Maryland Speeding Ticket Lawyer
Speeding offenses are quite common. Without realizing it, you may find that you are driving 60 in a 55 zone. Although the difference may seem small, going over the speed limit by an amount is not without its consequences. A Maryland speeding ticket lawyer will be familiar with local policies regarding speeding and can be an invaluable asset. If you wish to dispute a speeding ticket, reach out to a capable traffic defense lawyer who can help.
Standard Speed Limits
On the highway, speed limits seem to fluctuate. Sometimes, there will be a speed limit of 55 on a major highway. Other times, there will be a speed limit of 65. Even in some more rural areas, they may see 70 as the speed limit. It depends on the location since Maryland has such a unique population where they can go residence to rural very quickly. The speed limit tends to vary based on where a person is geographically located. Some of the most common locations people are caught speeding include school zones, the highway, any of the major highways, and on regular streets.
Effect of Zoning
In school zones, there are double signs to remind people of the speed limit and the fact that it is a school zone, so people need to be mindful of that. Typically, officers issue tickets but as of late, a lot of tickets in Maryland, and specifically school zones, are camera tickets so there is not really an officer that would be there. Instead, there is a camera that snaps a picture of a person’s car and then a ticket is sent to the person in the mail.
Different Speeding Offenses
An offense incorporates everything a person is not supposed to do in a car that qualifies as an infraction. Within the scope of Maryland traffic offenses, speeding-related charges are very common. It is not uncommon to go to court on an afternoon docket in some jurisdictions which is the non-jailable payable offense docket and there would be a lot of people on that docket with multiple tickets.
Different speeding offenses include:
- Aggressive driving
- Negligent driving
- Speeding
- Changing lanes improperly
A Maryland speeding ticket lawyer can help the defendant mitigate charges that they face for various speeding offenses.
Misconceptions About Speeding Tickets
There is a misconception that a driver can be pulled over if they go over the speed limit within five miles. A person can get a ticket for going one mile over the speed limit, whether is one mile or 20 miles. An officer has the right to do so. An officer may be a little more strict on these situations if the weather conditions were poor.
If for example, it was sleeting outside or snowing outside, that would be a situation where an officer might pull someone over for a ticket when they are only going five miles over the speed limit because the road conditions would warrant the person to drive reasonably. Reckless driving charges are administered in the form of a speeding ticket in Maryland.
Penalties and Consequences
The penalties for speeding include points on their license as well as a penalty. Some sentences are jailable so a person may see jail time and loss of license even so far as impact on insurance and things like that. Drivers may not realize it, but speeding tickets can also affect how much an individual is paying for their car insurance. Each insurance carrier is different.
Value of a Lawyer
If a ticket is just a payable fine, a Maryland speeding ticket lawyer can to the officer to see if the officer is willing to dismiss any of the charges or anything like that will usually be helpful. There are other things that they can do in terms of preparation, making sure everything is up to date. A lot of people do not know that if they get things up to date before they go to court, they can actually avoid these types of things by simply paying or by fixing whatever was wrong.