What to do with a traffic ticket?
At one point or another, most drivers in South Carolina will exceed the speed limit and be fined for this offense. Although many drivers receive speeding tickets, not as many know what to do after the law enforcement official has left the scene and they are left with a traffic fine to pay. Essentially a ticketed driver has two options: (1) drivers can plead guilty and pay the fine or (2) attempt to fight the charges made against them in a court of law. I am assuming the ticketed driver wants to keep his drivers license, so simply ignoring a ticket is not an option anyone should consider.
Paying the Ticket Fine is Pleading Guilty
Remember that paying a traffic ticket is pleading guilty and could have a major impact on your license and insurance rates. Even if you are considering paying the ticket, we offer a free consultation where we can inform you of the effects the ticket will have on your license and insurance, then you can make an educated decision on how to proceed. Each case is different, and while we offer some useful general information on our traffic blog, there is no substitute for a consultation on your specific ticket. Some traffic tickets, such as a seat belt violation, may not carry points and might not be worth the time and money to fight. Other traffic citations can have severe consequences for your license and insurance that you would not want to plead guilty to.
Don’t Have Time for Traffic Court
After drivers receive a speeding ticket, they may wonder if they should attend the court date that is listed on their ticket or whether the ticket is even worth the fight because they don’t have time to take off work and go to court. Most clients that hire a traffic lawyer, do not have to appear on their court date and the lawyer can appear on their behalf to handle their case. A lawyer cannot tell what is going to happen if you appear yourself in traffic court, but a lawyer can tell you what the likely outcome of a client’s case is based on their own experience and traffic laws of the state.
If you have questions about your SC speeding ticket, we are here to help. Call us at (803) 351-3597 for a free consultation.