You are driving down the road, in a hurry to get to work in the morning or to run errands before heading home for the night. You zip by other drivers, racing to beat the clock and the next traffic light. Suddenly you hear the wail of a siren behind you. You look in your rearview mirror and get a sinking feeling inside.
Speeding fines are expensive and they leave points on your record. These points can threaten your driving privileges and cause your insurance to skyrocket.
You may think you can talk yourself out of the situation or get the judge to go easy on you. Then again, this isn’t necessarily the best choice.
Hiring an experienced criminal defense attorney is your best and safest bet. It will likely end up saving you time, money, and aggravation in the long run.
Speeding in Indiana
Speeding is a major problem in our state and on highways and roads throughout the country. It is also one of the leading causes of accidents.
Indiana crash reports indicate that speeding accidents affect tens of thousands of motorists yearly. On top of that, more than 6,000 people suffer severe and debilitating injuries. Roughly 800 other drivers and passengers die as a result of these collisions. And this does not even include the serious and potentially deadly impacts speeding has on pedestrians and bicyclists.
Given the potential dangers, police throughout Indiana are aggressive in going after drivers who speed. It doesn’t matter if police catch you in a speed trap or randomly pull you over. You are likely to find yourself facing an unsympathetic officer along with a ticket that carries heavy fines and other penalties.
Basic and Absolute Speeds In Indiana
Indiana Statute I.C. 9-21-5 prohibits drivers from traveling at hazardous speed. This speed depends on road, traffic, or weather conditions. This means that regardless of whether you are traveling the actual speed limit posted, police could cite you if road work, traffic congestion, or inclement weather makes traveling at that speed unsafe. Traffic safety studies form the basis for these laws.
When an officer pulls you over for speeding, they are not likely to give any consideration to excuses you have for speeding. Their main concern is doing their job and keeping the roads safe.
Think You Can Talk Yourself out of Speeding Penalties?
In St Joseph and other nearby counties, speeding fines generally vary between $100 and $200. If police caught you speeding in a construction or school zone, these fines could be significantly higher. If the fact that you were speeding resulted in a motor vehicle accident, you could be facing criminal charges as well.
Effect On Cost Of Car Insurance
In addition to facing fines, speeding will also result in points that could end up jeopardizing your driving privileges. Under Indiana’s traffic point system, drivers receive different amounts of points for each moving violation. These include:
• Driving one to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit: Two points;
• Going 16 to 25 miles per hour over the speed limit: Four points;
• Going 26 miles per hour or greater over posted speeds: Six points;
• Racing and speed contests with other drivers: Eight points.
Typically, these points stay on your Indiana driver’s license for a period of two years. Some people end up with several moving violations in a relatively short time period. In these cases, you may need to attend and pay for a driver training and education course. If you get more than 18 points on your license within the two-year period, you will be subject to additional penalties.
As you can see, Indiana has a much defined system in place for dealing with drivers who speed and go too fast. Drivers often think they can appeal to the judge or ‘talk their way’ out of these penalties. But the fact is once that ticket is in your hand, there is a rigorous, set process for dealing with it that requires professional legal assistance.
Our Criminal Defense Attorneys Will Fight for You
This is why you need an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent you, whether it is your first ticket or you have several. At The Lockwood Legal Group, we take each case seriously, gathering records pertaining to your case and contacting the law enforcement official and prosecuting attorney involved.
How We Will Challenge Your Speeding Ticket
The ways in which we successfully fight speeding tickets include:
- Contesting the conditions involved in a basic speeding stop;
- Challenging the speed enforcement device used for an absolute ticket;
- Contesting the procedures the officer used in making the stop or arrest;
- Gathering evidence to defend your driving record.
In some cases, if your ticket isn’t thrown out, we can negotiate an agreement to reduce the fine and spare your record of points that could jeopardize your license and increase your insurance costs.
Reach Out to the Lockwood Legal Group Today
It is important to take any type of moving violation seriously. They can have significant impacts on your finances and your ability to operate a vehicle in Indiana.
If you are facing a speeding charge or another type of traffic ticket, call or contact The Lockwood Legal Group and request a free consultation today.