Have you received a traffic ticket in Clarke County or Berryville, Virginia? The Law Offices of Timothy R. Johnson, PLC handle all kinds of traffic tickets including:
- General speeding tickets (Va. Code §§ 46.2-870; 46.2-874; 46.2-875);
- Failure to obey traffic control device (Va. Code §§ 46.2-830);
- Failure to signal a turn (Va. Code § 46.2-848);
- Improper passing (Va. Code § 46.2-838);
- And many others!
Realistically, challenging traffic tickets in court rarely will result in an acquittal as the officer's testimony regarding observations, and calibrations and readings of a speed detection device (radar gun or LIDAR gun) will be sufficient to prove the claim. But on occasion, a police officer may have erred or other circumstances may have been present that may make it difficult for the police officer to prove that you violated the traffic laws beyond a reasonable doubt. The Law Offices of Timothy R. Johnson, PLC can assess your potential defenses, and if appropriate, take a case to trial to challenge the veracity of the traffic ticket.
Even if the ticket cannot be beaten, it often can be negotiated to something better: lower speed or a different charge, including ‘defective speedometer' which does not cost you any Department of Motor Vehicle points. Sometimes the ticket can be dismissed depending on your driving record and whether you participate in a driver improvement course.
But why should you pay an attorney to fight a traffic ticket? Traffic tickets, except for ‘reckless driving', can be resolved by pre-paying the fine and court costs. However, this constitutes a plea of ‘guilty' and can (and will, if discovered) be used by insurance companies to increase premiums. Premium increases can be especially harsh toward drivers with commercial driver licenses and persons with recent (within past few years) traffic tickets. If you fit either of those categories, then you may especially want to consider an attorney representation as the costs of that representation would likely still be cheaper over time to have the ticket dismissed or reduced than if you paid the fine.
If you received a traffic ticket in Clarke County or Berryville, Virginia, please give me a call for a quick over-the-phone consultation about what I might be able to do to help you reduce or dismiss the ticket.