According to The Seattle Times, the number of tickets issued by Seattle police is down a whopping 40% since 2015. They gathered their data from Seattle Municipal Court, and it includes common moving violations, such as distracted driving. As for speeding tickets, The Seattle Times reports that they dropped by more than half since 2015. And while that reads like good news, the fact remains that anyone who has ever received a Seattle speeding ticket can tell you that they are expensive.
According to the Washington legislature, Seattle speeding ticket fines are determined by the posted speed limit. If the posted speed limit is 40 mph or lower, the fine is:
- $125 for 1 to 5 mph over the speed limit
- $136 for 6 to 10 mph over the speed limit
- $166 for 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit
- $207 for 16 to 20 mph over the speed limit
- $259 for 21 to 25 mph over the speed limit
- $310 for 26 to 30 mph over the speed limit
- $361 for 31 to 35 mph over the speed limit
- $423 for 36 mph or more over the speed limit.
It the posted speed limit is over 40 mph, the fine is:
- $105 for 1 to 5 mph over the speed limit
- $125 for 6 to 10 mph over the speed limit
- $156 for 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit
- $187 for 16 to 20 mph over the speed limit
- $218 for 21 to 25 mph over the speed limit
- $259 for 26 to 30 mph over the speed limit
- $310 for 31 to 35 mph over the speed limit
- $361 for 36 to 40 mph over the speed limit
- $423 for 41 mph or more over the speed limit.
If speed limits aren’t posted, RCW 46.61400(2) states that speed limits are set as 25 mph on city and town streets, 50 mph for country roads, and 60 mph on state highways unless there are some sort of special hazard conditions such as a railroad, a curve, a hill, or an intersection.
And in school zones? Cameras are watching when the lights are flashing to make sure that no one exceeds the 20 mph limit near elementary and middle schools. If you speed, you could expect to receive a hefty ticket of $234 in the mail.
A 2019 news story posted by KIRO 7 revealed that Seattle police wrote the most speeding tickets in the Interbay neighborhood. They issued 930 tickets in the 2600 block of 15th Avenue West, just south of the Ballard Bridge. The 1800 block of Aurora Avenue saw 149 tickets issued, and the 3800 block of Aurora Avenue saw 312 speeding tickets. Ironically, in that same news report, some of the drivers who received speeding tickets in those Seattle neighborhoods stated that the low-speed limits just aren’t realistic because other drivers honk and drive aggressively toward those who do attempt to follow the speed limit.
How Speeding Tickets Affect Your Driving Record
Before we discuss how speeding tickets affect your driving record, you should understand what a driving record is and who can get a copy of it. A full driving record includes convictions, violations, collisions, suspensions, revocations, disqualifications, deferred prosecution, and failures to appear. The only persons or entities entitled to receive a copy of a full driving record are the person named in the driving record, attorneys, legal and justice agencies, and governmental agencies or their named agents. An insurance driving record is used to create or renew commercial or personal motor vehicle or life insurance policies. It contains a three-year history of convictions, violations, collisions, and failures to appear. The only person or entity entitled to receive a copy of an insurance driving record is the person named in the driving record and the insurance company or their agent. An employment driving record is used by an employer to determine if an individual should be hired to drive a vehicle. It lists convictions, violations, collisions, suspensions, revocations, disqualifications, deferred prosecutions, and failures to appear. The only persons or entities entitled to receive a copy of an employment driving record is the person named in the record or the employers or their named agents, prospective employers or their named agents, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, or school districts. An alcohol and drug treatment driving record includes a five-year driving history. It is only used for referrals to drug and alcohol treatment facilities. The only entity entitled to this driving record is an alcohol or drug assessment or treatment facility.
A speeding ticket in Seattle is classified as a moving violation since the vehicle is in motion. If a speeding ticket is committed to your driving record, it is very difficult to be remove. How does this affect your driving record? The State of Washington does not use a point system like other states when it comes to rating their drivers. Instead, they count the number of moving violations a driver receives during a certain period. If you receive six moving violations during a period of 12 months, your driver’s license is subject to suspension.
