If you have recently received a traffic ticket, then you may be required to appear in court. If so, then it means that you have three options. You can either show up with the intention of defending yourself, hire an attorney to attend court with you, or hire an attorney to attend court without you. You might be struggling with deciding whether you should hire a traffic violation lawyer or not, but there are several things to take into consideration before you can make a decision.

The specific traffic violation

If you were ticketing for speeding, you could end up receiving points on your driving record, depending on how fast you were going. Specific laws vary in different states, but your insurance premium is likely to increase, and once you reach a certain amount of points on your record, you could have your driver's license revoked.

How can traffic violation lawyers help? In some cases, the attorney can have the case dismissed, and you won't have to worry about paying the ticket or receiving points on your record. However, not all cases can be thrown out. Even in cases that can't be dismissed, the lawyer could still help to decrease your penalties. You could end up paying a fine without having to worry about points going on your record. The attorney could also prevent you from having your license revoked, in many cases.

If your traffic violation is of a criminal nature, then you shouldn't hesitate to hire a knowledgeable attorney. Reckless driving, driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and in some cases, even driving with a suspended driver's license, can serious and could result in your spending time in jail or having your license suspended. An attorney can assist you with keeping your license and avoiding jail.

Prior traffic violations

If you have never had a traffic violation in the past, or it has been more than ten years, as long as the ticket is inexpensive and doesn't involve points, then you should be fine simply paying the ticket. On the other hand, if you receive traffic tickets on a regular basis, then you should obtain the assistance of an attorney. If not, then you could face steeper fines and penalties. 

A traffic violation lawyer should almost always be hired if you receive a ticket. The attorney is knowledgeable of all the laws and will know exactly how to use them to your advantage. In some cases hiring an attorney may seem like a waste of money, but in the long-run, hiring a traffic lawyer like Hogan-Kimrey LLP Attorneys At Law is usually very well worth the cost.