The Importance of Keeping Your Driving Record Clean
If you are a Florida resident who has received a speeding ticket under statute 316.187, there are many things to consider before you simply write out a check and drop it in the mail. While paying your speeding ticket may seem like the easiest option, there are many negative repercussions you could face by doing so. Once you pay a speeding ticket, you have pled guilty to the offense and will have points added to your driving record. Depending on how many miles above the posted speed limit you were going, you could receive three or four points on your record. If you have other points from other traffic violations, you could find yourself without a driver’s license for three months, six months or one year. Most Americans use their vehicles on a daily basis.
We drive to and from work, to and from school, we take our children to school and to extracurricular events, and we run the myriad of errands which keep our lives on track. Should you lose the right to drive, you could find it very difficult to get through your day-to-day life, therefore, keeping your license intact is of utmost importance. This means that choosing to fight your speeding ticket rather than paying it could be a much better choice, however unless you are a skilled public speaker with an extensive knowledge of Florida statutes and laws, you could find it very difficult to appear in court on your own. A much better choice is to speak to a The Law Place attorney who can fight on your behalf to have your Florida speeding ticket dismissed or possibly pled down in order have a better outcome.
If you were cited under Florida Statute 316.187—State Uniform Traffic Control—the following applies:
- Should the Department of Transportation determine—after a thorough engineering and traffic investigation—that a current posted speed limit is either too high or too low for what is reasonable or safe, the speed limit may be altered.
- This statute applies to any part of a highway outside of a municipality or on a state road, or a connecting link or extension of a state road within a municipality.
- Appropriate signs giving notification of the altered speed limit must be erected at the intersection or appropriate place on the highway.
- Seventy miles per hour is the maximum allowable speed limit on limited access highways.
- Other state highways outside urban areas of 5,000 persons or more, having at least four lanes divided by a median will have a maximum allowable speed limit of 65 miles per hour.
- The Department of Transportation has the authority to set both maximum and minimum speed limits for any roadways under its authority as it shall deem safe and reasonable, not to exceed a maximum speed limit of sixty miles per hour.
How a FFlorida Speeding Ticket Defense Attorney Can Help
Many people make poor decisions after receiving a speeding ticket in Florida, which leads to an outcome which is much harsher than necessary. Should you choose to speak to an attorney from our speeding ticket defense law firm, we will first examine your actual ticket which can lead to solid due process defenses. There are more mistakes made on filling out speeding tickets than you would imagine, and your lawyer may be able to have your ticket dismissed based on such a mistake. Your speeding violation attorney knows which questions to ask the ticketing officer at your court hearing and understands the many challenges available based on the device used to measure your speed. Our attorneys are very experienced at defending speeding tickets in court; we are familiar with many of the court personnel and court processes and can use this to your advantage. Call an aggressive lawyer today for a thorough assessment of the specifics of your speeding ticket case.
316.187 Establishment of state speed zones.—
(1) Whenever the Department of Transportation determines, upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation, that any speed is greater or less than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at any intersection or other place, or upon any part of a highway outside of a municipality or upon any state roads, connecting links or extensions thereof within a municipality, the Department of Transportation may determine and declare a reasonable and safe speed limit thereat which shall be effective when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected at the intersection or other place or part of the highway.
(2)(a) The maximum allowable speed limit on limited access highways is 70 miles per hour.
(b) The maximum allowable speed limit on any other highway which is outside an urban area of 5,000 or more persons and which has at least four lanes divided by a median strip is 65 miles per hour.
(c) The Department of Transportation is authorized to set such maximum and minimum speed limits for travel over other roadways under its authority as it deems safe and advisable, not to exceed as a maximum limit 60 miles per hour.
(3) Violation of the speed limits established under this section must be cited as a moving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318.
