Credit: Creative Commons via Flickr / versageek
By Colin Maher
As a traffic ticket lawyer in Columbus, Ohio, I never guarantee my clients that I can get their charges for violating traffic laws dismissed. Rather, I assure them that many effective methods for getting traffic tickets dismissed exist and then go about using the methods that best apply to their cases.
Fighting a ticket is often worth the effort. Avoiding a conviction on a traffic charge does more than save money on fines, fees, and insurance rates. Getting a ticket dismissed spares a driver from accumulating penalty points on their license, and it keeps driving records clean. A single traffic violation can be enough to put a CDL holder out of a job.
So what can a traffic ticket lawyer in Columbus Ohio do for someone who is charged with speeding, running a stop sign, making an illegal turn, or even driving recklessly? Plenty.
Questioning Reasonable Suspicion
Police officers and state troopers must have legally defensible reasons for conducting a traffic stop. Telling a judge about a hunch will not suffice. If after a review of the evidence like dashboard camera footage, the reason a law enforcement officer gives for pulling over driver does not hold up, a judge should throw out any ticket that the official issued.
Challenging Evidence
Going to court to contest a traffic charge forces the police officer or state trooper who issued the ticket to produce evidence that proves the alleged violation occurred. In Ohio, for instance, a speeding offense requires the use of some type of device to confirm a person is speeding i.e. radar, laser, stopwatch, or speedometer. If the official cannot do that, the speeding ticket is invalid and must be dismissed.
Enforcing Procedure
Related to the notes on challenging evidence, it is never enough for a police officer or state trooper to solely use a radar device or consult a camera record. The equipment must be used correctly, be in working condition, and capable of producing accurate results.
An experienced and knowledgeable Columbus criminal defense attorney will be able to identify problems with how evidence was acquired and interpreted. Any such problems can be cited as reasons for a judge to dismiss a traffic offense or find the person not guilty.
If you need of a, Columbus traffic ticket attorney call 614-205-2208 now or contact us online.
