Personal Injury Lawyer

Traffic court is a stressful situation, especially if you have never been there before. There can be a lot at stake, which can affect your nerves. In this heightened emotional state, it can be easy to make mistakes when appearing before the judge. However, such mistakes can cost you dearly.

Contesting a traffic ticket is not easy, even under the best of circumstances. However, you may be able to improve your chances by avoiding the following mistakes.

What Not To Say

There are certain defenses that will not help you in traffic court. In fact, they may even hurt you because they can make an unfavorable impression on the judge. Your best bet is to stick to the facts and produce the evidence you have obtained to support your case. Under no circumstances should you say anything similar to the following:

1.  The Law Is Unfair

If you truly believe this, you should contact the appropriate legislators and express your wish to have the law changed. However, the job of the court is to uphold the law, whether it is fair or not. Complaining about fairness or unfairness won’t help your case.

1.  The Officer Did Something Wrong

Don’t say anything negative about the officer who issued the ticket or the way he or she performed during the traffic stop. It doesn’t help your case, and the officer is almost certainly in the courtroom with you and will hear every word.

1.  You Were Not Aware of the Law That You Violated

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. This is a legal principle that predates the United States Constitution and even the establishment of European colonies on the North American continent.

1.  No One Was Hurt as a Result

The question isn’t whether or not anyone got hurt. The question is whether or not you broke the law. If you admit that you did so in pointing out that no one got hurt as a result, you’ve just made the job of the judge and prosecution a lot easier.

What Not To Do

In addition to avoiding certain unhelpful arguments, you should also avoid certain behaviors in traffic court:

• Don’t show up late or fail to appear at all
• Don’t tell the judge a sympathetic story in lieu of presenting a fact-based defense
• Don’t talk too much or use legal terms that you do not understand
• Don’t behave arrogantly
• Don’t get angry or agitated

A traffic lawyer, like from The Law Office of Mark T. Hurt, can assist you with your case and advise you about how to conduct yourself in the courtroom. They can help you with this often difficult situation. Contact a law office to schedule a consultation.