and courteous to the officer. On the opposite side of this, there is a better chance that you will receive a ticket if you are rude and angry. If you feel that you were pulled over in error, this doesn't mean that you have to admit to something that you don't feel you did. You should just communicate in a way that shows respect and courtesy. The time to argue is not on the side of the road. #3: Go to court. There are a few rare instances where going to court may not make sense. For instance, if the ticket is a pre-payable (a "non-moving violation" with a low fine amount that doesn't carry any points on your license) you may want to pre-pay if it would cost you money to get the day off of work to attend court. In almost all other situations though, you should attend court. This gives you a chance to show the judge that you're taking the ticket seriously and gives you an opportunity to speak in your defense. In 9 years, I've never seen someone penalized for coming to court, and I've seen countless cases of people given a break for coming to court. Dress appropriately (clean jeans and a nice shirt are fine). Make sure to treat the judge with just as much respect as you did the officer. #4: Accept responsibility. As long as you believe that you did commit the violation you were charged with, and you don't plan on getting an attorney (who may not want you to admit fault if it's a case he/she is representing you in), I would recommend honesty in this situation. Apologize for the mistake, bring proof of a good prior driving record, and show that you're taking the ticket seriously. If speed was a factor in your ticket, get your speedometer calibrated from a local auto shop. Often if your speedometer was incorrect, that can help you in court. Under no circumstances, should you ever admit fault in a situation that you believe you were not at fault in. #5: Ask for the outcome you hope to have. Don't be afraid to ask for the outcome that you would like. An outright dismissal of the charges may be unlikely, but reducing the traffic ticket to a non-moving violation, asking to attend traffic school in lieu of a conviction, or asking to have the fine waived are all possibilities. With a good prior driving record, and following the first four steps, getting an outcome like this is very possible. If a favorable outcome doesn't happen under these circumstances, there probably isn't anything else that you could have done. If you're looking at a serious violation, like a misdemeanor or any violation that has the possibility of jail time, consider consulting an attorney to determine the best course of action. Have you ever had a traffic ticket? What was the outcome? Rosemarie Groner is a formerly stressed, overworked and exhausted mom who loves blogging almost as much as she loves brownies. She writes at The Busy Budgeter about how she used the free Ultimate Money Saving Workbook to reduce their spending enough to be able to quit her job, stay home with her kids and then found way to make up her salary at home. She's still working on the cure for exhaustion.
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