Being issued a traffic citation in Charlotte can be stressful, especially if this isn’t the first one you received, or it’s for a serious offense like speeding. The steps you take after getting it can profoundly affect your court case and your life.
However, you don’t have to deal with this process alone. Our experienced Charlotte traffic ticket lawyers at Browning & Long, PLLC, are ready to guide you through it, helping you fight your NC speeding ticket or other citation and potentially avoid harsh consequences. Here are vital steps we recommend you take so we can successfully defend you.
4 Important Steps to Take After an NC Speeding Ticket
If you’re found guilty of speeding or another traffic violation in Mecklenburg County, you might have to pay large fines and court costs. Here’s another critical note: the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles will likely access points on your driving record, and your auto insurance premiums could rise dramatically for years after you pay the ticket.
Fortunately, our savvy traffic ticket lawyers will provide you with the right guidance to fight your speeding ticket or other traffic violations. First, here are four key actions to take right away to protect your rights.
1. Read the Traffic Ticket
Seems simple, doesn’t it? But it’s essential to review the citation carefully so you fully understand what violations of North Carolina’s traffic laws you’re accused of committing. You should also be clear regarding the date of your court hearing. Unless you committed a minor infraction, such as driving with a broken headline, you must attend a mandatory court hearing to resolve your traffic ticket.
2. Decide How to Plead
You need to decide how to respond to the traffic citation. While you might want it simply to be over with, we recommend that you don’t make this decision without first getting advice from your legal counsel. Why? Because you have three options:
- Plead guilty. Then, you'll pay the fine and court costs, and accept the long-term ramifications of your traffic violation.
- Plead no contest. With this action, you’re not admitting you’re guilty, but you do accept the penalties for the traffic ticket. This might be a good option if you’re worried about being sued in a civil lawsuit.
- Fight the charges. You can plead not guilty and work with us to raise your defenses to fight the ticket.
3. Collect Evidence
Another important step you should take is to gather as much proof as possible that could help you fight the ticket. Helpful evidence can include the following:
- Take photos. Use your cellphone camera to take pictures of where the police pulled you over, road conditions, traffic signs and signals, and anything else you believe may be relevant.
- Obtain witness contact information. If they saw you driving and the police issuing you a traffic ticket, our attorneys will interview them and obtain any helpful written statements.
- Collect documentation. You should also gather information supporting your defenses, such as GPS data, cellphone records, and auto maintenance records.
4. Retain Our Charlotte Traffic Ticket Lawyers
Another vital step is to contact the legal team at Browning & Long, PLLC, immediately. We’re former prosecutors involved in thousands of traffic violations. We understand North Carolina’s traffic laws, court processes, and the defenses that can be used in these cases. Here are just a few ways we can save you money and help you reach a good outcome in your criminal case:
- Investigate the traffic stop. We want to make sure to have all the details about what happened when the police pulled you over.
- Develop your defense strategy. Even if you believe you’re guilty, our lawyers know that you could have strong defenses to fight the charges you face, and we’ll examine all possibilities that might help.
- Consider on traffic school. Depending on the violation and your driving record, we may recommend that you attend traffic school. This might help get the traffic citation dismissed, reduce the points assessed on your driving record, and lower your auto insurance rates.
- Pursue mitigating the punishments. We’ll explain options that may help reduce the consequences of your violation. For example, we may be able to use your defenses as leverage to convince the prosecutor to enter into a plea agreement where the traffic citation is reduced to a minor violation, or agree to a Prayer for Judgment Continued, where you plead guilty but the judge wouldn’t issue a judgment in your case.
- Represent you at court hearings. Our legal team attends all court hearings with you. We may even be able to represent you at them without needing you to take off work to go. If it’s in your best interests, we also won’t hesitate to try your case at a trial decided by the judge.
