As Florida traffic ticket lawyers, most of our time is spent telling people what to do about tickets after they have already received the tickets. While we have a long history of helping people to avoid the most severe consequences of minor traffic violations, we often wish that our clients would not have received the tickets in the first place. We understand that many of our clients would be better off if they did not have to pay us to assist them with tickets they should never have received in the first place. That’s why we also spend a lot of time telling people how to avoid traffic tickets, even if it means that we lose out on a few clients. In that spirit, we want to bring your attention to an interesting article in a recent edition of Popular Mechanics, “Tips to Avoid Speeding Tickets.”

The article presents tips from Richard Diamond (no relation) who has spent his life studying traffic tickets and police behavior. Here are some of his tips and some of our thoughts on what they mean for our clients.

Tip 1: Have Situational Awareness. Traffic Slows for a Reason

This is fairly obvious and straightforward. When other drivers see a traffic cop, they slow down. If you don’t see the cop, you might attempt to pass the cars that did. You will be the one that the officer catches speeding. You can avoid this by simply slowing down when the traffic around you does. When you do that, you will probably see the officer. Also, keep in mind, if you have not seen a cop in a while, he might be over that next hill. Or he could be behind that next bridge. Just don’t get complacent because you have gone 2 weeks, 2 years or 20 years without a ticket. I tell everyone who tells me that they have not gotten a ticket in twenty years to keep my card because they are way overdue.

Tip 2: Keep a low profile—don’t call attention to yourself. A minivan in the slow lane is less likely to get a ticket than a red Ferrari.

Unfortunately, this is true. Traffic officers do tend to pay more attention to fancier vehicles. However, you do not have to drive a minivan. Just take extra precaution if you have a sports car and make sure that you look out for any traffic officers. This is true of the type of car as well. I have found that SUV’s with car seats get less traffic tickets in Florida than sedans.

Tip 3: Fight every ticket.

While this will not stop you from getting tickets, it is sound advice. Fighting tickets is the best way to avoid higher insurance rates, points against your license and other negative ramifications of getting tickets. It really can’t be said enough: you should never just pay a traffic ticket. If you have a speeding ticket in Florida, the consequences of not fighting a ticket are so severe that there should be no incentive to simply pay the ticket.

Tip 4: The judge is not there to find you not guilty. The judge is part of the revenue-collection machine. Give him a reason to find you not guilty.

Again, this is all too true. The judges who determine whether or not you will be found guilty of a traffic violation are usually paid by the same municipal governments that rely on traffic tickets for revenue. If no one ever has to pay a ticket, then the judges do not have an income themselves.

Of course, it does beg the question of how to give the judge a reason to find you not guilty. That can be difficult, and that is why you need an experienced Florida traffic ticket attorney to help you fight the ticket. If you do find yourself in need of assistance, be sure to give our office a call for a free consultation.