Greene & Taylor, LLC
2921 Lemay Ferry Rd
St. Louis, MO 63125
Jennifer@greenetaylorlaw.com
GMtaylor@greenetaylorlaw.com
Phone (314) 894-7900
Fax (314) 894-2156
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Traffic Ticket Tips
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#1
Be polite. What you view as a routine traffic stop a police officer is trained
to view as a potentially dangerous situation. Don’t give the officer any reason
to view you as a threat and the entire process is more likely to go smoothly, which
he will appreciate. If you are polite you show the officer that you are respectful
and responsible and he may even cut you a break.
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#2
Don’t think "I was going with the flow of traffic" is a good defense.
It is never a defense to say that everyone else was breaking the law, so I was too
because at most you are just admitting that you broke the law. There are other ways
to defend yourself against a traffic violation without raising irrelevant defenses.
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#3
Don’t talk too much. Most people talk their way into more trouble. Do give the officer your name, identification and insurance card if he asks (which he will!). Don't say anything else. Don't admit that you knew why he pulled you over because in all reality, you don't. Think about this - You are speeding down the highway and get pulled over. The officer says, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" and you say, "Yeah, I might have been going a little fast." Boom. You just confessed to a crime. And for all you knew he pulled you over because you tail light was out and he was going to simply suggest that you get it fixed. The police officer is trained to just continue to casually talk to you until you admit you were breaking the law. Anything you say to him will be used against you
in court and trust that he will be writing down everything you said to him once he makes it back to his police car in case he needs to use it.
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#4
Make a copy of your ticket. Always keep a copy of your ticket for yourself.
If you send the original to the court or your attorney you may never get it back!
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#5
Hire an attorney. Although a traffic violation seems minor compared to other
criminal offenses, ignoring or improperly handling a traffic ticket can result in
suspended driving privileges or even jail time. Don’t risk this! In today’s
world, if you can’t drive it is difficult to hold down a job, pick up your
kids from daycare, go out with your friends… Enough said. Hire a professional.
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