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Deferring a traffic ticket can sometimes be your best option, particularly when it’s your only option. To defer a traffic ticket is to keep it off of your record, which can mean a bunch of different things to different people. This article will help you get a better understanding of what it mean, how it can or can’t help you, and what to do afterward.
What Does it Mean to Defer a Traffic Ticket?
To defer a traffic ticket is to make an agreement with the court to keep it off of your driving record. That means paying the cost of the penalties and sucking up whatever other consequences come your way. The specific cost of a traffic ticket depends on where you got it and what you got it for.
A speeding ticket in Georgia, for example, can run you around a thousand dollars after levying all monetary penalties. But if that ticket goes onto your driving record, you could end up paying even more over the course of the next few years. That’s especially true if you live in states with longer point expiration dates.
A traffic ticket deferral can help protect yourself from additional penalties. Of course, this often means filing a deferral application with the court. Sometimes, it can even mean negotiating the specific terms of the ticket. Since court isn’t free, you might end up paying court costs that make the ticket even more expensive.
However, a slight increase in ticket fines and fees is nothing compared to the potential insurance increases that you could be facing. A single traffic ticket on your record can increase your insurance premiums by as much as 79%. Preventing that kind of cost increase is usually a good idea.
Should You Defer a Traffic Ticket?
You should defer a traffic ticket if you are going to be convicted but don’t want to risk losing your license or facing additional penalties. In other words, you should almost always try to defer a losing case. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that.
To take this path is to lose your case without facing the worst of the consequences. That means that deferral should be a last resort option just before pleading guilty.
Before you apply for a deferral, there are a few things that you should try.
Contesting your ticket. This should be the first option you consider whenever getting any traffic ticket. Contesting your ticket means pleading not guilty and going to court to speak to the judge. This also opens the door to plea bargaining, deferrals, traffic school options, and other outcomes that can be better than a standard conviction.
Plea bargaining. Plea bargaining is the practice of negotiating a more favorable outcome. That usually means hiring a traffic ticket attorney to speak with the prosecutor and reduce your penalties. Although you may get better results at the end of the negotiation process, you might also end up having to plead guilty.
Where Can You Defer a Traffic Ticket?
Not every state allows you to defer a traffic ticket. In fact, it’s a rather rare option. To secure your deferral, you’ll have to go through the deferral process. That includes an application, a hearing, and whatever else your local court’s protocol demands.
Traffic tickets are handled at the local level. That is, county and municipal courts handle traffic tickets. That said, traffic ticket laws are written at both the federal and state level. These federal, state, and local laws tend to provide virtually no wiggle room when combined together.
And since each federal, state, and local law may be slightly different, it’s impossible to know for sure whether you can successfully defer a traffic ticket in your area without first consulting a lawyer.
What Should You Do After Deferring a Traffic Ticket?
Once you’ve deferred your ticket, you’re going to face the consequences of a guilty verdict. That means you’ll have to pay your ticket, sign the necessary paperwork, and suffer the non-monetary penalties. On the bright side, you won’t have to worry about point-based suspensions. On the dark side, there are pretty much no other benefits.
If possible, you should always avoid deferring your traffic ticket. There are simply too many better options. When faced with the question of whether to defer a traffic ticket, first consider contesting that ticket. The WinIt App is the best way to do just that.
