When those blue lights flash behind you on the highway, it's not a pleasant feeling. Nobody, and for good reason, wants to get a speeding ticket. If you are found guilty, a violation will:

• Affect your driving record, potentially leading to license suspension.
• Cost money upfront: You'll have to pay the speeding ticket and any court fees.
• Long-term costs: If you get a ticket, your car insurance rates can skyrocket by hundreds of dollars per year.

It is possible to reduce or eliminate the impact of a speeding ticket, though doing so may be difficult. Here's what you need to know about your options.

On the day you’re pulled over

You're probably reading this because you've already received a speeding ticket, so keep these pointers in mind in case it happens again:

• Ask the officer what method he used to determine you were speeding and make a note of it.
• Say as little as you can. If you go to court, anything you say can be used against you.
• Be courteous, avoid arguing, and try to be unremarkable. If the officer does not recall you, he or she may be unable to recall details in front of a judge.
• After that, write down everything about the incident, including the time of day, location, and anything else that may have influenced the situation, such as obscured or missing speed limit signs.

You can then choose to fight the ticket in court, negotiate a lower penalty, or pay the speeding ticket and accept the blemish on your driving record as well as the likely increase in insurance premiums.

If you decide to pay the speeding ticket

Although a $50 ticket may not appear to be a big deal, consider the true cost of a speeding ticket. Aside from the initial fine, a ticket can cause your car insurance rates to skyrocket by hundreds of dollars per year.

For example, InsuredCircle 2020 rate study discovered:

• On average, a 40-year-old driver with good credit and full coverage will pay $355 more per year after receiving one speeding ticket.
• With one speeding ticket on their record, a 40-year-old driver with good credit and minimum coverage will pay $148 more per year.

If you do accept the speeding ticket, you should compare car insurance quotes because some companies will raise your rates more than others.

If you decide to fight the ticket in court

If you intend to contest the ticket, you must appear in court, where a prosecutor must prove you were speeding. Even if you believe the ticket is unjustified, speeding violations are difficult to overcome.

If the officer fails to appear at the hearing, you may be excused, but don't count on it. If you request a hearing, be prepared to present your case and be questioned in front of a judge. Check the ticket to see if it was issued by a state, county, or local officer, and then look up traffic laws in that jurisdiction online. Look up your state's motor vehicle code, carefully read the alleged speeding law, and prepare to argue that you didn't.

You can do the following as you prepare for court:

• Delay the hearing. This will allow you to devote more time to developing your case.
• Collect evidence. If you have physical proof that you were not speeding, you will have a better chance of winning the argument. Dashcam video or GPS data from a smartphone app could be used as evidence, as could photographic evidence that a speed limit sign was obscured.
• Investigate high-speed equipment. Look up the method the officer used to measure your speed, take note of its flaws, and be prepared to present them. Maintenance schedules are included in instruction manuals, which you can ask the officer about, and they may point out radar gun flaws, for example.
• Make arrangements for witnesses. You have the right to call witnesses, including any passengers in the car when the ticket was issued.
• Prepare your questions ahead of time. You have the right to question the issuing officer, including his or her memory and experience with speed-clocking equipment. Avoid asking "why" questions and stick to questions with short answers.

Deciding whether to get a lawyer

If all of this sounds like too much for you to handle on your own, you can hire a traffic lawyer to assist you. These attorneys typically specialize in DUIs and other serious cases, but some do accept speeding tickets. If your ticket is particularly expensive or could result in the loss of your license, hiring a lawyer is likely worth the money.

According to Thumbtack, an online marketplace for service professionals, the average national cost of a traffic lawyer is between $250 and $350. In some states, a speeding ticket can cost anywhere from $50 to $2,500 in the most serious cases.

If you decide to negotiate the penalty

Making a deal with the prosecutor and the court saves the jurisdiction money by avoiding a hearing while lowering your ticket penalty. You may be able to request a negotiation before or during your hearing, but this is at the discretion of the court, so check the court's website or call to be sure. In some cases, you must submit a written request for mitigation.

In mitigation, you typically admit to the offence and present evidence that would persuade a judge to grant you leniency. Among the possible outcomes are:

• You pay the entire or a portion of the ticket, but it has no effect on your driving record.
• Instead of paying the speeding ticket, you enroll in a driving school.
• The fine on the ticket is reduced.
• You are given additional time to pay the fine.

Other possible outcomes

There are other options for dealing with your speeding ticket. Depending on where you live, for example:

• If you take a driving course, your state may waive your first moving violation.
• You may be granted a deferral, in which case you will typically pay a fine and your ticket will be dismissed after a certain period of time if no further offences occur.

Don't ignore the ticket under any circumstances. It won't go away on its own, and you'll be in a lot more trouble with the law as a result. The severity of the consequences depends on your state: you could be arrested, fined more, or have your license suspended.