Speeding Tickets

There are speeding laws in place in every corner of the country. If you live in Florida, you may feel that the state has some of the more stiff penalties for speeding.

When you get a traffic violation for driving over the posted speed, you are given a court date where you can fight the ticket. Alternatively, the officer will provide the cost of the ticket so that you can pay ahead of time to avoid traffic court entirely. Did you know that by paying the ticket you are automatically admitting to guilt and are giving the DMV permission to assess points on your driving record?

Avoid Insurance Rate Increases

Points equal insurance rates increases which will eventually cost your more money. Most people know that. However what you may not have known is that a traffic violation or moving violation can cause you to accrue points and the more points you get, you can face a license suspension. Fines will vary by city/county but here is a snapshot of the fines for the Orlando/Orange Country area. If you are guilty of driving 16 MPH over the posted speed, you will get four points added to your record. If you are convicted of driving 15 MPH or less over the posted speed, you will get three points added to your record.

Speeding Ticket Options

If you know you are guilty, do not have much time for any other alternatives and are willing to accept the consequences, by all means pay the fines and get the points. However, there are other options available to you. You can hire a lawyer or defend yourself and plead NOT GUILTY in traffic court. It may be advantageous to hire a Florida attorney because they are well-versed in some of the more common defenses such as invalid radar calibration, improper statute or charging instrument, and invalid pace calibration just to name a few. Lastly, you can elect to go to traffic school, which can cost you upwards of $200 or more depending on the length of the class but you will not get any points on your driving record.

No matter which option you choose, it will cost you money in the end, unless you defend yourself, which is a time investment and results may not be favorable. If you speed in the state of Florida, you have broken the law. The state assesses more of a financial punishment in order to deter speeders and repeat offenders.

If you have reveived a speeding ticket in Orlando or Central Florida, please contact our experienced traffic violation defense attorneys today to learn about your rights and protect your driving record.