In most states, you can avoid having to go to court for a moving violation by paying a citation within a certain period of time, usually 21 or 30 days. Speeding on the highway in order to prevent an accident is a prime example. Never skip court. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. If you're considering fighting your ticket, here are some strategies you might want to consider. How do you fight a ticket too closely? FindLaw's How to Fight a Ticket section provides information about how to decide if fighting a ticket is a good idea and strategies for fighting ticket. At FindLaw.com, we pride ourselves on being the number one source of free legal information and resources on the web. % of people told us that this article helped them. Passengers or bystanders who will testify to your version of events can help you convince the judge that you were right and the police officer's observations were inaccurate. Search, Browse Law In California, you can fight your traffic ticket in person or in writing. You want to make sure you understand exactly why you were pulled over and why you're being given a ticket. Here's his best advice on getting and fighting a traffic citation. First is to pay the fine in full while entering a guilty plea. You can: plead guilty and pay the fine, plead not guilty and request a jury trial, or plead Nolo Contendere ("No contest"). Learn about different traffic ticket defense strategies, from disputing the officer's presentation of evidence to arguing your ticketed driving was somehow justified. If you have received a speeding ticket for going above the posted speed limit in such a state, you may be able to challenge the officer's opinion by proving that your speed was safe given the conditions. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. Finding A Defense. For example, with stop sign and red light tickets (assuming we're not talking about a red light camera ticket), the government's evidence that you committing the violation will generally be limited to the officer simply testifying that he or she saw you run the stop sign or red signal. Valid evidence includes witnesses to testify that you were in the right and images proving your innocence. The first thing you must know is that, in Florida, the state has the burden of proving the case against you. When she later says she's certain your car was the one that was speeding, you get the opportunity to ask her how certain she is as certain as she was that it was bright and sunny? One way of fighting a traffic ticket is to use the subjective challenge. [1] {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/91\/Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/91\/Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Fight-a-Traffic-Ticket-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"