|
When you receive your Washington State speeding ticket the officer will tell you if it is a mandatory court appearance or if you can pay your fine. Generally it is best to contest any traffic ticket with an experienced traffic lawyer.
Blair & Kim Representation
Description of Blair & Kim's related service. Blair & Kim is a criminal defense law firm that provides experienced and aggressive representation to people charged with a traffic crimes. We handle a broad range of misdemeanor and felony charges.
- Speeding Tickets
- Reckless Driving
- Failure to Stop
- Failure to Yield
- Illegal Turn
Washington State Traffic Court
You may wish to check the recent court rules relating to infractions. Washington State Traffic Court Rules. These are the rules that the officer, the prosecutor, the court and you must follow in infraction cases. Some courts have local infraction rules as well.
You have fifteen days to pay the Washington State speeding ticket or notify the court you wish to appear. If you decide to appear, you may request a mitigation hearing or a trial.
A ticket is considered a determination you committed the violation and no further evidence is necessary to convict you of the charge. Unless you have a very good defense, you will lose.
In Washington State the officer is not required to attend the hearing. However he/she is required to file a written report and he/she is required to file the citation with the court within five business days. You can check with the clerk of court to see when your speeding ticket was filed with the court and whether his/her report is on file.
The new law requires the judge to dismiss the Washington State speeding ticket if it is not filed within the five day limit. However, you will have to appear and make a motion for dismissal.
“A criminal conviction can result in jail time, probation, monetary fines and experienced criminal defense attorney.”
|
 |
Fight For Your Rights
There can be many consequences to having a traffic ticket on your driving record, including increased insurance; required traffic school; or sometimes even the loss of your driver's license.
About Traffic Infractions
Most courts in Washington State do not allow traffic school to keep a speeding ticket off your record so that is not an option. If you are a good driver with no violations, you may want to consider paying the fine and taking a deferment. Whether you will be granted a deferment is left completely to the discretion of the judge.
If you do not receive another speeding ticket for a period of time (usually one year, the original ticket will not be reported on your MVR. This can backfire if you receive another ticket in the one year period since they will both be on your record with a corresponding major auto insurance rate increase. You can only take a deferment once every seven years so you may want to save this option for a serious violation.
If you appear in court, the judge is likely to reduce the ticket and we always recommend that you at least appear in court, even for minor speeding tickets.
Often judges will be lenient if you produce a clean driving record. Contact your insurance agent if you need to know how much this ticket is likely to effect your insurance premiums. If you drive a company car or have insurance coverage with certain carriers a speeding ticket of 10+ over the limit can be a serious matter.
|
