How to Fight a Speeding Ticket in San Francisco
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There is no doubt the state of California is pretty strict when it comes to moving violations. As a result, speeding in California is no small ticket item. Even a slight infraction can wind up costing up as much as $900 once you add up all the fines, penalties and fees! Is there anything you can do to get your speeding ticket dismissed? What if $900 just isn’t in your budget? Who can you contact for help after you’ve been caught speeding in California? Read on to find out!
Your Options to Fight a Speeding Ticket in San Francisco
It is true that a number of options exist for how to fight a speeding ticket. However, most of those options are time-consuming, cumbersome and, frankly, expensive.
Your first option, of course, is to choose not to challenge the ticket (admit you are guilty), pay the ticket (bail) and get on with your life. Here, you do not get your money back and no further action is required.
But you’d better ease off the gas pedal in the future, because the more points you have on your license, the closer you inch to a suspension of driving privileges. And those points will stay on your license for at least 39 months.
If that option doesn’t appeal, you do have some additional options to consider. Show up in court and hope the officer will not show up. This is probably the most commonly used strategy, but frankly it is a pretty dicey strategy at best with so much at stake. If the officer doesn’t show up, your ticket is likely (but not guaranteed) to be dismissed by the presiding judge. But if the officer does show up, you need to be prepared to mount your case for innocence and dismissal right there on the spot.
If you lose, here come the license points and the fees, plus the full amount of your ticket bail. Go to court on your own and contest the ticket.
Here, it is important to remember that while fighting a speeding ticket is a rare occurrence for you, it is something that the presiding judge likely deals with every single workday of his or her life.
So all the potential defenses you think sound so clever are likely to fall on deaf judicial ears, especially those that claim you didn’t do it, that the officer misjudged your speed, that you didn’t know the posted speed limit or that the officer was singling you out. If you can prove that there is a factual omission on your citation, that there was an urgent reason for your speeding or that you had to drive that way to avoid harming others, you have a slightly better chance of getting your citation dismissed.
Hire an attorney to help you contest the ticket. In some cases, and especially with pricier citations, you may find yourself considering hiring an attorney to help you fight your speeding ticket.
But don’t forget, even if you win your case, now you are on the hook for the lawyer’s fees. And if you lose your case, you will be on the hook for both the lawyer’s fees and the fines and fees associated with settling your citation. Typically the only time it makes sense to hire a traffic attorney is when you are in danger of losing your license or having it suspended, in which case you may find the higher fees justified.
Fight your speeding ticket through a trial by written declaration. Read on to learn more about how to fight a speeding ticket through a trial by written declaration.
How to Fight a Speeding Ticket Quickly & Easily
A trial by written declaration can be used to fight certain types of California traffic violations, including speeding tickets at the infractions level. Using this process is simple and quick and you don’t have to leave your house or even make a phone call to do it. You do need to fill out form TR-205 (“Trial by Written Declaration”) available through the California Courts website.
Then you just send in the completed form and the bail amount as instructed on the form. You have to pay the bail before you can begin the process of trial by written declaration. But if you win, that amount will be refunded to you and no points will be added to your license.
Typically it takes between two and three months to receive the court’s response. Then, if for some reason your citation is upheld, you can request a new trial using form TR-220. You don’t have to be represented by an attorney to ask for a trial by written declaration, which means you won’t be out the attorney costs to fight your speeding ticket.
Visit GetDismissed Today to Fight Your Traffic Ticket
Why go to the trouble and expense of hiring a lawyer and going to court to fight a speeding ticket when you can get your ticket dismissed from the comfort of home? getdismissed.com is your “ticket” to dismiss tickets in San Francisco!
When you work with our team here at GetDismissed, you get expert traffic ticket violation assistance and a personalized defense without having to show up in court or spend your valuable time filling out endless legal forms.
In other words, we do all the legwork and you reap the positive results by putting money back in your pocket and keeping points off your driver license.
The whole process of applying for a trial by written declaration through TicketBust takes just a few minutes of your time up front.
All you need to do is visit our website to create your free account, snap an image of your ticket, upload it to the GetDismissed website, give us a few more details about the citation and your situation, and wait for receipt confirmation.
Learn more and get your traffic ticket dismissed at getdismissed.com.
Steve has been leading the fight against traffic tickets for over 22 years and is the CEO/President of GetDismissed, a service that empowers California drivers with traffic tickets to fight back without going to court. As a thought leader and business entrepreneur, Steve has also been featured on TV, Radio, Print, and Online as a traffic ticket expert talking about such subjects as distracted driving, contesting traffic tickets, traffic ticket myths, traffic ticket tips, traffic law, and more. Steve is a published author, releasing his first book in 2011, and now has four books regarding fighting traffic tickets which can be found on Amazon. Read More…
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Photograph your ticket & license.
*If you don’t have your ticket handy, it’s okay — you can still start the process and just add it later!
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Provide info through guided questions.
*Be sure to quickly add as many notes about the stop as you can so you don’t leave out any important details!
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Sign & send your defense to court.
*We will send you a completed packet for the court that just needs your signature and a stamp!
What Types of Tickets Do We Help With?
GetDismissed produces results in fighting all kinds of tickets. Unfortunately, this list does not include exhibition of speed citations. Your best bet in fighting one of these infractions, is to contact an attorney. An attorney can negotiate on your behalf to try and reduce fines, or even to reduce the charges to a lesser infraction which could possibly qualify for traffic school.
We do however, contest infractions revolving around speeding, red lights, red light cameras, cell phones, signs (primarily stop signs), carpool violations, U-turns, out of lane violations, and commercial violations. If you receive a citation and have questions, contact us today.
