Traffic offenses are not as clear-cut as being pulled over, pleading guilty, and paying the fine. Not all traffic offenses are considered equal. There are times when it may even make sense to challenge what you think is a routine traffic charge.
You can get professional legal help with your situation by contacting a Winston-Salem traffic offense lawyer on our team at McMinn, Fradin, Gray & Logan. We have over 30 years of legal experience, and we’re ready to fight for you.
We’re ready to review the specifics of your case and to help with charges involving traffic violations. Find out more by contacting our Winston-Salem criminal defense lawyers.
Why You Need a Traffic Offense Lawyer in Winston-Salem, NC
You need help from a criminal defense lawyer when handling infraction, misdemeanor, or felony allegations to improve your chances of successfully facing these accusations.
Our team understands what you’re going through, and we’re ready to provide personalized legal assistance in Forsyth County.
You can rely on us to:
- Answer the questions you have after an arrest
- Explain your next steps when you get a traffic citation
- Get to work on a personalized defense strategy
- Protect your rights
- Stand up for you at all court dates
- Look for ways to resolve your charges
Depending on your circumstances, we may focus on the following strategies to handle traffic offenses:
Getting the Court to Drop a Charge
In some cases, a traffic lawyer will get the judge to drop the allegations against you in Forsyth County. If the court dismisses your charges, you won’t face fines, jail time, or any other legal penalties.
Reducing the Charges You Face
We may focus on reducing your traffic violation charges through plea bargaining. Our traffic law attorneys know how to deal with the prosecution, and we may get them to offer you a deal that reduces the penalties you face if you admit fault for a less serious charge.
Fighting for You in Court
Our team knows what it takes to fight for you in court when necessary. While not all traffic violations lead to a court case, we’re here to support you when they do. You can rely on us to focus on securing a verdict in your favor in this situation.
Learn more about how our traffic offense attorneys in Winston-Salem can help today.
We Handle Many Types of Traffic Offenses
Our team handles many types of traffic violations. For example, you can turn to us for help from a:
- Winston-Salem Careless and Reckless Driving Lawyer: We’re here to help if the police accuse you of engaging in reckless driving, like sleeping, ignoring a red light, or making an illegal U-turn.
- Winston-Salem Driving with a Suspended License Lawyer: You can face serious penalties for driving with a suspended license. We’ll focus on building your defense to protect your future.
- Winston-Salem DWLR Lawyer: You can reach out to us if the police charge you with DWLR (Driving While License Revoked). We’ll explain the steps you need to take after getting a ticket and answer all of your questions.
- Winston-Salem Driving Without Insurance Lawyer: All drivers in North Carolina are legally required to carry car insurance. We can step in to help if the police accuse you of driving without insurance.
- Winston-Salem Driving Without Registration Lawyer: Legally, you must register your vehicle before you operate it. You can turn to our team for help if the police claim that you operated a vehicle without registration.
Motorists can also face charges for driving while impaired. Our Winston-Salem traffic offense lawyers take all of these charges seriously, and we’re ready to get to work on your defense right now.
For a free legal consultation with a traffic offense lawyer serving Winston-Salem, call (336) 485-4907 today
North Carolina’s Point System for Traffic Offenses
Many moving violations will result in points on your license in the event of a conviction. In North Carolina, you will lose your driver’s license if you accumulate 12 points on your license over three years.
A conviction for a moving violation automatically triggers points on your record from the DMV. To prevent points from impacting your license, a traffic attorney must work to get the charges reduced to a non-moving violation or secure a Prayer for Judgment Continued (PJC). For that reason alone, it is worth showing up to fight your ticket.
Points can mean thousands of dollars of extra auto insurance premiums over three years.
Your Driving Privileges and Points on Your License
At a certain point, accumulating points will cost you your driving privileges. Some traffic offenses can result in you receiving five points at a time.
For example, passing a stopped school bus is a five-point offense. Reckless driving will result in four points on your license. Most moving violations can result in at least three points on your license.
If your license gets suspended under the points system, you can lose your license for:
- 60 days for the first suspension
- 6 months for the second suspension
- 12 months for the third suspension
Before you can get your license back, you must pay a fee. When you accumulate seven points on your license, you may have to take a driving course. Completing a driving course can remove three points from your license.
You should at least speak with a Winston-Salem traffic attorney before making any decisions. You may have more legal options than you previously thought.
What You Need to Know About Traffic Court
For any traffic offense, law enforcement must still try to prove you committed it. Although most traffic offenses will be tried directly in traffic court, you can still come with a lawyer and have your side of the story heard. The officer needs to show up to testify.
