Did you get a traffic ticket in Cornelius NC? With the road construction going on recently around I-77, it isn’t hard to do. The construction has caused severe traffic problems and delays in the area. In order to avoid the traffic problems, many people have made illegal turns, u-turns, red light, and stop sign violations. As a matter of fact, the Cornelius Police have been targeting the construction area near I-77 to issue traffic tickets. It’s quite easy to get frustrated waiting in traffic and make an unlawful, or what is perceived as unlawful, movement in order to escape the traffic. Should you hire a traffic lawyer to handle your traffic ticket in Cornelius NC? Traffic lawyers in Cornelius NC may assist you in a number of ways. First, many traffic tickets are moving violations, which lead to license and insurance points. Additional points on your license and insurance will cause your insurance rates to increase. This costs money. Instead of paying off a traffic ticket or attempting to handle the ticket yourself, consider hiring a traffic lawyer in Cornelius NC. A traffic lawyer can save you money by attempting to get your moving violation turned into a non-moving violation. Hiring a traffic ticket in Cornelius NC will also, often times, prevent you from having to go to court in Charlotte NC. Having to attend court means spending the better part of a day in Charlotte away from work. This can be frustrating and confusing. Thus, if you get a traffic ticket or traffic citation in Cornelius NC, consider hiring a traffic lawyer. Not only will your traffic lawyer attempt to get you a better deal, they will often save you an abundance of money in the long-term. If you are in need of a traffic lawyer in Cornelius NC, Huntersville NC, Davidson NC, or the Lake Norman area, contact Adkins Law PLLC. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville NC and serves the Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Charlotte area. Although the practice focuses on representation in Mecklenburg County, Adkins Law PLLC also represents individuals in Iredell County, Gaston County, Cabarrus County, and Rowan County. Please contact Adkins Law if you require assistance in handling a traffic citation or if you would like to speak directly to a traffic ticket lawyer.
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So you got a speeding ticket in Huntersville, NC? You really should consider hiring a traffic lawyer to handle the matter for you. A lawyer is able to go to court on your behalf and attempt to negotiate a deal for you. In most situations, you never have to come to court. Instead, your attorney may be able to handle the entire matter for you without you ever having to come to court. Depending on your driving history and the severity of your speeding ticket, a lawyer may be able to negotiate a deal where you plead guilty to a non-moving violation such as improper equipment. This benefits you because a non-moving violation will not assess points to your driver’s license or insurance. Over the long-term, this will save you a lot of money. The cost of hiring an attorney often isn’t cheap. Of course, traffic tickets aren’t cheap. The true, long-term cost of an average ticket in Mecklenburg County is somewhere around $1600. Instead of simply paying the citation off or negotiating what you may think is a good deal, consider speaking with a traffic attorney first. If a traffic lawyer is often able to negotiate a plea where you are only responsible for a non-moving violation, this will save you an abundance of money in the long run. Adkins Law PLLC is located in Huntersville, NC and primarily serves Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Denver, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Iredell County, Cabarrus County, Gaston County, and the Lake Norman area. Contact Adkins Law to speak directly to a DWI lawyer / DUI lawyer in the Huntersville, NC area. The real cost of a traffic ticket in Huntersville, NC is much more than the $30 or so fine. The true cost, over the course of the next three years, is going to be more like $1600. Your $30 traffic ticket for speeding also requires you to pay for court costs, which are usually $188. Additionally, if convicted for a moving violation, you'll be assessed points against your driving record and insurance points. These points will cause your insurance rates to increase dramatically over the next three years. Thus, with the additional court costs and insurance expenses, your traffic ticket will really cost you closer to $1600 than the nominal fine. Why are you telling me this? Primarily because a traffic attorney may be able to negotiate a better deal for you and avoid having points assessed against your license. Hiring an experienced traffic lawyer in Huntersville, NC for a traffic ticket will ensure that someone is trying to get you a better deal. Simply paying the fine and court costs will earn you a conviction on your driving record and an increase in insurance rates (for moving violations). A traffic lawyer may be able to negotiate your ticket to a non-moving violation such as improper equipment or at least get you a reduction in speed. Paying a traffic ticket attorney to do this for you may potentially save you a lot of money. Additionally, if your traffic ticket lawyer is able to have the ticket voluntarily dismissed, you won't be responsible for the fine and court costs. Instead, all you will pay is your attorney fees. Adkins Law PLLC is located in Huntersville, North Carolina and serves Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Denver, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Iredell County, Gaston County, Cabarrus County, and the Lake Norman area. Contact Adkins Law to schedule a free consultation with a traffic lawyer, traffic attorney, speeding ticket lawyer, traffic ticket lawyer in Huntersville, NC. A review of the top four items that a police officer looks for to initiate a traffic stop in the Huntersville and Lake Norman area. Learn these items and ensure that they are valid and fixed before you drive in Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and the Lake Norman area. OVERVIEW If the police want to stop a vehicle, most times they can find a reason. This may require the police following your for several blocks or miles, but they usually can find a reason. Whether this reason constitutes reasonable suspicion to justify the stop is another matter. In order for the police to legally be able to stop you, they must have at least reasonable suspicion. Some people refer to this as reasonable, articulable suspicion or just simply RS. While the police may have probable cause to stop you, which is a higher standard than reasonable suspicion, all that is required to justify the stop is reasonable suspicion. Without reasonable suspicion for the stop, any evidence seized or arrest made pursuant to the stop is unconstitutional. LICENSE PLATE / TAG When a police officer is behind you in traffic, or even in the close vicinity of your vehicle, it is very possible that they are running your tag. It's kind of like fishing for a police officer: you run enough tags and eventually you are going to get a bite. North Carolina courts have ruled that because