Florida law enforcement officials at both the state and municipal levels issue countless traffic tickets every day. Doing so both generates revenue and reinforces the idea that drivers must comply with posted road sign and traffic laws.
Many people who receive a traffic citation find themselves irritated at the inconvenience and frustrated at the expense, but they will pay the fine and try to move on with their lives. Doing so may be the fastest way to resolve a traffic ticket, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best one.
People also choose to fight traffic tickets by defending themselves in court. What are some of the most common reasons to defend against pending traffic citations?
People worry about the impact on their license
Traffic tickets can have a negative impact on your licensing. If you are an average citizen who drives for your daily commute, getting too many points on your license overall or a high number of points in a short amount of time can result in the suspension of your license.
For those who drive as part of their job, the risks are even higher. Commercial driver’s licenses have stricter requirements than standard drivers face. Additionally, insurance companies that cover commercial drivers are those that they ensure because of the massive cost potentially associated with a commercial vehicle crash.
Owner-operators could find that they can no longer cover the costs of a commercial insurance policy, while those who drive as an employee may learn that their employer doesn’t want to keep them on staff because of the additional costs involved.
Insurance is a concern for non-professional drivers as well
Commercial insurance policies are not the only ones that drastically increase in cost as the driving record of the individual becomes more questionable. Standard liability insurance policies can also quickly become prohibitively expensive if you have multiple moving violations on your records. Even if you don’t personally report the issue to your insurance company, they will likely pull your driving record as part of your annual policy renewal.
Fighting a traffic ticket can help you not only avoid the fine involved but also avoid the points and secondary consequences, like increased insurance costs and potential impact on your job.
