Road Law – June 2025
Is fighting a traffic ticket worth your time?
We get lots of calls from drivers with traffic tickets, and we ask them to provide important information that may help in their case. Yes, we know that providing us with the information that we want takes a lot of your time, and we appreciate you helping us help you.
We usually ask for information like a copy of your current three-year driver record, a copy of your certificate of liability insurance, a written statement as to what happened in your case and, sometimes, even a copy of a shop-repair or part-purchase receipt.
Again, we know that it takes a lot of time to gather and submit the details we ask for, but it’s very important that we have this information so we can share it with the prosecutor or judge when we appear in court. Here’s a recent question from a driver who called Road Law about a traffic ticket, followed by our answer. As always, we hope this is helpful to you.
Q: I got a speeding ticket in the state of Iowa for “speeding 1-10,” and I don’t want it on my driver record. What can I do?
A: Unfortunately, for Class A drivers, the courts have gotten a lot tougher to deal with regarding all CDL traffic tickets. Most prosecutors will tell Road Law that they’d like to help a Class A driver with a traffic ticket but that the “anti-masking” law prevents them from offering any recommendation that would help them.
Of course, that statement is complete nonsense, as there is no law that prevents any prosecutor from amending a Class A driver ticket if there’s a factual basis to do so. So, in a “speeding 1-10” traffic ticket case, we ask the driver the following questions:
1.Have you had a good driver record for the past three years and, if so, can you provide us with a copy of your three-year driver record? We ask this question because, if you do have a good driver record, we want a copy of it so we can provide proof to the court that you’re not a habitual offender of violating traffic laws and that you’re a good candidate for the court to help.
- Can you provide us with a written statement as to what happened in your case? We ask for a written statement of facts so that we have your words explaining what happened and what you’d be able to testify to at trial. Of course, providing Road Law with your side of the story, in writing, may help us prevent your matter from actually going to trial.
- If you believe that the vehicle you were driving at the time you got your speeding ticket may have had a mechanical defect with the speedometer – i.e. your vehicle’s speedometer reported a slower speed than your vehicle was actually traveling at the time – we ask for a receipt for a shop repair (recalibration of your speedometer) or part purchase (new speedo sensor or new speedometer) so we can give your information to the prosecutor/court, providing a factual basis to amend your speeding ticket to a non-moving, zero-point driver offense of “defective equipment.”
- In any cases where there was an alleged accident, we ask for a copy of your certificate of liability insurance that was in effect for the vehicle you were operating at the time you received your ticket. We ask for the certificate and any contact information for your liability insurance adjuster/employer so that we can verify the adjuster/employer has settled the other driver’s property damages. In all traffic ticket cases where there was also an accident, providing proof that the other driver(s) have been paid for their property damages may be the most important information we can provide to the prosecutor/court. Usually, if the prosecutor/court knows that your liability insurance company/employer has settled all property damages for the other driver(s), the prosecutor/court is much more willing to help you with a traffic ticket.
Yes, we know that providing Road Law with all the information listed above takes a lot of time, but it’s usually worth the time in the end. LL
We invite you to send any questions or comments regarding transportation law to: Road Law, 3441 W. Memorial Road, Suite 4, Oklahoma City, OK 73134; to contact us through our website at www.RoadLaw.net; or to call us at 405-242-2030. We look forward to hearing from you.