How to Beat a Traffic Ticket

If you drive much, it's inevitable that one day you're gonna get nailed. Even if you're not an inveterate speeder or lane-changing fanatic, eventually you'll be caught tuning the radio when you should have been noticing a reduction in the posted limit, you'll make an ill-considered lane change or commit one of literally hundreds of other driving errors. Most of these infractions will slide by unnoticed, but every once in a while you'll do the wrong thing at the wrong time and attract the attention of the law. If the officer issues you a ticket, you face a fine, points on your license, raised (or cancelled) insurance rates and—if you've been driving like a real barbarian—even suspension of your license.

Every once in a while, you'll do the wrong thing at the wrong time.
So, did you really do it? If you did, and you feel real bad about it, by all means, accept the ticket with a smile, and promptly pay your fine. If on the other hand, you either didn't commit the heinous crime, there were extenuating circumstances, or you just don't want to pay a fine, you'll naturally want to avoid the unpleasantness of soiling your driving record with an ugly infraction. Here are a few tips on how to beat a ticket.

Go the Flow
The best way out of a ticket is to avoid being issued one in the first place. That starts with your approach to driving. Being smooth, polite and inconspicuous counts for a lot. Not only will you coexist with other traffic more peacefully, but you'll also blend in with the flow and capture much less official attention. High profile, aggressively driven vehicles get nailed far more often than less visible targets. If a 19-year old in a red Camaro and a 55-year old in a silver sedan both commit the identical violation, guess who's going to get pulled over?

Talk Nicely
Being indignant or confrontational won't help your cause. Respectful honesty is the best approach. Let the officer tell you what you did. If you start explaining spontaneously, you're telegraphing your guilt. Listen to the officer's charge and ask follow-up questions about the technical aspects of the situation. Politely tell the officer your version of events, and don't lie. Be sure to include relevant information that might give him or her a reason to let you off with a warning. Did you just turn onto this street and maybe not have yet seen a speed limit sign? Were you staying with the flow of traffic? Did a big truck block your view of the "No Right Turn on Red" sign? Give the officer your best stuff, but be quick about it. Once they start writing, you're usually beyond the point of no return.

Weigh Options
If you couldn't talk your way out of a ticket by the side of the road, depending on the cost of the fine and its likely impact on your record, you might want to either simply pay it, or make things right by attending traffic school. Check your insurance policy (or with your insurance agent) to determine if your violation is likely to inspire your auto insurance company to raise your rates. That will give you an idea of how much time and/or money to devote to beating the ticket. Trying to fight the ticket in court can suck up a surprising amount of time, particularly if you devote much effort to building your defense. Before you consider going to court, take an honest look at what you did, and whether you truly committed the violation. Were you tagged in error, or is your guilt questionable? Just because you did the deed doesn't mean you have to take the medicine willingly. This is the land of "guilty until proven innocent" after all, so it's the American thing to do to make them work for it. Somewhere along the way, the system may lose interest in prosecuting you, or may let you slide out on a technicality.