The most important thing that every out-of-state driver should know about traffic tickets in Colorado is if they violate the traffic laws their right to drive in the state would be impacted by their offenses. They would be facing license revocation or suspension if they are a Colorado resident and even out of state revocations if they are not. If they are found to be driving under the influence, their license to drive elsewhere is going to be impacted. A DUI is not like a speeding ticket. Anything that is 12 points or more in Colorado is going to affect their right to drive elsewhere, and they need to take those seriously.
If you have been issued a traffic citation, let Justie and Jenn at Colorado Lawyer Team help your case. A Greenwood Village out-of-state ticket lawyer could help you mitigate or avoid the consequences of a citation. Speak to a speeding ticket attorney to learn about your legal options.
Greenwood Village street traffic offenses differ from other jurisdiction s because every jurisdiction is unique. In certain cases, there is the ability to negotiate with the DA. In other circumstances, there is no DA assigned to traffic courts. In some minor traffic cases, they may get a standard plea offer from the courts without the ability to negotiate it, and they could take it or leave it. That has happened in several Northern Colorado jurisdictions. Greeley, in particular, has a different procedure.
In some of the other metro areas where there is not even an intern assigned to traffic courts, the judge handles it. Most of the time, people get one shot to take a plea offer or set it for trial. That is a bit unusual since they are not even able to provide mitigation or explain away the traffic offense.
If an out-of-state driver receives a ticket in Greenwood Village, the first thing they should do is decide whether they want to pay it, take care of the ticket on their own, and plead guilty. Most traffic tickets carry with them the opportunity to mail in payment of their penalty assessment in advance of court and not go to court. If somebody wants to go to court in person, they could do that. If they do not have too many points on their license, it is not going to cause employment problems. If they know they committed the offense, probably the best advice would be to pay that traffic ticket. It is going to cost more to hire an attorney to fight for them than to just pay the penalty.
If they are nota from the state and do not want to plead guilty, they may want to talk to a Greenwood Village out-of-state ticket attorney. They could appear for an out-of-state defendant without having them come back. They could waive their client’s appearance with the court. They have the authority to resolve traffic cases without the client ever having to appear. They could save them the trip back and probably get them the same or better offer and resolution to the case than they would have gotten on their own.
In some circumstances, they may not have the ability to pay the ticket in advance of court, so they would have a court date. They should not miss that court date unless they have an attorney who can tell them their appearance has been waived and the attorney will go instead. That court date is probably the only one they are going to get, and if they do not go, they could have an OJW issued against them, which could impact out-of-state driving privileges.
If an out-of-state driver does not pay off their traffic citation by the due date, they should go to court or hire an attorney to go to court for them on the court date, which is usually later than the date to mail in the payments. If they do not and they have a number of OJWs, Colorado may report those failures as a traffic ticket to an out-of-state DMV. For example, if they have a Nebraska license and they have a number of unpaid tickets in Colorado, the DMV may call the Nebraska branch and recommend they suspend their license because they have not paid. If it is excessive, it could impact their right to drive in Nebraska, even though they have never broken a Nebraska traffic law.
Be aware that different states do sometimes talk to each other. Different states are part of the interstate compact agreement. Generally, the more serious traffic cases get reported. Driving under the influence offenses go to the home state, and the out-of-state driver would not get reported because they are traffic misdemeanors. For traffic infractions like running a stop sign, they are probably not going to get reported from Colorado. But, each state is different, and only a lawyer could tell them whether their right to drive in their home state is going to be impacted. The best advice would be to speak to an out-of-state ticket lawyer in Colorado, as well as another attorney in your licensing state.
Being unaware of the traffic laws could not be used as a defense in Colorado since most streets are marked well. Also, traffic expectations are consistent in Colorado so much that ignorance of the law is not a defense. The expectation is that if they operate their motor vehicle in a safe manner, they should not have any issues. As soon as the Greenwood Village out-of-state ticket lawyer looks at the scene, they see that the signage is in place, and the client just did not see it. That is not a viable defense. An attorney could review the facts of the case and help you build a strong defense.
An experienced traffic attorney could help drivers facing tickets in Greenwood Village by evaluating whether there is a basis for the stop, whether they were charged appropriately, and whether the evidence against them supports those charges. They could advise them about their likelihood of success at trial. They could also let them know about any possible penalties. Often, clients plead guilty to lesser offenses because the top charge is so egregious that the penalties would be much worse if they go to trial and lose. It is worth taking a plea, even if they feel they did not do it. This is why innocent people plead guilty to charges they didn’t commit.
Do not try to fight your ticket alone. Jenn and Justie at Colorado Lawyer Team are ready to fight your case. Call to schedule a consultation with a Greenwood Village out-of-state ticket lawyer today.