5 Real-Life Officer writing a ticket for woman in white car

Speeding can be incredibly dangerous and often is the cause of accidents. It’s also one of the most common reasons for drivers to receive a traffic ticket. However, although speeding is illegal, there are times when it may be lawful to speed. In these cases, it may be possible to avoid a traffic ticket and other consequences of getting pulled over. Some of the few times when speeding can be legal include the following.

1. Dealing with an Emergency

In an emergency, it may be possible to speed to handle the emergency. This is only for true emergencies, such as when someone is being rushed to the hospital due to injury or illness. If going the speed limit could lead to further injury or death, fighting a speeding ticket may be possible. In some cases, officers will provide assistance to someone who is rushing a loved one to the emergency room, but if the ticket is from a camera, it may be necessary to fight the ticket in court.

2. Self-Defense

Increasing numbers of people are becoming victims of road rage. If someone is acting aggressively, speeding to get away from them may be legal. This is only the case if there were no other options to get away and if the driver stopped speeding as soon as the risk was gone. When using this to fight a ticket, any evidence of the aggressive driver can help. It may be necessary to prove that there was no other way to avoid the aggressive driver.

3. Defense of Others

In the same line as self-defense, it may be possible to avoid a ticket if the speeding was done in the defense of someone else. An example of this would be an attempt to get a loved one away from a domestic violence situation. If the driver is being followed when they leave, they may speed up long enough to get away if there is no other way to do so. Similar to self-defense, it would be necessary to prove this was the reason for speeding and that there were no other options available.

4. Keeping with the Flow of Traffic

While speeding is known for being dangerous, so is driving too slow. This doesn’t just mean driving below the speed limit, either. If the flow of traffic is 10 miles an hour above the speed limit, it is better to stick with the flow instead of drive slower than the surrounding traffic. Driving slower could lead to an accident as cars try to get around the slower vehicle or run into the slower vehicle because they expect it to be going faster.

5. Fear of an Accident

It is sometimes necessary to speed up to avoid an accident. This can only be done lawfully if there was no other way to avoid the accident. If someone sees the driver next to them starting to get in their lane and slowing down has the potential to cause an accident, speeding up may be the only way to avoid the accident. For this to be lawful, the driver will need to slow back down to the speed limit as soon as the risk of an accident is gone.

While speeding is illegal and can be dangerous, there are a few occasions where it may be legal. Those who are given a ticket for speeding for any one of the above reasons may want to seek legal assistance to get help fighting the ticket so they can avoid the consequences.