Spokane Failure To Stop Ticket Lawyer

We’ve all done it, rolled past a stop sign because nobody’s there, well, except for that cop. So what next? Do you just pay the ticket? Try to fight it? Will my insurance go up?

These are all legitimate questions, and the bottom line is, you should at least talk to a qualified traffic ticket attorney to keep the ticket from raising your insurance rates of jeopardizing your license.

Don’t Pay That Ticket!

If you just send the ticket in with a check or pay it online, it will be much more costly than if you let a qualified attorney handle it. The truth is, the ticket itself is not the full cost of getting a failure to stop conviction on your record. The fine varies from county to county could roughly be anywhere from $100 (plus court and assessment fees) to over $200.

But it doesn’t end there. In Washington State, the insurance company will increase your rate by an average of 20 to 25 percent.

If you pay around $150 a month for insurance, then it will go up around $30 each month which will be around a $1,000 increase in a three-year period.

The worst thing to do is to just pay the ticket. When you get the citation from the officer, you have three options under Washington State Law:

  1. Pay the ticket in full: By doing this, you agree that you did the offense and the ticket goes on your record.
  2. Request Mitigation: This option allows you to explain your circumstances in front of a magistrate who can reduce your fine, but you are still admitting that you committed the violation, and the ticket goes on your record.
  3. Contest the Ticket: Here you are saying that you did not do what the ticket says and you want to fight it in court. You can check the appropriate box and mail the ticket in or you can call the number on your ticket. If you choose this, you will be given a pre-hearing settlement conference where you will talk to someone from the prosecutor’s office. Then if you don’t like what they are offering, you will get your day in court in front of a judge.

What if I Just Ignore the Ticket?

Ok, there is something worse you can do: Just ignore the ticket. If you don’t do anything, eventually the court will send your ticket to a collection company, and you will have to pay excess fines and lose your right to contest the ticket.

If that happens, then it will go on your record and your insurance rates will go up. If you didn’t respond for some reason, act fast and talk to one of our attorneys and the may be able to help you out or your jam.

What About a Deferment?

In Washington, each driver can do one deferment for a moving violation and another for a non-moving violation every seven years. If you qualify, the court may require you to:

  • Pay a deferral fee of $150 (average).
  • Take a driving course (at court’s discretion).
  • Ticket probation for up to a year.

Qualifications for Deferral:

  • Must have a currently valid driver’s license,
  • Must not have had a previous deferral in the last 7 years,
  • Must not have a commercial driver’s license.

If you stay clean, then the probations goes away, if you get another ticket during that period, then your other ticket could be reinstated and become an automatic conviction on your record plus you will have to deal with the new ticket.

Spokane Failure to Stop Ticket Lawyer

You can get a deferral by asking for one and don’t need an attorney. However, it’s best to hire an attorney who knows the law and can get you the best result for your circumstances.

Here’s why you should talk to one now:

  • Go to work, not to court: Let us go to court for you so you don’t have waste hours in court.
  • Do what’s best for you: We are not a ticket mill, and you are not just a number. We can look at your current charges and your record to see which option is best for you.
  • Get peace of mind: Just send us the ticket and we take care of the rest. Spend your time doing important things and we will take care of you.

Contact a Spokane Traffic Attorney at Crary, Clark, Domanico, & Chuang, P.S., so you can get peace of mind by clicking here.

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