What if I Get Stopped?

WESTERN WASHINGTON TRAFFIC LAWYER for LEGAL DEFENSE of TRAFFIC TICKETS, SPEEDING TICKETS, OTHER INFRACTIONS and CRIMINAL TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS.

A Traffic & Speeding Ticket Lawyer since 2005, Antone Weber has personally appeared on over 7000 traffic ticket cases.  Low $200-$250 Fee for most single Traffic Tickets in Seattle and King, Pierce, Skagit & Snohomish County & City Courts.  Most were dismissed, reduced or the charge negotiated to a non-moving (non-insurance) violation, with very few found committed as written. 

No two traffic cases are the same.  Judges and traffic courts are different, prosecutors are different, and the specifics of your traffic violation and situation are different.   By interviewing each client, we can customize our case based on the circumstances of the ticket, the nature and practices of the court, prosecutor and judge, court rules, statutes and case law, and your needs, driving record or employment situation.  Such flexibility is not possible when hiring a lawyer by filling out a form on a website.

 

“Fairness is what justice really is.”

— Potter Stewart, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE STOPPED BY THE POLICE:

(The following is not intended to be nor understood as legal advice)

– Flashing Lights Are Behind You

First, always pull to the right hand lane or shoulder, not the left even if you must work across several lanes of traffic. Just because a police officer is lighting you up does not mean that they are pulling you over. Give them every chance to pass you by. If they follow you, then you will know. Second, failing to move to the right on the approach of an emergency vehicle (Police, Fire, Ambulance, etc…) can net you a fine of $1062 under the charge of Failing to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle.

– Once You Are Stopped

Do Nothing. Do not release your seat belt until the officer has come up to the window and seen that you were wearing it. We have had many clients who have received a No Seat Belt ticket in addition to their other traffic violation because the officer did not see that they had their seat belt on.

Do not reach into your glove box or center console, dig in your purse or bag, or for your wallet before the officer comes to your window. Remember that the officer does not know you or if you are a tweaker on meth or just someone on their way to the store for milk.

The best thing to do is to roll down your window and sit quietly with your hands on top of the steering wheel until the officer has had time to come to your window and assess you. If they ask for your drivers license, registration or insurance paperwork, tell them where you are reaching to before you do so.

– Interacting With The Officer

The number one rule is to be polite and cooperative. Keep in mind that the officer is just doing their job and that this is not personal. The officer does have a legal right to pull you over if they believe that you have committed a moving violation. Being argumentative or condescending is not going to benefit you; in fact possibly quite the contrary.  Do not tell them that your traffic attorney will get it dismissed.  You are just telling the office to double check their work for accuracy.

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU:

Speeding Tickets

Commercial Drivers

Stop Lights

Collisions

Intermediate License

Violations

Driving with License

Suspended

Negligent Driving

Reckless Driving/Racing

DUI

 

  • How we can help you with a traffic ticket?

    The cost of a traffic ticket may run far more than the fine. A single traffic ticket may cause your insurance rates to increase by hundreds to thousands of dollars over the time the traffic violation appears on your record. And then getting another ticket in that time may multiply the effect. Due to our knowledge of the law and the courts, we have gotten thousands of tickets dismissed outright for our clients. If unable to achieve an outright dismissal, we also negotiate reductions that keep the tickets from your driving record even though you have to still pay a fine.

  • How we can help you with your Commercial Drivers License?

    Commercial drivers know that a single traffic ticket can result in not just a fine and insurance rate increase, but in unemployment. Commercial drivers are also held to a higher standard than non-commercial drivers, even when they are driving the family car. We may be able to advise you on the best way to keep a citation from impacting your CDL, we may be able to negotiate on your behalf, and ideally, we will get your ticket dismissed.

  • How we can help you with an Intermediate license?

    Learning to drive is an activity with a steep learning curve and possible dire consequences for mistakes. Experience can only be gained by actually driving on the public roads. For both reasons new younger drivers are kept on a very short leash while learning this complex activity; two tickets can result in the revocation of the privilege to drive. We can help your teenager through his learning curve and become a safe and experienced driver.

  • I have gotten a ticket. What do I do now?

    You typically have two weeks to return your traffic ticket to the presiding court, longer if the ticket was mailed to you. It will say on the ticket how long that you have, and the date it was issued is the start date. On the ticket you can chose an option to pay for it, or mitigate (give reasons to reduce the fine). In both instances the violation will go on your driving record. If you select “Contest” you will be sent a court date and offered an opportunity to challenge the ticket. You can change your mind later and just pay for the ticket at any time up to the hearing date without additional cost. If short of time you can always select the last option without losing the first two. If possible, though, you should try and contact your friendly neighborhood traffic attorney before then deadline, or shortly afterward in you must. If we are to have a chance of successfully challenging your charge, we have other court deadlines that we must also meet.

Behave Politely Around the Officer

If you have been pulled over, assume the officer is going to write you a ticket.  It will be more productive for you to be polite and non-argumentative even if you disagree with the officer’s stated reasons for the stop, or feel that it may be personal. You are not going to win your case sitting by the side of the road. If you are polite and non-confrontational, an officer may decide to reduce the amount over the speed limit that they charge you with, reducing your fine and any potential insurance impact, or may decide to warn you instead of cite you for other violations that they may notice. For example, a tail light being out, expired vehicle tabs, or an unsigned registration. Do not ask them to do this, or try and talk your way out of a ticket as you are just as likely to make admissions that can later be used against you. Law Enforcement is under pressure to increase the number tickets they issue; if an officer has pulled you over, assume from the beginning that you are going to get a ticket. Just do not give them reason to pile on any additional violations that they might otherwise choose to overlook.

Which does not mean that the officer is your friend. Anything that you say to the officer that can be used against you will find its way into the report that will be submitted to the judge. You do have the right not to answer their questions, within reason.  A request for license, registration and insurance is reasonable and you must produce them. A question about what the speed limit is or your speed was are not.  A polite and non-committal “not sure” is sufficient. If you are asked if you know why they stopped you, any answer other than “No” may be construed as an admission to a knowing violation. Admissions as to what your speed was or the posted speed limit will be used against you if your admitted speed is higher than the posted limit, or you are mistaken about what that limit is. Never say anything about being in a hurry, or late for something, or tired. If you have been in an auto accident, do not try and explain what happened, as admissions will be used against you. Barring cases involving a death or major injury, accidents are usually very quickly investigated.

An officer may also have pulled you over for reasons incidental to a traffic infraction; for example, to determine if you are driving under the influence. If the officer determines that they cannot cite you for a criminal traffic violation, then you want them to cite you for your infraction if any and let you go, if that is what they are going to do. If you wish to know more you need to consult with an attorney who practices DUI law.

Do not tell the officer that you are acting under the advice of an attorney. Do not tell them “My attorney will get this thrown out.” First because these statements will also find their way into the officer’s report submitted to the judge with the inference that they are admissions of guilt. Second: why tell the officer in advance that you intend on having a law firm who is an expert at finding any errors or omissions by the officer review their work?

 

If you would like to know more about your Washington Traffic Ticket and what we might be able to do for you, please  call us at 206-816-9110..  A Consultation is free.

You may also contact us for a free consultation callback regarding how we may be able to help using the following form:

You should receive a call within a few hours, as we may be in court.

After business hours submissions will be returned the following day.

 

Consultation Callback Form


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