Driving down Sprague Avenue after work, you get lost in your train of thoughts. The hustle and bustle of your Tacoma, WA workday has come to a close. As your dreaming about the crockpot-concoction awaiting you at home, you press your foot on the gas, just a little bit more. You tap your fingers on the steering wheel to beat of the pop radio stations until a blaring siren interrupts your moment of late afternoon bliss. With a downward glance at your speedometer and quick peek at your rear-view, you sigh in frustration at the blur of red and blue flashing lights in your rear-view.
You’re going to get a traffic ticket–again.
At the Law Offices of Barbara A. Bowden, you are what we refer to as a good person who wasn’t paying attention to your driving. You’re not a criminal. You’re not a bad person, and you may not necessarily even be a bad driver. The truth is, we’re all caught off guard at times. It happens, but the most important thing you do now is take care of it. The last thing you want is for your mishap to become a mountain of a problem.
The traffic attorney team at The Law Offices of Barbara A. Bowden has experience in traffic matters like these. We receive calls from Tacoma residents, nervous about what is going to happen next. Will my driver’s license be suspended? Do I pay the ticket or hire a lawyer? Do I do both? Should I contact my car insurance company?
Calm down, take a breath, and sit down; let’s walk you through this and figure out your options. Below are the steps we may take after you’ve received a second, third, or fourth traffic ticket.
Steps to Take After Getting a Second (or Third) Tacoma Traffic Ticket (H2)
Step 1: Don’t Panic
We know you’re worried, and you have a right to be. You’re taking steps to take care of it, so already you are on the right track to making this a better situation.
Step 2: Contact a Washington Traffic Ticket Attorney
Whether you’re considering paying the ticket or you want to request a mitigation hearing, the next step you should take is call a Tacoma traffic ticket attorney. By doing online research and talking to your friends and family, you may gain an idea of what is going on and what will happen. But you won’t know and understand the whole scope of the situation until you contact an experienced traffic ticket attorney. When you speak with your traffic attorney, explain what happened and ask questions like the following:
- How can you help me?
- What options do I have if this isn’t my first traffic ticket?
Your Tacoma traffic ticket lawyer may ask you questions like the following:
- How long ago was your last traffic ticket? How old were you when it happened?
- What was the previous offense?
- Did you pay the ticket, mitigate it, or fight it?
- Do you have a commercial drivers license?
- Did you have another traffic attorney helping you before?
- Do you have any other prior offenses? DUIs? Possession charges?
- What do you want to do–fight or pay?
- And more.
By no means do you need to have all of the answers. That is your traffic attorney’s job. It’s your job to ask the questions, it is theirs to provide educated, informative answers.
You and your attorney can check your driving record and make a decision together about how you want to proceed.
Step 3: Let’s Take Care of it
Taking it to court:If we decide to mitigate or contest your traffic ticket, it will involve time in court. Your traffic ticket lawyer will make it as seamless as possible though, only involving you when it’s absolutely necessary. You’re still going about your daily life–you shouldn’t have to put everything on pause.
By taking your ticket to court, you could get a plea bargain and lesser penalties. You could be found not committed on the ticket.. At the Law Offices of Barbara A. Bowden, we will only take your ticket to court if we deem it necessary. Just like you, we want the most cost-effective solution. If going to court isn’t the most cost-effective path, it isn’t one we will go down.
Check out our client portal to check your court date.
Paying your Tacoma traffic ticket: If you pay your traffic ticket, this means that aren’t contesting it. You aren’t challenging the reason you received it. In doing so, you are taking care of it, yes, but depending on how many other past offenses you have, you may have other consequences besides a fine. Your license could be suspended and your driving record tainted.
If you so choose, you can pay your traffic ticket online, on the phone, in person, or via the mail. To pay it online, you visit this website. Use your ticket as a reference to determine which court you are paying to. Follow these steps:
- Select your court.
- Enter your information, i.e. name, address, phone number, state, birthday, and zip code.
- Enter your payment information.
Contact the Law Offices of Barbara A. Bowden if you run into any problems.By involving a traffic attorney throughout this entire process, he or she can anticipate things you may not. For example, you may not know your driver record or how your insurance will be affected. If you lose your license in the process, how do you recover it? You don’t need to try and navigate this process all on your own. Contact the Law Offices of Barbara A. Bowden, located in Lakewood, Washington, and let’s start at step one.
Let’s tackle your Tacoma traffic ticket together, once and for all.
