Bethesda Speeding Ticket Lawyer
A Bethesda speeding ticket lawyer knows that speeding offenses can be serious and may lead to a person’s insurance rates increasing. Additionally, if somebody gets enough speeding tickets and points accumulated on their record their license may be suspended or revoked. Talk to a professional lawyer to seek advice about your situation.
Types of Speeding Offenses
The fine for a first-time offense for exceeding the speed limit may not be more than $500 and the person’s license may not be suspended for more than two years. For the first offense for reckless driving, the fine is not more than $1,000 and the license may not be suspended for more than two years. Reckless driving is a misdemeanor that is classified under the Transportation Article of Maryland.
Does Speeding Fall Under a Reckless Driving Charge?
Some examples of reckless driving include driving on the shoulder, tailgating, and weaving in and out of traffic. It is common for a police officer to write a ticket for the specific violation, such as reckless driving. However, a person cannot be charged with reckless driving just for speeding. The officer must consider other factors, such as how much over the posted speed limit the person was traveling and how erratic the driving was. There are also points associated with these tickets that will affect driving record, depending on how much over the posted speed limit the person was traveling. If someone is speeding more than 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, they will be assessed two points to their driver’s record.
POINTS FOR VIOLATION
For a reckless driving violation, a person is assessed six points. If someone is speeding more than 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, they are assessed five points. For participating in a race or speed contest on a highway, a person is assessed five points, as well. For exceeding the 65 miles per hour posted speed limit by more than 20 miles per hour, a person is assessed five points.
Other traffic laws for moving violations that do not contribute to an accident will receive one point. And, other traffic laws in moving violations that do contribute to an accident will receive three points. A Bethesda speeding ticket lawyer can provide more knowledge on individual offenses.
Does a Person Have to Go to Court for Speeding?
For minor traffic violations, a person can pay the fine that is preset on the ticket without having to appear at a scheduled court date in front of the judge in one of the Maryland’s District Courts. For purposes of your driving record, paying the ticket has the same consequence as pleading guilty or being found guilty, because a person is essentially admitting that they violated the specific Maryland law. The total fees will be automatically assessed to their driver’s record.
If the violation has points as part of the penalty, those points will automatically appear on the person’s driver’s record. However, if someone believes they are not guilty of the offense, they can challenge the ticket by going to one of Maryland’s District Courts. Even if the person does not have a defense to fight the ticket, there is the possibility that the ticket could be dismissed if the officer or witnesses do not show up on the scheduled court date.
Speed Detection Methods
An officer will try to prove a person is speeding in Bethesda by using the technique of pacing, radar or LiDAR. With the pacing technique, the officer must maintain a constant distance between the police vehicle and your car long that is enough to make a reasonably accurate estimate of its speed.
The radar technique uses radio waves reflected off of a moving object, which would be the car, to determine its speed. Radar units generate the waves with the transmitter. Once the rays bounce off of a car, they are picked up and amplified by a receiver so they can be analyzed. The officer is then able to read the analysis on a screen on the device.
The LiDAR technique entails a detector using a low power beam of laser light that bounces off the vehicle and returns to a receiver in the unit. The unit will electronically calculate the speed of the vehicle which can be read by the officer on a screen on the device.
Hiring a Bethesda Speeding Ticket Lawyer
An experienced Bethesda speeding ticket lawyer will understand the specific local driving laws in Maryland and will use their knowledge to achieve the best possible outcome. The lawyer may be able to use appropriate defenses to help you get a waiver of points and/or fines.