Traffic Ticket Attorney Serving Kitsap County
Understandably, many residents of Kitsap County dread traffic tickets. This is because the state of Washington has one of the harshest traffic penalties in the US. For this reason, hiring a Kitsap County traffic ticket attorney could save your future or career, depending on the specific traffic offense.
Consequences of Getting a Traffic Ticket in Kitsap County
Getting a traffic ticket in Kitsap County could mean:
- losing your driver’s license.
- paying high traffic fines.
- paying higher insurance premiums.
How To Handle a Non-Criminal Traffic Infraction in Kitsap County
After being issued with a traffic ticket, you need to contact a Kitsap County traffic ticket attorney right away. A traffic ticket issued in Kitsap County usually comes with a 14-day period in which the person issued with the ticket must respond.
This explains why it’s always advisable to respond before the deadline. If you don’t respond by the deadline, the court will assume that you’re guilty of the traffic offense, and you may be fined.
Many courts in Kitsap County charge an additional fee of up to $52 to traffic offenders who don’t respond in time. They’ll also send the ticket to the Department of Licensing (DOL), granting them the authority to suspend your license if necessary.
How To Resolve Traffic Infractions in Kitsap County
There are four common ways to resolve traffic infractions in Kitsap County:
Pay the Ticket
Paying the ticket is the easiest option if you’re not so concerned about the consequences. However, doing this is considered admittance of guilt, and the ticket will appear on your record. Therefore, it’s not always advisable to opt for this option if you wish to keep your driver’s license clean.
Request for a Deferred Disposition
If you have a moving or non-moving violation, you can request a deferred disposition. Asking for a deferred disposition is also considered admittance of guilt, but you’ll be asking the court for leniency.
Instead of having the ticket reflect on your record for three years, a deferred disposition usually requests the court to dismiss it after a year or less.
You can even call the court clerk to determine if the judge allows a request for deferred disposition at your hearing. It is worth noting that the court will not grant your request if you:
- Have used a deferred disposition within the last seven (7) years
- Possess a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
Most courts in Kitsap County will charge $200 for this type of petition. Note that you can only request a deferred disposition once in seven years. It’s therefore advisable to carefully evaluate your situation before opting for this option.
There are also circumstances where the court won’t grant a deferral. For instance, if you were issued a ticket near a school zone or an accident occurred.
Contest the Ticket
You can contest a ticket by sending back the ticket with a request for a contested hearing. Contesting a hearing means you’re requesting the prosecutor to prove their case by presenting credible evidence against you.
You’ll need to request the court clerk for a copy of the officer’s report – the judge will use it to decide whether you’re guilty.
In the state of Washington, the prosecutor doesn’t need to be present in person during a contested hearing. However, you can obtain a subpoena and serve them to appear in court.
If the judge rules in your favor, the court will remove the ticket from your record and dismiss the fine. On the other hand, if the judge rules against you, the ticket will remain on your record, and you’ll be required to pay the original ticket fine.
Although there’s no guarantee that you’ll win the case, contesting a ticket is a much better option than the other two if you’re determined to keep your driver’s record clean.
Ask for Mitigation
Asking for mitigation means you’re admitting guilt but requesting the court to reduce your fine. However, you have to provide a valid reason to convince the judge to accept your request.
If the judge grants your request, your fine will be reduced by not more than 30% of the original fee. But this also depends on the type of infraction you’ve been charged with.
However, if you have a poor excuse, the judge will most likely deny the request, and you’ll need to pay the full amount of the original ticket fine. Even if the court reduces the amount, the ticket will still appear on your record.
What Next After Getting a Speeding Ticket in Kitsap County?
Every traffic infraction case is different; thus, what works for one client might not work for another. Therefore we recommend that you first contact an experienced Kitsap County traffic ticket attorney for further advice on how to best handle the situation.
What is the Best Option to Consider After Receiving a Traffic Ticket?
It’s always recommended to opt for a contested hearing because it keeps your options open. With an experienced traffic ticket attorney like Barbara Bowden by your side, she can have the ticket dismissed entirely or the charge reduced to a lesser infraction without appearing on your record. Besides, you won’t have to pay higher insurance premiums, given that the ticket won’t reflect on your record.
Do I Need a Lawyer for a Speeding Ticket?
Hiring a lawyer is far much better than representing yourself in court. This is because you might not know every Washington state traffic law and how to use it to your advantage.
Fortunately, the team at The Law Offices of Barbara Bowden, led by Barbara Bowden herself, are familiar with all legal avenues to pursue when fighting for you in court. We know what we need to do to reduce or eliminate the costly fines and penalties you may face for the traffic offense.
A Kitsap County Traffic Ticket Attorney is Ready to Help
Our traffic ticket lawyers are available 24/7 to help you fight the ticket in court.
The best thing about working with The Law Offices of Barbara Bowden is that you don’t need to appear in court during the hearing of your case; we’ll do that for you as you go about your other business of the day.
We have over 30 years of experience handling traffic cases in Kitsap County and are well-equipped to ensure you get the best possible outcome. Our law firm has successfully resolved traffic cases involving clients in Port Orchard, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, Suquamish, Poulsbo, among other cities across Kitsap County.
Whenever in doubt, check out the over 170 Google reviews we have received from our previous clients.
Ready to get started? Call us day or night at (253) 473-4262 for a free, no-obligation consultation! We are available 24/7 to assist you.
