Do you know what is being done in your community to protect the citizens from crime? Do you have a crime-watch program? Is there a community website that lists the current investigations and events that may have recently occurred? Law enforcement officials can only do so much when it comes to protecting a community. If your community is not active in protecting itself, crime rates could rise and many residents could find themselves the target or victim of crimes. Visit my blog to find out what you can do as a community to lower crime rates and help the law enforcement officials do their jobs.
You've planned your vacation to a neighboring state for weeks, and now that you're on your way, you've been slapped with a ticket for a law you didn't realize existed. It's not a nice situation to be in, but you're not doomed to owe hundreds of dollars. With the help of a lawyer, you might be able to fight the ticket successfully. However, the first thing to do is accept that you did violate a law.
It's Really No Excuse
When you drive somewhere, you're responsible for understanding the local laws. Saying you didn't know a law existed really isn't an excuse, even though it's very common to find that there are obscure laws you never even thought could exist. Sometimes the officer who pulled you over will be nice an issue a warning instead, especially if it's obvious you're from out of state and weren't doing anything excessively bad. But it's also possible to get that one officer who makes no exceptions. If you got a ticket because of this situation, there's not much you can do except see a lawyer who can handle cross-state traffic tickets.
But It Could Be an Excuse
And when you do see a lawyer, you may find that he or she can get the ticket dismissed. This is going to vary for every case, but if your lawyer can provide information about how new the law was, how well people actually living in that state know it, and so on, then you might be able to convince a traffic court that the ticket was not necessary. Another option is to not dismiss the ticket but to get the fine reduced or waived. It's really going to depend on circumstances; fighting a ticket regarding a law that's new that no one really knows about yet is a lot different than fighting a ticket regarding something that everyone else knows and that has been around a long time.
Next Time
If you find yourself traveling to another state again, take some time to prepare. Most states have very user-friendly traffic websites that spotlight laws that other states might not have. Another option is to look at recordings of local news programs (such as segments uploaded to YouTube by one of the TV channels in the city you're going to) because you'll often find a few short segments on traffic enforcement. In this era of fast internet and accessible video, it's easy to get at least some sense of what drivers in that state have to deal with.
Give your lawyer, such as Walsh Fewkes Sterba, as much detail about the situation as you can. You are definitely not the first person this has ever happened to, and your lawyer will know the best ways to approach your case.
Share19 April 2017
