Traffic Offense Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Defend Your Interests with Help from Musca Law
Police officers all throughout the state of Florida issue millions of traffic violation citations each and every year. For example, the Florida Highway Patrol published data showing that in one year, police officers distributed more than 3.1 million traffic tickets all across Florida. This means that 15.5 percent of residents of the Sunshine State received a traffic citation that year, although presumably a percentage of those tickets also went to visitors and tourists as well.
The Fort Lauderdale traffic offense attorneys here at Musca Law understand that a lot of drivers just pay the fine and keep on moving. They decide that it isn’t worth the effort that it will take to research the law in their free time, ask for time off of work and then wait for hours in traffic court for the chance to feebly defend themselves. In all honesty, they are probably completely justified in their decision but paying the ticket and losing a day to traffic court are not their only two options.
A top-rated traffic citation defense attorney in Fort Lauderdale will be able to help you dodge that sort of strain on your emotions, your finances, and your time while still achieving a better result than either of the first two options will give you.
When you are deciding whether or not to retain an attorney to deal with your traffic citation, there is something that you should keep in mind: Paying your ticket it is an admission of guilt. We understand that paying ends the ordeal as quickly as possible, but it won’t necessarily be less expensive or lessen the overall nuisance. You have to think about the impending rate hike in your car insurance premiums, the extra points that will be added onto your driver’s license and maybe even the revocation of your driving privileges. Based on the kind of citation that you received and your overall driving record, you might be facing compulsory registration in a driving school, which is going to cost you both time and money and it’s really, really boring. Really.
Our committed and diligent team of Fort Lauderdale traffic citation attorneys are able to help you combat the charges if you have been cited with any of the following:
Driving with a Suspended License
There are around 15 million licensed motorists in the state of Florida, but the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety approximates that one out of every ten motorists on the roadway is operating a motor vehicle illegally. Even though a few of these people have certainly never had a driver’s license to begin with, other drivers have had their driver’s license revoked or suspended.
Here at Musca Law, we understand that the majority of the time, the main factor in someone losing their driver’s license really has more to do with their monetary situation than it does with any kind of shenanigans that took place while they were driving. For instance, some people have been denied their driving privileges for neglecting to pay their parking tickets while others will suffer this consequence because they could not afford to take off of work to go to court, or their license may have been suspended because they do not make enough money to keep current with their child support payments.
When motorists get caught while driving on a suspended license, this run-of-the-mill civil issue can quickly turn into a criminal one without you even being aware of it. The whole debacle becomes a big catch 22 because when someone loses their driver’s license because they are unable to pay the fee, this will only cause them to need more money in order to satisfy the costs of license reinstatement, which they won’t be able to pay off if they can’t get to work, which they clearly can’t do if they aren’t permitted to drive.
More often than not, drivers choose to forego any kind of legal counsel and merely plead to charges of driving on a suspended license without really grasping the long-term adverse impacts that come along with doing so. It’s not just a disregard for their driving privileges but for their criminal record as well. Having a skilled traffic offense defense attorney by your side will go a long way towards getting yourself squared away again.
Speeding
Just about every single person, at one point or another, has had a lead foot while they were behind the wheel.
Florida Statute 316.183 prevents driving at illegal speeds. Whether or not a particular speed is considered illegal is based on
- The legal posted speed limit in the area
- The current road conditions and other possible and actual road hazards
Our Fort Lauderdale speeding ticket attorneys at Musca Law are able to help you dispute a speeding ticket and decrease the risk of getting points on your driver’s license, substantial administrative fines, and traffic school requirements. Challenging a speeding ticket in Florida is particularly crucial if you have a commercial driver’s license, especially if you were driving for a living when you received the ticket.
Unsurprisingly, speeding tickets are the most frequently-issued kind of traffic ticket among Florida drivers. State legislators have estimated that more than 500,000 citations for speeding are given out by state and local law enforcement every single year.
Some people believe that it is cheaper just to pay their fee and keep on moving. The fact of the matter is, however, that a citation for speeding could wind up being more expensive than you ever imagined. Additional points on your driver’s license will mean higher insurance premiums. Additionally, if you already have a good amount of points listed on your license, you might find yourself on the wrong end of a driver’s license suspension.
Speeding can also bring with it some more serious penalties if it took place in a street race or in a school zone.
Here at the Fort Lauderdale offices of Musca Law, we know exactly what to do in order to beat a traffic citation. In the majority of cases, your speeding ticket attorney will be able to appear in court on your behalf and deal with the speeding ticket. There is literally no reason for you to spend the day in court. If you have been issued a speeding citation in the Fort Lauderdale area, give us a call so that we can help you.
