Your Options on a Speeding Ticket in Fayetteville

Read the ticket before you do anything

A speeding ticket looks small, and many drivers simply pay it so it goes away. The trouble is that paying can amount to admitting the violation, and the effects can reach your driving record and your insurance bill. Before you decide anything, read the whole ticket slowly.

Find the court date and write it down in more than one place. Check that your name, your car and the location are correct. Note what the officer wrote about how you were measured and where you were. Then put the ticket somewhere you will see it. Missing a court date can create a new problem that is worse than the ticket itself, so the date comes first.

Three outcomes people ask about

There is more than one way a speeding case can end, and an attorney can talk through which ones may fit your situation. Three come up most often.

• A reduction to a lesser charge, which an attorney may be able to negotiate with the prosecutor
• A prayer for judgment continued, usually called a PJC, which is a way a court can resolve a case without the usual outcome
• A dismissal, which depends entirely on the facts and is never something anyone should promise

The firm's traffic pages describe negotiating toward a lesser charge or a PJC. A PJC is worth asking about by name, because people often hear the term in a courtroom without anyone explaining it. What a PJC, or any reduced charge, means for your insurance and your record is a question for an attorney who has read your ticket and your driving history. Do not assume the answer from what happened to a neighbor.

Do you have to go to court?

Many people put off dealing with a ticket because they cannot take a morning off work. The firm's pages explain that most traffic cases it handles can be resolved without the client appearing in court, by using a written waiver and consent. The signed waiver can be returned by mail along with the fee. Not every case qualifies, and the court decides how a case is handled, so confirm with the attorney before you assume you can skip the date.

For a driver who commutes, works shifts or lives out of town, this can change the whole decision. Having an attorney handle the appearance may be worth weighing against a day of lost pay, gas and parking, and you can spend that day at work. Whether it is right for you depends on the charge and on your record.

Protecting your license

Your driver's license is the real asset at stake in a speeding case. The firm describes its goal on a traffic matter as preventing the loss of your license, and that is the right way to think about it. Ask any attorney you speak with what the particular charge could do to your license, not only what it will cost to resolve.

Be especially careful if you already have other tickets, if you hold a commercial license, or if you were cited in a school or work zone. Any of these can raise the stakes of a charge that looks ordinary on paper. Say so at the start of the first conversation so the advice you get fits your facts.

What to do in the first week

A few plain steps help whichever way you decide to go. Make a note of everything you remember about the stop while it is fresh: the road, the speed limit signs, the traffic, the weather and what the officer said. Take a photo of the ticket, front and back. If you plan to dispute any part of it, do not pay the ticket first. Paying can end the question.

Talk with an attorney before the court date, not on the morning of it. A conversation a week or two ahead leaves time to find out which of the options above apply, to prepare the paperwork, and to send a waiver by mail if that is the right path.

Carl L. Britt, Jr., Attorney at Law, at 224 Dick St in Fayetteville, handles speeding and other traffic tickets in Cumberland County. Zachary D. McLaurin, who works with the firm, has worked on traffic cases both as an Assistant Public Defender and as an Assistant District Attorney. The first consultation is free, the firm's fees are reasonable, and you only pay if you retain its services. Call (910) 483-1176.

This article is general information, not legal advice, and the right choice on any ticket depends on the specific charge and your record.