If you’ve been prohibited from driving due to a bad driving record, you can assume that you’ll be prohibited again if you get any more tickets. It’s almost guaranteed. It’s important to know what you need to do to avoid getting prohibited from driving again.
1) Dispute the ticket – don’t pay it.
If you pay the ticket, you might be thinking that you will get brownie points for taking responsibility. Not true. Owning up to it does nothing to help you and is strategically a mistake when it comes to tickets. You’re much better off to dispute the ticket.
It is well recognized that, more often than not, putting off a bad result will cause the bad result to be less bad. Moreover, if you pay a ticket (pleading guilty by doing so), you take away any chance to be found anything other than guilty.
Always dispute the ticket. You never know what will happen. What if the officer comes to court but can’t remember the facts of your case? You can succeed in that case and many others, but you close all of the doors if you don’t dispute it.
2) Rehabilitate yourself.
This is often crucial and overlooked by self-represented people in traffic court. A rehabilitation plan is something your lawyer will typically develop for you after you retain them. It usually includes steps you can take to put yourself in a better position when the trial comes.
3) Get rid of your “L” or “N” license.
Although ICBC is entitled in law to treat you as if you had your old license, if you get your more advanced license before you are convicted, you can use that process to explain what you’ve learned and how your life has changed.
4) Defend the ticket.
The time to invest your energy and efforts is when the matter comes to trial. If you have an experienced driving lawyer who actually conducts traffic ticket trials, the police may be more willing to negotiate a resolution that keeps you from getting prohibited from driving again. If that doesn’t work, it might be the right thing to run a trial. In limited cases, a trial may be risky, but most of the time, there is little downside risk to forcing the officer to attempt and prove their case.
If you are worried that you’ll be prohibited from driving again, we may have the solution to your problem. Please pick up the phone and call us. As always, there is no cost to call us to discuss your options with a traffic ticket.