Defense for Traffic Tickets in Springfield, MO

Getting a traffic ticket is a stressful situation because you may not know all your options or the exact consequences of pleading guilty to the ticket, what can happen to your car insurance rates, could you lose your license and more.

The good news is we have handled lots of traffic violation situations over the years and can help you navigate the muddy waters that can be the court system, get you the best result for you and help you know how a ticket can affect your license as well.

IF I HIRE A CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER WILL I HAVE TO GO TO COURT FOR MY SPEEDING TICKET?

This is a question we get all of the time: Will I have to go to Court on my speeding ticket when I hire you as my criminal defense lawyer? There is a short answer and then a longer answer.

It’s probably no secret that most people would give their left arm to avoid going to court. Courts can be congested, slow going and frankly confusing for unrepresented defendants. When you finally do get to see the Judge or talk to a prosecutor, the court personnel tend to speak another language and no one slows down and talks to you about what is happening and why.

So, the short answer to the question of “do I need to go to court on my speeding ticket when I hire you?” is typically NO. Our clients usually do not have to go to court.

The longer answer is going to sound like one you would expect coming from an attorney and the answer is it depends on several variables. The things it will depend on are the jurisdiction the ticket was issued in, speed of the vehicle and the driving record of the defendant are all things that can play into whether or not you would have to show up in court.

There are some Judges that like to make an impact on young drivers and sometimes these types of Judges will ask to have the speeder come in to court. There are also times where the parents feel that a visit to Court might make their child slow down. Sometimes, a client decided to drive 118 MPHs just to see what the car could do… in that case I can guarantee you the Judge is going to want to see that driver…

So, hiring a criminal defense attorney is a good way to avoid having to see the Judge, but each situation is dependent on the individual case facts and jurisdiction, so hiring a lawyer that is familiar with this area of the law and the Judge your case will be in front of is VERY important. Learn more details in our blog post on this topic.

SHOULD I JUST PAY THE FINE ON MY SPRINGFIELD, MO TRAFFIC TICKET?

Just paying your traffic ticket certainly seems like the easiest thing to do, right? Let’s say you just got a ticket for speeding. The police officer was a nice guy and lowered the speed from 20 over to 16 over. That cut you a huge break, right? They also offered to let you just take care of it by sending money in with the envelope that they handed you with the citation. Just get it done and over with, right?

That’s not what we would recommend if our client was the one receiving the ticket. Did you know that sending in the $150 in the envelope has two very important impacts?

• First, it is a criminal plea of guilt to a potential misdemeanor. That means a CONVICTION ON YOUR CRIMINAL RECORD.
• Second, did you know that by just paying the fine you are agreeing that points are going to be assessed to your license through the Missouri Department of Revenue? A conviction and a loss of points. Just by signing and sending in the money.

If it were a friend or family member who got a traffic ticket, we would encourage them to hire an attorney to assist them with this situation. At first look, it is no big deal. Just a ticket. But what if the luck continues to run bad and you get another one next month and another one the month after that? Those points and fines can really start to add up and you can have a real situation on your hands.

The first thing you should know is that hiring an attorney to take care of a traffic ticket is not nearly as expensive up front as you probably think. Especially those of us that handle these sorts of cases in bulk. If cost is a real important issue for you then you should consider this for a moment: how much will your car insurance go up over the next five years with a conviction on your record?

Well, Forbes Magazine estimates that a single speeding ticket could increase your car insurance rates by as much as 22% per year. Considering the average car insurance rate is around $1,000 per year that can mean more than a $200 per year hike in your rates. It could possibly be much more as a client of ours had a 17 year old son that got a speeding ticket and they were already paying $550 a month for car insurance to cover him. That would mean their insurance rates would have possibly gone up by $1,400 a year if they hadn’t hired us to take care of it for them.

You should also consider this: do you know that a plea of guilt on a speeding citation could keep you from getting a job in the future? Depending on the citation, some of these tickets are the same level as a first time DWI or some types of assaults! Employers who hire employees to drive for them will most likely check their employee’s driving records before being hired and even after being employed.

So why take the chance with a traffic ticket? MRD Lawyers can help you because we are National and State award winning former Greene County Prosecutors who know the system in and out. We have nearly two decades worth of experience at the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office prior to becoming Criminal Defense attorneys and we want to help you with your legal issues.

CAN I LOSE MY LICENSE FROM SPEEDING TICKETS AND POINTS?

There are a lot of things that can determine that amount of points that can be assessed to your license when you get a traffic ticket. When was that last ticket? Was it last year? Five years ago? How will this new speeding citation effect your driver’s license? Who is in charge of that? The Courts? The State? The Greene County Prosecutor? The Springfield Police Department?

The first thing that is important to know is that your Driver’s License is controlled by the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR). They are the ones that issued your license when you turned 16 and the DOR are the ones that can also take your license away.

So if you plead guilty and are convicted of a speeding ticket in a State Court (say Greene County, Missouri) you will be assessed three (3) points against your driving record. If it is a Municipal Court (say Springfield Municipal Court) you will be assessed two (2) points. But the short answer is never the complete answer.

What if you have two tickets, what then? How many points do you have to lose? The Missouri DOR says: If you accumulate a total of 4 points in 12 months, the Department of Revenue will send you a point accumulation advisory letter. If you accumulate a total of 8 or more points in 18 months, the Department of Revenue will suspend your driving privilege.

• 1st suspension – 30 days
• 2nd suspension – 60 days
• 3rd or more suspensions – 90 days

Clear as mud, right? This is not the sort of thing you want to mess around with on your own. We frequently ask our clients, if you fell out of a tree and broke your arm, would you go to the Doctor or try to fix it yourself? Of course you would go to the Doctor. Why would you not go to an attorney to help you with a ticket? In either scenario there are potential consequences that could affect the rest of your life. Go to a professional.

Check out DOR’s cheat sheet on points violations:
https://dor.mo.gov/forms/899.pdf

Check out the MO DOR FAQ page:
https://dor.mo.gov/faq/drivers/points.php

MRD Lawyers can help you navigate the issues that come up with your Driver’s License and the points that might accumulate from a traffic ticket. We can help you avoid costly points that will save you money on your car insurance and lessen the chance of you losing your license.

At MRD Lawyers we are National and State award winning former Greene County Prosecutors that have nearly two decades worth of experience at the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office prior to becoming Criminal Defense attorneys and we want to help you with your legal issues.