7 Proven Methods to Fight Stop Sign Tickets

Traffic rules are made for everyone's safety, and not following those rules means putting your and other's lives in danger. Ever occurred to you why there are stop signs highlighted on the roles? What are they trying to indicate to you?

A stop sign is a legally authorized traffic control device that warns drivers to slow down their vehicles and prepare to stop. It is generally used when there are no other cars around or when you're at the end of a long line of traffic. You must always allow enough time and space to stop safely. There is no single answer because the exact amount of time/distance you need to stop depends on multiple factors, including road conditions, weather, and speed. Begin slowing down at least 150 feet before the stop sign.

To be found the culprit of a failed to stop at a stop sign, you must have failed to come to a complete and total stop at a crosswalk, limit line, or the entrance to a railroad crossing intersection. It's also worth noting that if you stop past the limit line or crosswalk, even if it's a complete stop, you'll get a ticket. A guilty judgment results in a large fine as well as a point on your driving record. To know more about stop signs violations, read the following article.

Consequences of a Stop Sign Violation

If you recently failed to stop at a stop sign, then get ready to face some of the common yet unknown consequences that come coupled with fines, penalties, and tickets. In addition to the statutory penalties that involve fines and possible jail times, there are plenty of other consequences that you may face when you get charged with a ticket for failure to stop at a Stop Sign.

Here's a list of consequences of a Stop Sign violation:

• Driver's License Points

  Running a stop sign ticket is typically a 2-3 point violation in most states. So, if you have prior traffic violations, then the 2-3 points you receive from the Stop Sign ticket can push you over 12 points limit that requires you to suspend your driving license for six months or more.

• Increased Insurance Premium Rates

  Each and every car insurance company uses the traffic violations to determine how much risk you are to insure. The more the chances you'll get involved in an accident, the higher your car insurance premiums will be. Even if you have a good and clean driving record in the past, but you failed to stop at a stop sign, then you may found that a Stop Sign ticket can cause your vehicle insurance rates to increase to a greater extent. So, in order to avoid increased insurance premium rates, it is always better to follow the traffic signboards and avoid stop sign ticket.

• Civil Liability

  If you are charged with a Stop Sign ticket because of a car crash, the other driver you have met in an accident with might sue you in civil court to compensate for all the injuries and property damage caused due to the accident. If you plead guilty to or are convicted of a stop sign violation, then this may later be used as evidence in the lawsuit that you were at fault, and you may further end up with a civil judgment against you.

  These were the possible consequences of Stop Sign Violation! Now, let's get an insight into the proven ways and strategies to fight Stop Sign tickets!

7 Proven Ways to Fight Stop Sign Tickets

Simply because you were charged with a stop sign ticket does not necessarily mean that you deserve it! Though fighting the stop sign ticket can be pretty challenging and tricky but putting firm efforts and having a professional traffic attorney from MyTicketDismissed.com can pay off.

Below-stated 7 ways that can help you fight stop sign tickets!

1) Fight That Your Driving Was Justified

The foremost way to fight stop sign tickets is not to point out mistakes in the entire ticketing process but rather to admit to unlawful driving while presenting another fact that justifies illegal driving. This is an amazing way to fight any sort of traffic ticket because you don't have to dispute the statement of the officer or the charge in the ticket but rather prove the circumstances that required your driving.

Depending upon the circumstances of the violation, you can maintain that your actions are totally justified. It is always more if providing factual details that legally justifies your otherwise illegal conduct. For instance, if you are charged with a stop sign ticket, it is a legal defense to argue that you didn't stop because you had to avoid another driver on the road who was breaching the traffic laws. Such a defense can work because it raises the facts rather than just contradicting the officer's proof.

Simply do it and wait for a response. More research will indeed shed more light on the situation. However, instead of being terrified by the outcomes, you can always form your own opinions.

2) Challenge the Subjective Conclusion of the Officer

With multiple tickets, it is quite possible for the driver to challenge or dare the view of the occurrence of the officer. It is true in a circumstance where the officer makes a subjective conclusion as to whether the law was violated. For example, when you are charged with running a stop sign ticket for failing to stop, you might argue that your actions were safe and responsible. In short, pointing to facts is a sure-fire way of fighting the stop sign ticket. All the facts tend to point out that the officer was not actually in a position to view what exactly happened.

