Traffic Law in St. Louis, MO

Traffic law refers to the creation, implementation, and enforcement of St. Louis, Missouri traffic codes. Traffic violations can vary in severity, ranging from minor speeding tickets to serious DUI charges. These violations lead to consequences, which can include fines, license suspension, license revocation, and even jail time.

In many states, when people fail to disprove traffic offenses, authorities may assess points and add them to a person’s driver’s license. These points can increase your car insurance premium for several years. If you accumulate too many points, it can even lead to a license suspension.

Missouri law states that St. Louis drivers are subject to license suspension for committing traffic violations. You can lose your driving privileges if you commit a serious violation, or by getting too many points from minor violations. The length of your suspension will depend on how many points you have and whether you have prior suspensions. In order to get your license back, you will have to pay a reinstatement fee and show proof of insurance.

If you are currently facing traffic violation accusations in St. Louis, Missouri it’s important to seek legal counsel as soon as possible. It’s a common pitfall to believe you can represent yourself in court. However, an experienced St. Louis, MO traffic law attorney increases the chances of proving your innocence. You also improve your odds of reducing sentences and getting rid of points.

Legal Strategies to Fight St. Louis, Missouri Traffic Tickets

Many people don’t realize that fighting a traffic ticket and winning is a common occurrence. You might think paying court and legal fees to fight a ticket just isn’t worth it. On the other hand, keeping costly points off your license can save you more money in the long run. If you hire a qualified St. Louis attorney to fight your traffic ticket, oftentimes the police officer won’t even show up to court and you’ll win. In these instances, you no longer have to pay the ticket and the points get removed from your license.

The City of St. Louis Circuit Court has jurisdiction over traffic violations in the city. The court’s Municipal Division will handle most traffic cases.

If the officer does show up at court, an experienced traffic lawyer can make a solid case in your defense. Here are common legal strategies that your lawyer may employ to help you fight a traffic ticket.

Challenge the Officer’s Conclusion in Traffic Law Court

If any St. Louis, MO officer made a judgment on whether you broke the law, your attorney may argue the conclusion they came to was not the right one. For example, an officer might say that you made an unlawful turn, but in actuality, they couldn’t see whether it was unlawful or unsafe.

Challenge the Officer’s Observations in Traffic Law Court

You can challenge an officer’s observation in cases where it’s your word against theirs. To achieve this, your St. Louis traffic law attorney will need to cast enough doubt on the officer. This can prove difficult for a driver to tackle alone because judges tend to agree with officers quite often. However, if you can bring forward evidence that proves you are in the right, then you just might win the case. Here are some examples of evidence that might prove useful:

• Photographs of the scene of the traffic violation
• Witnesses, such as passengers or bystanders
• A diagram showing where your car was, and where the officer’s car was in relation to the traffic violation
• Showing that the point of view from where the officer was made it impossible for them to see what actually happened

Prove Your Conduct Was Legally Justified

If you commit an unlawful driving violation in St. Louis, MO you can argue that it happened due to the circumstances. In fact, there are countless examples of this. The main goal is to prove to the judge that even though your actions may have constituted a violation, you had good reason to do so. Here are a few of these examples:

• Driving too slowly because you are about to make a left turn
• Swerving your car in a panic after a bump in the road caused hot coffee to spill from the cup in the cupholder
• Driving above the speed limit to get to the hospital because of a sudden medical emergency

Prove Your Conduct Was Necessary to Avoid Harm

Sometimes, you have to violate St. Louis traffic law because you were preventing injury to yourself or others. This would be a viable defense to fight a traffic law ticket. You may believe your conduct is justifiable because you were avoiding harm. Ensure that you can clearly and accurately explain the situation in court. Here are some situations in traffic law where unlawful conduct is necessary to avoid harm:

• Speeding up well past the limit to avoid an out-of-control car
• Speeding up to avoid being rear-ended by an aggressive driver
• Slamming the brakes on a main road to avoid colliding with an animal that was crossing the street
• Swerving your car into the neighboring lane to avoid another car that swerved into your lane

Prove Your Conduct Was a “Mistake of Fact”

If your unlawful traffic violation happens due to a “mistake of fact” this means you simply made an honest and understandable error. When using this angle to defend your traffic ticket, try to have photo evidence of the issue in question for your hearing. The judge can use their discretion to determine if your error was a mistake of fact and can either enforce or drop the traffic ticket. Here are some examples where this might prove applicable:

• You failed to stop at an obscured stop sign. 
• The sun was at the exact angle that you could not see the light turn yellow and it was too late to stop when you did see the light.
• A traffic sign was faded and hard to read so you could not do as it said.

Traffic School Programs

In some cases, going to a traffic school that has state sponsorship or approval can help clear your driving record. A judge may even make this a requirement after you’re found guilty of egregious speeding or a DUI. While this will involve some out-of-pocket costs, it can be worth the time and investment.

St. Louis judges may allow some offenders to participate in a Driver Improvement Program to avoid points from a traffic violation. You can take this 8 hour class online or in person, and it typically costs less than $50. The Missouri Safety Center lists 5 classroom locations in St. Louis, as well as numerous online providers.

St. Louis DUI offenders must participate in Missouri’s Substance Awareness Traffic Offender Program. After a substance abuse assessment, the court will order you to complete either an education program or treatment. The education course is 10 hours and costs $200. Online courses are not acceptable, but the Missouri Department of Mental Health lists 4 providers in St. Louis.

Work with an Experienced St. Louis, Missouri Traffic Law Lawyer

Going up against St. Louis law enforcement officers when the judge seems more inclined to agree with them than you, can feel intimidating. This is especially the case if you have other traffic violations in the past that may reflect poorly on your driving habits. There is never a guarantee of the outcome in the court of law. However, working with an experienced St. Louis traffic law attorney can re-inject objectivity into the discourse and get you the justice you seek.

Are you ready to reach out to a traffic lawyer to get help with your case? We can even help you connect with an attorney across Missouri state lines.

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!