There are many potential mistakes someone could make when fighting a speeding ticket in the court room. With this in mind, I’ve prepared some of the common pitfalls many people make, so you can avoid them and get your case dismissed.
Here are the mistakes to avoid:
Never motion the court before the trial for any documentation. You don’t want to tip the fact that you are (hopefully) prepared for the case.
Never motion the court for their evidence before your trial. One of the key ways to fight a speeding ticket is what is known as trial by ambush. You want the prosecution to be unprepared, so don’t tip your hand early.
Never testify. Even if the prosecution is challenging you to testify, you should refuse. If you were to take the stand, the prosecution would be allowed to cross-examine you, and they will most likely trap you into admitting you were speeding. If this happens, you will lose.
Don’t make any statements about your speeding. Don’t let the prosecutor lead you into making any statement. They are there to find the proof, don’t make their job any easier by making comments like ìI wasn’t going that fastî.
Don’t let the prosecutor know what your game plan is. Remember that they don’t have the time or inclination to gather all the information they need for each and every case. Most of the time they are just relying on you wimping out.
They are used to trials not lasting more than a few minutes. If you tip your hand to the fact that you know what you’re doing, they may very well decide to do a little preparation for your case. Don’t let that happen. Keep your cards close to your chest.
Never object to anything the police officer says when he is making his testimony. If you object early in the game like this, the prosecution will know what you’re up to, and you’ll lose your advantage.
Don’t bother to ask for a jury trial. If you do this, the prosecution will prepare themselves. Also, what many people don’t realize, is that the prosecution can easily ask for the biggest punishment allowed – which could mean serving jail time just for a little bit of speeding. That’s not good for you.
Also, at a jury, you can still be found guilty even if there is no evidence. In a jury trial, people will be much more annoyed at your offence because you’re taking up their time.