Stephens & Stephens Personal Injury Attorneys

The number on the chart on the bottom are truly staggering. They provide a snapshot of the magnitude of traffic enforcement (both traditional and photo-based) in the United states.

Given these numbers, here’s another staggering number: 5. This is the percentage of motorists, optimistically speaking, who actually fight their traffic tickets. That’s a shame because it means 95 percent or more are putting themselves at the mercy of a flawed, revenue- hungry traffic justice system.

Many drivers also plead guilty without knowing what’s really at stake. Guilty pleas can trigger unexpected outcomes like increased insurance rates, driver responsibility surcharges and damaged driving records that can lead to license suspensions. Those who do fight almost always have better results in the form of lower penalties  fewer long-term consequences, as well as outright dismissals.

Aside from the personal benefits, ticket fighting also exercises the justice system. Increased pressure from pro se defendants (people who represent themselves) will force the courts and the police to change the way they deal out traffic justice. It’s already happening. Traffic courts across the country face huge backlogs as more and more motorists show up to fight camera tickets. And just showing up is sometimes enough to win, as the following example proves.

In December 2012, a magistrate in Elmwood Village, Ohio, was forced to dismiss nearly 1,000 speed camera tickets for drivers who showed up to appeal. It seems the police chief’s tablet device containing all of the citation data was on the fritz, and there was no paper backup. If those drivers hadn’t shown up to fight they certainly would not have received  such a break, courtesy of a defective microprocessor.

But for most ticket-fighters, it takes more than simply showing up for court to beat that ticket. That’s why the NMA has prepared an array of proven ticket-fighting tools to help you. All of these are available to Supporting Members at no- or reduced-cost. As longtime members know, the NMA’s ticket-fighting approach focuses on the following five key areas:

1. Avoiding the ticket to begin with
2. Preparing and researching
3. Understanding and using basic legal/courtroom procedures
4. Using technical information to your advantage
5. Traffic Justice Program (learn more at www.motorists. org/traffie-justice/)

Listen and Learn

If you’ve never fought a ticket before, the NMA’s Guerilla Ticket Fighter audio CD which comes with the new Supporting Member packet (also available as a download in the Member Area at www.motorists.org/ members/ticket-audio) is the easiest place to start. Listen while you driveand learn proven techniques to defend yourself. This lively, practical guide covers everything from what do at a

traffic stop and how to get informa­tion helpful to your case, to effective defense strategies and what to expect in court. (The Guerilla Ticket Fighter is also available for download through CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon.)

Download and Defend

For most NMA members, our downloadable e-book, Fight That Ticket!, is the logical place to begin your ticket fight. It’s available at no charge to Supporting Members through the Members Area (www. motorists.orgimembersitieket­ebook) and comes in two formats: one for viewing on-screen and another for printing out.

Fight That Ticket! provides a comprehensive “Do-It-Yourself ‘ (DIY) guide to fighting your next ticket. Since most traffic tickets are speeding-related, much of the content focuses on fighting speedingtickets. However, the techniques and principles presented applyto many p-es of tickets. Key topics include’the following:

1. Requesting Informa{toll
2. How to Request a Continuance
   Enforcement Technology-uide
   Basic Courtroom Procedures
3. Preparing Your Defense
   Ticket Errors
4. Enforcement Technology Errors
   Rules of Evidence for Beginners
   The Pre-Trial Conference
5. Photo Ticket Defenses

Find more information on NMA Foundation