In Georgia, speeding tickets are hard to beat, but there are ways to greatly minimize or even eliminate a ticket's impact on your driving record.
Georgia appellate courts have held that an officer's opinion--a visual estimate--that you were traveling over the speed limit is enough, without any other evidence, to convict you of speeding. It makes for an almost impossible case to defend, especially in trial where the prosecutor will argue that very point. For this reason, negotiations with the court prosecutor usually yield better, more consistent results in a speeding ticket case.
Under Georgia law, you can ask for the court to accept a Zero Points violation once every five years. A zero point order by the judge is helpful because it takes away any points that could go on your record from the ticket. However, with a zero point order it is important to remember that the ticket will still go on your record. So, insurance companies and the next court will know exactly how fast you were going. For that reason, I prefer to negotiate for an actual reduction in speed in court.
If a reduced speed can be negotiated, then only the reduced speed will actually be transferred to your record. The benefit is obvious. If you are pulled over and given a citation for 90 in a 55mph zone, and the prosecutor agrees to reduce the speed to 70 in a 55, then this will take away a lot of the sting of the ticket. If your lawyer can negotiate the speed to less than 15 mph over the limit, then the ticket will not even go on your record!
While speeding tickets can be fought and there are hoops for the prosecutor to jump through in prosecuting a ticket through trial, typically a good result can be achieved through negotiations. If you have received a serious speeding charge, then call us today to discuss the best approach to minimize the ticket, or keep it off your record entirely.