First steps to fighting your own speeding ticket
Before you apply for a trial date to fight your own speeding ticket, there are some first steps to prepare for.
Write out what happened!
As soon possible after getting the speeding ticket, you should write out your own account of what happened. Later on in this process you are going to get access to the notes the officer took, and you will want to compare them to your own account. Be as thorough, as accurate and as honest as possible when writing this, because it will help you keep clear as to what happened when you have to remember during your trial or when speaking to the prosecution. Don’t lie in your account; lying to the court is a serious offence and won’t help your case. You don’t need to let anyone but you read this account, and you’re only writing it right now so you’ll be able to keep the details clear down the road when they’ll be the most important. We’ll come back to this account later.
Keep records of everything!
Make copies of your speeding ticket(s) right away and keep them somewhere safe. It is always important to have your own copies of any forms you receive from the officer, the prosecution or the court. Sometimes administrative mistakes will happen on their end, and if you keep careful and clean records yourself, you will have the upper hand when mistakes happen, and you’ll also make sure that the mistakes aren’t going to happen on your end.
Examine all your options!
It is almost always to your benefit to fight your speeding ticket, whether you do it yourself as you’re planning to do now, or by hiring someone to fight the speeding ticket on your behalf.
While it is true that if you choose to fight your speeding ticket and you lose, you may end up paying a higher fine than you would have before, the difference in the amount you pay may be negligible especially compared to the amount your insurance may increase as a result of your speeding ticket. Thus, it is important to consider fighting your speeding ticket because you may stand to save thousands of dollars in the long run if you keep your insurance rates from skyrocketing.
