I have received a traffic fine, now what?

Causing an accident, a serious speeding offence, drunkenness or alcohol intoxication, flight offence, driving through a red light, driving uninsured or without a licence ... These are all traffic offences for which you can be criminally prosecuted in the police court.

From the moment the police makes an official report of the facts, a criminal investigation is conducted. The result is that the case is either ranked without consequence (dismissed) or criminal proceedings are initiated.

Either the offence can be settled by a simple out-of-court settlement and you are ordered to pay an amount (fine), or it is a traffic offence for which you have to appear before the police judge. You may cite mitigating circumstances in court. Mitigating circumstances are individual circumstances that allow a judge to have some kind of understanding for your offence. For example, you were driving too fast because your wife was about to give birth.

Do I need a lawyer?

If you are summoned, you can either defend yourself or hire a lawyer. The latter assists you in court with his specific knowledge and experience. Your lawyer will point out specific circumstances to convince the judge (on legal or factual grounds) that you are not, or at least not completely, at fault. And even if you do plead guilty, a good argument can make a big difference to the sentence you receive.

If your lawyer demonstrates mitigating circumstances, a police judge can reduce the statutory fine. Your lawyer may also be able to adjust the revocation of your driving licence, so that you can still use your car to go to work during the week, for example.

A little tip: take out legal expenses insurance (supplementary or otherwise). The price of such legal expenses insurance is very low, but it pays the costs of a lawyer and any experts as well as procedural costs, so you don't have to worry about that either.