Racing on Highways
Racing on Florida’s highways has been against the law since 2010 when the Luis Rivera Ortega Street Racing Act was passed.
Also known as drag racing or street racing, a charge of racing on the highway includes an offender who is competitively operating an automobile in a race that is based on acceleration or speed. This charge can also be given to anyone who is participating in the race as a facilitator or a passenger.
Racing on the highway, according to Florida Statute 316.191, is a misdemeanor in the first degree, which carries a sentence of an automatic driver’s license revocation and as long as one year in county jail. At Musca Law, our Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorneys will advocate for you to get the charge thrown out or, in the event that getting the charges dropped simply is not possible, to get your penalties reduced as much as possible.
Driving Without a License
In the state of Florida, you can catch criminal charges if you operate an automobile on a public roadway without a valid driver’s license distributed by the appropriate governmental agency. Punishments might involve incarceration or hefty fines. Usually, the major worry is the fact that the offender will come out of this incident with a criminal record that they will have for the rest of their life, along with all of the difficulties and annoyances that a criminal record naturally brings with it.
At Musca Law, our Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorneys will be able to work with you to find valid defenses to use in claiming that the charge against you ought to be dropped, and there are a lot of potential defenses. Even in situations where it isn’t feasible to expect your charges to be tossed out, we will aggressively enter into dealings with the state to get your charge decreased as much as possible, most likely down to a moving violation. The aim here is to save you the stress of having a permanent criminal record.
If you or someone that you love has been charged with the crime of operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license in the Fort Lauderdale area, please reach out to us so that we can determine how we can best help you.
Leaving the Scene of an Accident
In Florida, motorists are legally obligated to stay at the scene of an accident that includes damage to property, injury to another person, or the death of another person until her or his legal obligations have been met. Neglecting to remain at the scene could end in you being charged with leaving the scene of an accident, which is more commonly known in America as a “hit-and-run” accident.
In spite of the fact that this will very likely cause some very hefty felonious charges, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles stated that there are roughly 92,000 hit-and-run accidents in Florida every single year. These accidents resulted in 19,000 cases of physical injury, 1,200 of those cases ranged from serious to catastrophic. Bicyclists and pedestrians are disproportionately affected, with one out of every four pedestrian-related accidents involving a motorist fleeing the accident scene. Nearly 80 percent of all hit-and-run accidents cause property damage but no additional damages of any kind.
The silver lining here is that with the aid of a highly respected hit-and-run criminal defense attorney, the charges against you might be lessened or possibly even thrown out. Even if the charges stick and you are found guilty, to have a skilled defense attorney directing the state’s attention to the presence of extenuating circumstances is often enough to result in decreased sentencing.
Driving Without Insurance
If you are charged with driving with no car insurance in the state of Florida, you definitely are not alone. Florida legislators approximate that one out of every four motorists in the Sunshine State does not have the appropriate, legally mandatory car insurance.
Operating a motor vehicle without any car insurance is against the law here in Florida, and it is a major issue that might cause the revocation or suspension of your Florida driver’s license.
At the offices of Musca Law, our Fort Lauderdale traffic ticket attorneys will work diligently to defend your right to lawfully drive a car in Florida in the event that you are ticketed for operating a motor vehicle without the appropriate car insurance. Depending on the circumstances of your individual case, you might be looking at substantial administrative fines and the loss of your driver’s license for a few months or possibly a few years. It is essential that you are proactive in dealing with this situation. Take action before you even get the notice that you have been busted operating a motor vehicle without the appropriate car insurance.
Careless Driving
Careless driving is one of the more frequently-issued traffic tickets in Florida car accidents. It is usually given out after a rear-end accident, accidents that happen at intersections and accidents that include a bicyclist or a pedestrian. The term acts as something of a “catch-all” in the sense that it acknowledges the failed supposition that motorists will drive their cars in such a manner that is both careful and reasonable.
At Musca Law, our traffic ticket criminal defense attorneys in Fort Lauderdale understand that when this particular ticket is given after an accident, it most likely means that the police officer did not really witness the accident. This may very well mean that the judgments made by the police officer are founded on mistaken witness statements or the erroneous investigation of any evidence.
These kinds of cases are often very defensible, and it is definitely worth it to try to fight your Fort Lauderdale traffic citation due to the fact that it decreases your chances of having points put on your driver’s license, which can eventually result in suspension, hefty administrative fines, supervised probation, and more expensive insurance premiums.
Don’t hesitate to contact our Fort Lauderdale office today at (954) 302-5391 to schedule a free initial case consultation with one of our experienced criminal defense attorneys.