But it’s not just the pain of a suspended driver’s license, paying for six speeding tickets isn’t going to be cheap. Sure, the total out-of-pocket would depend on the fine for each ticket. But even if the posted speed limit was over 40 mph and you were ticketed for 1 to 5 mph over, that’s still $105. Six tickets of between one and five mph over the limit in 12 months is $630. And that doesn’t include court costs and any other assessed fees and interest associated with getting your license back in 60 days plus the fees that are charged for one year of probation. If you receive another moving violation, your license will be suspended for an additional 30 days and your one year of probation starts over.
Then, there’s the cost of car insurance. If you recently renewed your car insurance policy, you may not notice an increase in your premium. But if your provider checks your driving record within three years after you get a speeding ticket, your premium could increase. While many insurance providers have accident forgiveness, few if any that we checked with have speeding ticket forgiveness.
Certain jobs require their employees and potential employees to have clean driving records. Since speeding tickets can’t be removed from your driving record, a potential employer may be able to see speeding tickets you’ve received for the last five years. Your bad driving record may make you ineligible for certain jobs.
License and Registration: What You Should NEVER Say to Seattle Police Issuing a Speeding Ticket
It feels almost natural to get defensive, apologize, or try to explain yourself to the Seattle officer who tells you or infers that they’ve pulled you over for speeding. Should you do that? While you should, of course, pull over as soon as you can and provide the officer with your name, your license, your proof of insurance, and your registration, there are some things you should never say if you’re being pulled over for speeding or issued a speeding ticket.
- Don’t apologize for speeding. An apology, especially for speeding, could be considered an admission. A general apology such as, “I’m sorry, Officer,” may still be taken as an admission. Don’t admit to anything and don’t apologize. You certainly do not need to be (and should not be) argumentative, but you also do not need to be (and should not be) apologetic.
- Don’t go out of your way to be a jerk. At the end of the day, the officer has a job to do. Even if the officer may seem to not be having such a great day, you don’t need to go out of your way to be a jerk to them. Doing so could guarantee that you get a speeding ticket instead of a warning.
- Don’t give a reason for speeding. It doesn’t matter what reason you provide to the officer for how fast you were driving. They’ve heard it before…and to them, it is an excuse and not a reason. And it also could be considered an admission of guilt. Do yourself a favor and do not give any sort of reason for speeding.
- Don’t say yes if they ask you if you know why they pulled you over. If you say you know they pulled you over for speeding, you may have given an admission. An admission makes it more difficult to fight a ticket.
- Don’t give them a speed or even guess a speed if they ask you if you know how fast you were going when they pulled you over. If you give them a speed over the limit or even guess a speed, you could be providing an admission. You do not need to incriminate yourself. You can state that you were keeping up with the flow of traffic and accept the speeding ticket if the officer gives you one. You can then fight the ticket in court.
- Don’t try to say anything that antagonizes the officer, such as, “My taxes pay your salary!” or, “Don’t you know who I am?” Believe us when we say that you will not do yourself any favors by saying either of those things or anything similar. Seattle officers are well aware that their salaries are paid by the citizens. Antagonizing a police officer does not help your situation. All it might do is ensure that you end up with a speeding ticket instead of a warning.
In short, just be nice to the officer. Never say more than you should. Provide the officer with your real name, your driver’s license, proof of insurance, and your vehicle registration. Do not admit that you were speeding. Be gracious in the moment. You do have options that you can exercise later to protect your driving record.
Should You Just Pay Your Seattle Speeding Ticket?
While you do have the option of just paying your Seattle speeding ticket, that would commit it to your driving record. A committed speeding ticket could increase your insurance premium. And if you get six moving violations of any kind in a 12-month period, your driver’s license may very well be suspended for 60 days and then you will be placed on probation for one year. So, whether you should just pay your speeding ticket is a serious decision. You do have other options. You can apply for deferral or you can fight your speeding ticket.
A speeding ticket deferral is an agreement that keeps the speeding ticket off of your driving record under certain circumstances. However, you must apply for the deferral program within 15 days of receiving the ticket or after you receive a court date. You can apply for the deferral online, during your court appearance, or you can apply in person at the court clerk’s office. You must meet certain qualifications in order to receive a deferral:
- You are only eligible for a deferral for a moving violation every seven years.
