Mistake #1
When you want to fight traffic tickets, you should not try to arbitrarily delay your date with the traffic court without a valid reason (ex. need to get disclosure). The court may not grant you a new date and there is no guarantee that a cop will not show up again for a 2nd or even a 3rd trial date. Many officers are required to attend court as part of their job duties and get paid overtime even if they should be off-duty when a date is scheduled. The only way one might get lucky with a cop not attending a court date (thus having ticketed charges withdrawn ), is if their matter is the only matter he/she would be required to attend court for, in which case the officer may not show up at all then.
Mistake #2
Setting up an “Early Resolution” or “Guilty with an Explanation” (Option #2) meeting. This method of dealing with your traffic ticket in not ideal if you want to have your charges withdrawn fully. First of all, in both instances the cop is not required to show up at court, and you may be entering into a plea agreement with the Prosecutor or Justice of the Peace without having the opportunity to review the disclosure notes/video. Also, in some cases the best outcome you may get is to have your fine reduced but the conviction ends up being for the same charge with the same number of demerit points related to that charge. Many clients I get here at Formula Traffic Tickets were disappointed with their choice in this option for previous tickets they received and want a paralegal to handle their new ones, knowing it will be handled effectively to maximize their chances of getting a full withdrawal, the ultimate outcome!!
Mistake #3
Deciding to go after a police officer’s credibility during a trial, but not having any supporting evidence to back up your claims. If your only defence is to go to traffic court and try to make the officer who gave you the traffic ticket look bad, don’t waste your time!! Using any number of ridiculous excuses like the police officer singled you out from a crowd (“my car looks flashy”), or that he used the radar/laser gun improperly will not work, unless you can legally back up your statements with hard evidence.
Also, don’t go into court with the idea you are going to challenge the police officers training on the testing/usage of the radar/laser gun alone. Rationally speaking, no cop is going to conduct a speed trap without proper training on the devices he/she uses unless they want to embarrass themselves in court. This is usually specified in the disclosure notes anyway and judges generally accept that officers had proper training on such devices in their enforcement capacity, unless it can be proven otherwise.
Mistake #4
Showing up to the court unprepared!! Probably the mistake most people make is thinking they did a good job doing their homework prior to their day in court, and actually didn’t have a clue as to what they were doing to get prepared. So they lose their case and end up being convicted of the traffic ticket.
And then there are the people who show up to traffic court thinking the judge will have pity on them if they just tell their side of the story but don’t have a legal defence at all. Yeah right!
It is totally understandable that it can be nerve wracking showing up to traffic court, which is why most people opt to hire a paralegal in the end, especially if they already had a bad experience “trying” to fight a ticket all on their own in the past.
Ultimately, you can properly avoid these 4 mistakes altogether by hiring a paralegal here at Formula Traffic Tickets where we have the necessary experience and skill set to afford you the best chance of winning your case in court, and in most cases without the need for attending court at all.