In traffic court, the officer will give their version of what they saw. Remember that the officer has their one day in traffic court, and they may be testifying about dozens of different traffic cases in short order.
You may have an opening to challenge the charge. However, you cannot just give a blanket statement that you did not do it or that the officer was wrong. Doing so will not work. Instead, you must have something to back up your own claim of innocence.
Winston-Salem Traffic Offense Lawyer Near Me
(336) 485-4907
Defenses to a Traffic Law Violation
When working on your defense, we could work to show that:
- The officer could not have seen what happened based on the position of your car and the officer’s location (we would develop diagrams and collect photographs that can back up your contention).
- You made an honest and reasonable mistake (for example, you could not clearly see a traffic sign because of branches or weather conditions).
- You have witnesses who can back up your side of the story and challenge the officer’s observations.
- It was necessary to do what you did to avoid greater harm.
- The road signage in the area was inadequate to alert you.
- You were not traveling as fast as the officer said you were.
One defense that will not work in traffic court is that you did not know the law. All drivers have to know the traffic rules, and they can face legal repercussions if they break the law.
If we can successfully defend against your traffic ticket, you will not face any penalties. It would be as if the citation never happened.
Do You Need a Lawyer for a Speeding Ticket?
If you have received a speeding ticket in Winston-Salem or a surrounding county, you may be wondering whether to hire a traffic attorney or pay it off and move on with your everyday life.
Hiring a lawyer can help because our team can:
Help You Avoid Points on Your Driving Record
Accumulating too many points can, in some cases, lead to license suspension. Points can also lead to higher insurance premiums, and they stay on your driving record for years.
Contesting a speeding ticket allows us to present your case in court. Depending on the circumstances, you may have a valid defense that could result in the dismissal or reduction of charges.
Help You Avoid Orders to Attend Traffic School
In some cases, attending traffic school can help mitigate the impact of a speeding ticket.
Keep in mind that every situation is unique, and what works best for one person may not be the best option for another. If you are uncertain, seeking legal advice can help you make the best-informed decision.
Our team at McMinn, Fradin, Gray & Logan has more than 30 years of experience in traffic law. We can help! Contact us to speak with a Winston-Salem traffic attorney about your speeding ticket, moving violation, or other infraction today.
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Advantages of Hiring a Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Winston-Salem
Several factors can affect the outcome of your case, such as your speed, the county where the court charged you, how you were driving, and your previous driving record. Hiring a Winston-Salem traffic offense lawyer can offer several advantages.
When you work with us, we’ll:
- Offer Our Legal Expertise: We are familiar with the people and procedures of the Traffic Court in our county.
- Focus on Reducing Penalties: We’re familiar with what agreements and pleas we can make on your behalf in that specific county.
- Strive to Protect Your Driving Record: While this is true for any traffic ticket attorney, the best protection comes from the attorney who makes the best plea arrangement, and that is generally someone familiar with the people and procedures of their specific county court.
- Protect Your Insurance Premiums: This is also true for any traffic lawyer, but again, you should look for an attorney who can reduce the speeding ticket charge so that the lowest number of points goes against your insurance.
- Save You Time and Hassle: A local speeding ticket lawyer can often appear for you, saving you the time and hassle of taking off work and losing pay to appear only to deal with a simple speeding ticket.
In most court settings, lengthy lines and significant confusion are common occurrences. Having the services of a seasoned speeding ticket attorney can provide you with a clearer understanding of your rights and available choices.
Your lawyer can also review a copy of your North Carolina driving record. Many individuals are unaware that these records can influence their court cases and impact insurance rates. With our extensive track record of managing thousands of cases and a legacy of more than three decades in the field, we are ready to represent you.
Learn More About Our Past Results
We have a reputation for successfully helping clients with their traffic ticket defense. For example, we recently got a client’s careless and reckless driving charges dismissed after she hydroplaned and ended up in an accident.
We also defended a traveling salesman facing allegations that he exceeded the posted speed limit by 15 miles per hour. Our aggressive defense strategy resulted in the dismissal of the charges he faced.
You can discuss the specific charges you face by reaching out to our team today. We’ll review your situation and get to work quickly on a personalized defense.
Turn to Us for Help After an Arrest
You can take charge of your future after the police stop you for an alleged traffic violation. Our Winston-Salem traffic offense attorneys at McMinn, Fradin, Gray & Logan can take charge of your situation, answer your questions, and put you first throughout the entire legal process.
We understand what you‘re going through, and we want to use our experience, training, and legal know-how to offer the support you deserve.
Contact us now so we can go over all the options available to handle your defense. We’re here and ready if we need to handle plea bargaining or fight for you in court.
Call or text (336) 485-4907 or fill out our Free Case Evaluation Form to get started
