Keep calm, go ahead and call a good traffic ticket lawyer
Remember when you were a kid or a young adult and the cops seemed nice? Of course. Of course, we were taught that the only reason to have police officers was to “protect and serve” the communities they patrolled. There was no reason not to trust that they would do just that. Elementary school administrators told us: “If you ever have problems, always go to a policeman to help you.” Cops were almost always featured in movies and on the news as the good guys who came in to save the day at the last minute.
Boy! Those were the days. Now, with daily or near-daily reports on police officers being frowned upon for numerous heinous acts, it sure makes you long for the days when you felt safe in their presence. In addition to recent news reports of law enforcement violence, the reasons for this change are numerous, and I’m not sure all are clearly definable.
The saturation of the media with such negative events is undoubtedly the biggest perpetrator of imbuing a large part of the population with not only unfavorable opinions, but with outright indignation towards law enforcement in general. The media allows almost all tragic events, especially those that are hypersensational, to be broadcast to our televisions, radios, smartphones, and computers, sometimes in a matter of minutes, thus inundating others with these often horrific events. It makes it difficult to discern if more of these events are occurring or if they are simply coming under increased scrutiny. I’m certainly not “blaming” the media in general, but I am struck by the seemingly endless thirst for outright tabloid journalism.
The media is just one aspect that has contributed to what appears to be a growing state of confrontation between law enforcement and many citizens. It seems that years ago when a police officer stopped a driver, there was a level of nervousness because officers were seen as authority figures and no one likes to “get in trouble” with authority figures. These days, most drivers still experience nervousness, but it’s more likely because they don’t know if they’re being pulled over by one of these rogue cops we hear about so often, so they fear that a simple traffic stop could become something much more serious.
This restraint is surely felt on both sides. With all the national attention that has been directed at law enforcement agencies in nearly every state, it’s only natural that, for the most part, they are closing ranks. This could explain the less friendly behavior drivers encounter when stopped for a simple traffic stop. Of course, dealing with excuse after excuse all day about why drivers commit the violations they do could also be a factor. As the saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun, and that is true of why police officers hear from drivers who have broken the law. It’s understandable how this can make an officer tired after they’ve been on the job for a while.
The police violence that has been reported of late, and the us-versus-them mentality that often grows in certain police officers over time, makes it more important than ever that if you are pulled over, you follow all directives from the police officer. Rather than following his directives, don’t forget that now is a good time to remember your manners. Be polite, be concise, but don’t buy yourself into a traffic ticket by being argumentative or having a chip on your shoulder. Please NEVER answer questions like “Do you know why I stopped you?” because you may end up condemning yourself for a simple and innocent answer. You should try to keep in mind that the chances of you getting out of a traffic ticket by talking are slim to none.
If he issues you a traffic ticket, regardless of what offense you’ve been accused of committing, say thank you. Be very careful when you start to make sure you do it safely and slowly. Picking up gravel or jaywalking back into traffic will only give you a reason to pull over again and issue you another traffic ticket. It can be hard not to respond aggressively, especially if you don’t feel the ticket was justified, but the last thing you want to do is make your situation worse.
Getting a traffic ticket is never a planned event, so no one is necessarily prepared when they get pulled over. Certainly no one anticipates the upset that will arise from this event. In all the years that I have been a traffic ticket attorney, I have never heard a single recipient of a traffic ticket say, “You know, I was hoping for this, so I put away several hundred dollars to pay for fines, court costs, and increased the insurance rate I’m surely facing.”
Although fines and penalties can vary greatly, moving violations are always expensive. This makes it difficult for some people to understand why they should add the cost of hiring a traffic ticket lawyer to something that can become as expensive as traffic tickets. The answer is simple, especially if you are one of those drivers who receives traffic tickets quite frequently or, even worse, you are one of those drivers who have a hard time accepting them with kindness.
The costs of multiple traffic tickets tend to add up quickly; therefore, they tend to offset the cost of the traffic ticket attorney’s fees. This is usually a fairly cheap flat fee for many violations. Also, if you are one of those who is outraged when you receive a traffic ticket, the officer will most likely remember your face and the traffic stop when you appear in court. The better he remembers you, the more likely he will be able to prove his case against you.
Let’s face it, most of the time the deck is already stacked against you when you go to court to fight a traffic ticket. What better way to try to beat those odds than to have an experienced traffic ticket attorney on your side? If you have received a traffic ticket for any type of violation, call us at 954-967-9888 for a free consultation.