Most statutes expect the driver to stop at the limit line, crosswalk, or the entrance of an intersection. This practically means that the option of the driver is to stop slightly before the line. There are drivers, however, who choose to stop further back from the limit line. In this case, an officer who is just 50 feet away might not clearly see if the driver has actually stopped or not. Therefore, your defense in such a case could be taking pictures from the officer's position. You can even try capturing an obstruction. Convincingly, testify that you did stop, and the case will surely be in your favor.

3) Mistake of Fact Defense

Running a stop sign might be open to the presentation of evidence in order to avoid paying the ticket on the basis of a mistake of fact. You must understand that it is not a mistake of fact to say that you had no information of the unlawful act. Such mistakes work only if you lacked factual details when you broke the traffic law. It would be the case if the sign was missing or obstructed. If you regularly use the stretch of road, it would be a mistake of the fact that a stop sign was installed a day before, and here you would prove that you didn't have sufficient notice of it.

4) Argue Sign Was Newly Installed

This defense method is quite tricky because you still have to be aware of your surroundings. However, the judge might be sympathetic if you can prove that you traveled this road multiple times in the past and this stop sign was a sudden change or is newly installed.

5) Challenge the Observation of the Officer

In most cases where the driver failed to stop at a stop sign, most judges believe the officer's words and side with the recollection of events of the officer, so you simply need to cast doubts on the testimony of the officer. In order to challenge the observation of the officer, you can offer eyewitness accounts from the passerby who actually saw the entire event of running a stop sign from different angles.

Photographs of the bad road conditions and stop signs can be used to challenge the officer's observation. Most people opt for showing the conditions of hidden or obscured stop signs or any other additional evidence that could possibly back up the case. Always try to prove that the observation angle of the officer made it impossible for him to give a clear or accurate view of what actually happened.

6) Prove Your Conduct Was Justified to Avoid Harm

In case if you can prove that you failed to stop at a stop sign in order to avoid an out-of-control vehicle behind you, then you can definitely succeed and beat a running stop sign ticket charge. The rule of thumb is you must argue that you actually had to violate the traffic law just to avoid a major accident that was about to happen to you and other people.

7) The Limit Line Was Faded

Last but not least, the final way to fight stop sign tickets is by arguing that the limit line was faded. If you are ticketed at the stop sign for not stopping or stooping a little too far into an intersection, then you can easily beat your stop sign ticket by showing that the limit line was too faded to be seen clearly. Here, a picture or video is probably required. But it entirely depends upon the wordings of your state law.

With all these ways above, you can easily fight stop sign ticket and get yourself out of a situation flawlessly!

How Much Is A Stop Sign Ticket In WA?

Motorists approaching a signal with a red light (solid or flashing) or stop sign must generally come to a stop before reaching a limit line, entering the crosswalk, or entering the intersection itself.

Stop sign violations are considered traffic violations in Washington. So, if you are confused regarding how much is a stop sign ticket? The answer is:

Convicted drivers face a maximum fine of $48, plus additional court fees and assessments. However, there are occasionally viable alternatives that allow the motorist to avoid the fine. Failure to show in court or failure to pay will eventually result in further fines, and it may possibly put a hold on a driving license too.

Whenever you are charged with a stop sign ticket, you must act prior to the "Notice to Appear" date on your citation. You can simply act by sending your payment to the courthouse and paying for the ticket. This action will indicate that you have admitted your guilt. When the court receives the payment, your case will be closed, and the violation is then sent to the DMV, where it shows up as a point against your driving license.

You can also act by appearing in the court on the "Notice to Appear" date, and in court, you can plead guilty, financial hardship, non-guilty, and ask for deduction in fees. If you opt for going to the court, you can either go alone, but it is always a good idea to be represented by a professional traffic attorney from expertise attorney service providers like MyTicketDismissed.com.

A stop sign violation may result in a reckless driving conviction, depending on the circumstances. In addition, a driver who disregards a stop sign and kills another person may face vehicular manslaughter charges.

Conclusion

A stop sign ticket issued to some drivers will significantly negatively impact their driving points and record. The license may also be canceled, and they are on the edge of facing numerous consequences in all other major and minor life expectancies. The only way to avoid such problems is to have your stop sign tickets dismissed.

However, the penalties for a stop sign violation vary by country. They are never, however, so minor as to be ignored. As a result, professional attorney services from MyTicketDismissed.com are just a phone call away. Lawyers for traffic tickets at MyTicketDismissed.com will turn your mistakes into your advantages. So what are you waiting for? Seek professional help from experts at MyTicketDismissed.com and get back to the driving seat.