Benefits of a Columbia Traffic Attorney

A person should consider contacting a lawyer when they face any traffic offense. From speeding to hit and run to driving under the influence (DUI)to reckless driving, all these offenses can affect one’s driving record. One of the many benefits of a Columbia traffic attorney is advocating on your behalf and helping you avoid or mitigate the harsh consequences of a conviction.

A person facing traffic charges should hire an experienced traffic attorney because these can be serious offenses. For most people in South Carolina, there is not a great public transportation system, and most people’s methods of getting to their job is to drive their own car. If they were to lose their driver’s license, that would severely impair their ability to get to work or their life in general. If they get points on their license, they could have some collateral consequences regarding their insurance. That could mean that they would have to pay a lot more money. Traffic charges also have the potential ability to either prevent a person from getting a job or being fired.

What Makes Traffic Cases So Challenging?

Columbia traffic cases are interesting to work with because of the wide range of cases. A person could have everything from a speeding ticket all the way up to hit and runs or felony DUIs. Lawyers have to deal with different types of prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and evidence in the case. Defending someone’s ability to drive so they can keep their job is very important. Defending somebody’s freedom, so they do not go to prison is even more critical.

Columbia traffic cases can be challenging when there is a lack of paperwork or evidence. In a lot of traffic cases, the arresting officers do not provide many notations or the paperwork that is needed. This is called discovery evidence, and if there is no discovery, it becomes a “he said/she said” situation.

In a trial, it is a battle of credibility between the person and the police officer. Often, the public takes the police officer’s account of the situation over that of a citizen. It takes a skilled lawyer to challenge that appropriately and try to show that is not the case. A traffic lawyer has to work hard to gain credibility on the side of the defendant to show that the person is not guilty of what they have been accused of committing as far as the traffic offense.

Types of Defense Strategies

In any traffic violation, a person can request a jury trial, and a defense lawyer can defend the person in court to fight the charges. They can use different techniques to avoid a trial or get the case reduced or dismissed. The defense strategies used depends on the nature of the case.

If it is a driving under the influence offense, there are a lot of requirements that are not common in other states. If the law enforcement officers involved do not do these specific requirements, the lawyer can either make a motion to dismiss the case or make a motion to suppress the evidence. This means trying to get the evidence thrown out of court to weaken their cases. It is different for every type of charge.

For speeding cases, the lawyer must determine if the radar was used. They can then file a supplemental motion for discovery and challenge whether they have had radar calibrated, whether the maintenance record was done, or whether the daily logs were filled out.

How a Traffic Attorney Could Help

Those who have been accused of violating a traffic offense should seek help from a lawyer who has plenty of experience and training. They should find a knowledgeable defense attorney who has handled everything from speeding tickets to running red lights all the way to murder cases. Some of the benefits of a Columbia traffic attorney is to fight your case and help you build a strong defense. Call today to learn more about how a traffic attorney could help your case.