license tags are open to public view, a driver has no reasonable expectation of privacy in his tag, and thus a police officer may run your tag without reason. When the officer runs your tag, he enters it into the computer in his vehicle, which determines whether the license plate is current, matches the vehicle, and provides information concerning vehicle inspection. If anything is wrong with the vehicle, the officer is justified in conducting a traffic stop to further investigate. Based on the investigation, the officer may issue a citation or develop probable cause for an arrest. DRIVERS LICENSE Running a license tag will also give an officer information on the registered owner of the vehicle. The officer is made aware of the license status of the registered owner and whether that person has any outstanding warrants. By comparing the description of the registered owner provided by DMV to the description of the person driving the vehicle, the officer is justified in making a traffic stop. Upon investigation, if the driver is determined to be the registered owner with a defective license or warrant, the officer may issue a citation or make an arrest. TRAFFIC VIOLATION If an officer gets behind you and is looking for a reason to initiate a traffic stop, he will probably follow you for a while to see if you violate a traffic law. The officer is usually waiting for you to commit a common traffic violation such as changing lanes without signaling (if you aren't clear to do so), speeding (usually more than 5mph above the posted speed limit), or failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. According to the United States Supreme Court, even if the officer wants to make a stop based on a pre-textual basis, as long as the officer has reasonable suspicion to make the stop, the stop is valid. In other words, if an officer thinks you are DWI / DUI and the true reason for his stop is to investigate the DWI, as long as he has some reasonable suspicion to make a traffic stop, the stop will be upheld as valid. VEHICLE EQUIPMENT The big items an officer looks for here are window tint, improper display of tags and license plate stickers, and broken headlights or taillights. An officer may also look for such things as excessively loud mufflers or worn tires. If the officer wants to stop you, he will look hard to find a reason and a defect in your vehicle. CONCLUSION To put it simply, if a police officer wants to make a traffic stop on a vehicle, it is usually pretty easy to find a reason. The officer may have to follow you for a while, but the chances are that you won't be able to drive perfect forever. A lot of courts frown upon officers who follow citizens around looking for a reason to stop them. There is something un-American about following citizens around, interfering with their freedom of movement, and waiting for them to commit a traffic violation. The best thing you can do is ensure that your license, license plate, and vehicle are all valid, updated, and in good order before you drive. When an officer gets behind you and appears to be looking for a reason to initiate a traffic stop, do your best to obey all traffic laws and not to speed. You may want to pull over, park, and walk in a business if the officer appears to be obstructing your freedom of movement and making you nervous. Most police officers are good people and are looking out for your best interests. They're still quick to write you a citation and / or arrest you if they believe you've violated the law. Take precautions to protect yourself! Contact Adkins Law to schedule a free DWI consultation with an DWI lawyer, DUI lawyer, DWI attorney, DUI attorney. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville, North Carolina and primarily serves Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Iredell County, Gaston County, and Cabarrus County. Drinking and driving is NOT illegal; driving while impaired is. It is almost unavoidable to occasionally have a drink in a social setting and drive home afterwards. Understand, however, that driving while impaired is dangerous and may cause you to lose your license, your job, and your reputation. DO NOT ADMIT TO ANYTHING When you are stopped by the police, often times they will ask you if you have been drinking. Almost everyone tells the officer they have had two drinks. While it is never advisable to outright lie to the police, be careful what you admit to! If you tell the police that you had two drinks, you just admitted to drinking before driving. Try to avoid answering questions such as this if a police officer asks you. Instead, try to change the subject or simply do not answer. You do not have to answer the police! Remember, all you are doing when you tell the officer how much alcohol you have consumed before driving is helping the officer build his case against you. If you really have only had one or two drinks, however, and know you aren't impaired, it is probably advisable to answer the officer. DO NOT TAKE ANY STANDARDIZED FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS (SFSTs) Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) are tests which help an officer determine whether a driver is impaired. These tests do not help you! An officer would not waste his time in administering the tests to you if he did not believe that he could get a potential DWI arrest out of it. When you submit to these tests, unless you really are absolutely sober, all you're doing is providing the police with evidence to use against you in court. Be weary before you submit to any SFSTs, you do not have to submit to them! REQUEST A PRE-ARREST TEST In North Carolina, if you are stopped by the police, you have the right to request a police officer take you to submit to a breath test before you are placed under arrest. This is beneficial because if the officer violates your right to take the pre-arrest test, or doesn't follow procedures concerning the pre-arrest test, you may be able to have your DWI charges dropped. Once you request a pre-arrest test, the police officer is supposed to stop what he is doing and transport you (un-arrested, not in handcuffs) to the nearest breath testing facility. There you will have the option to take a pre-arrest breath test before you are placed under arrest. Realistically, because it is so rarely exercised, very few police officers are familiar with the procedures concerning this right and are more likely to violate your rights. AVOID DRIVING This should be the most obvious piece of advice: if you are too intoxicated to drive, do not drive! If you have any questions as to your sobriety, play it safe and get a ride home with a friend or take a cab. Your life, other people's lives, your liberty, your property, your money, and your privilege to drive is not worth the risk! Be careful, be smart, and make good decisions. Contact Adkins Law to schedule a free DWI consultation with an DWI lawyer, DUI lawyer, DWI attorney, DUI attorney. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville, North Carolina and primarily serves Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Iredell County, Gaston County, Cabarrus County, and the Lake Norman area. |
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