If you have just been handed a speeding ticket by a Massachusetts police officer and are wondering if you should bother to fight it here are five reasons why you need to fight it.
1) Insurance Increase
A Massachusetts speeding ticket costs much more than what the officer wrote in the box. Massachusetts has a safe driver insurance program which means that good drivers get rewarded with lower premiums and bad drivers pay more. For example, a driver that has never gotten a speeding ticket gets a 17% discount on her insurance premium every year, where a driver with two tickets in two years pays almost 75% more. Even if this is your first and only ticket your premiums WILL increase and you will not see a reduction for SIX years.
2) Chance of Warning on your next ticket
Police officers use their discretion when deciding whether or not they want to give you a ticket or a warning. Police officers consider the circumstances of the stop, the driver’s demeanor and the driver’s prior history. If there is no prior history then there is greater chance that you can get off with a warning.
3) Loss of License
Massachusetts has strict penalties for bad drivers. If you get three tickets in one year you lose your license for a month and if you keep getting tickets you can lose it for up to FOUR years.
4) Keep Good Drivers History
Employers, landlords and loan officers are just some of the people that can run your driver’s history and use what is on there to help then make a decision about you. I have seen people denied jobs because of inspection sticker violations.
5) Better Chance of Beat Your Next Ticket in Court
Judges and clerks look at a person’s driver’s history to make their decision of whether to find somebody responsible or not responsible. A clean history will go far in getting the a not responsible in the future.
About the author:
Patrick Donovan is a former assistant district attorney that has appeared in over fifty courts in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Criminal Attorney Donovan has represented clients in every stage of a speeding appeal. Attorney Donovan has a 95% success rate on speeding appeals. If you or someone you know has gotten a speeding ticket in Massachusetts and want honest advice call for a free consultation today.