- You must have a valid driver’s license.
- You cannot have a deferral within the last seven years from any Washington court for a moving or non-moving violation.
- The speeding ticket cannot be for a commercial driver’s license.
- You must pay a non-refundable administrative fee if it is assigned by the judge. Generally, this fee is between $150 and $175.
- Your deferral could be revoked if you receive another traffic violation of any kind during the time of deferral.
- You may be required to complete traffic school.
If you have a history of getting speeding tickets or any type other traffic violations (or even parking tickets), an attorney may suggest that a deferral probably isn’t the best option for you. If you do get another ticket of any kind the deferral will likely be revoked. The deferral could be revoked even if you succeed in contesting the new ticket. If the deferral is revoked, the original speeding ticket would then be committed to your driving record.
If you have a commercial driver’s license, you’re not eligible to apply for a deferral even if you weren’t driving a commercial vehicle at the time you received the speeding ticket in Seattle.
Your other option is to fight the speeding ticket. Exactly how to fight a Seattle speeding ticket depends on whether it was written by a police officer or if it was mailed to you as a result of a camera. If it was a camera ticket, mailed to you, you can go to court and swear under oath that you weren’t the one driving. Provided, of course, that you weren’t the one actually driving.
For speeding tickets issued by Seattle police officers, the strategies used to fight the ticket can vary. First, though, you must check the “contested hearing” box on the back of the speeding ticket, just as the ticket states. It's also wise to make two copies for each side for your records. Then, mail the original ticket to the court. Keep one copy of the speeding ticket for yourself. If you decide to hire a lawyer, you’ll want to provide the other copy of the ticket to them. As this attorney explains, common strategies for fighting a Seattle speeding ticket include:
- Subpoenaing the police officer who issued the speeding ticket. You are required to give the police officer seven days’ notice before the court hearing. If they do not show up to the hearing, the court may decide to dismiss the speeding ticket. The police officer must be personally served, and you must provide proper proof of service.
- A material mistake on the ticket. This is not a minor mistake such as a small misspelling. This is a serious mistake that could be used against you, such as listing the wrong infraction, the wrong law, or the wrong location.
- Within 14 days of your hearing date, request evidence from the prosecutor if the officer used radar. This request must be made in writing. The prosecutor must turn over their evidence to you within seven days or they cannot use it during the hearing. In addition to copies of police reports and notes, ask for radar certification and maintenance records.
- Determine whether the speeding ticket was filed with Seattle court on time. Speeding tickets must be filed with the court within five days of being issued or they must be dismissed. Generally, the onus is on you to determine whether the ticket was filed on time.
Do You Really Need a Speeding Ticket Lawyer?
A speeding ticket lawyer can help make the process of keeping a speeding ticket off of your driving record easier and less stressful. Off the Record makes the process simple and painless, and you can do it from the privacy of your own home. Use your cell phone to take a picture of your speeding ticket and answer a few simple questions to start your free speeding ticket review. If we can help you, we’ll match you with a Seattle speeding ticket lawyer. You’ll be contacted within 24 business hours by your lawyer.
You don’t have to subpoena the officer who issued the ticket, write the prosecution to request the evidence, or determine whether the speeding ticket was filed with the court on time. In fact, you don’t even have to go to court. Your lawyer will explain your options and help you decide whether you should fight your ticket. And if you don’t win? We offer a money-back guarantee. Yes, it really is that simple.
Why rely on technicalities and wondering whether you should try to defer your ticket, pay it, or fight it? Off the Record is the cost-effective option for handling Seattle speeding tickets! Ready to get started? We have a 97% success rate in Washington and fighting your speeding ticket could save you up to $770 over the next three years!
This information on this site is provided solely for informational purposes. It is not legal advice. Off The Record is not a law firm, does not provide legal services, and is not a lawyer referral service. The attorney listings on the site are paid attorney advertisements. Off the Record has not evaluated this content for accuracy, completeness, or changes in the law. No representation is made here about your specific rights. Off The Record is not a substitute for an attorney or a law firm. Legal advice can only be provided by a licensed lawyer.
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