Virtually every driver will one day hear the inevitable sirens behind them, take a deep sigh, and signal to the right, resigned to their fate. The fact is, sometimes staying within the speed limit is hard, and in many areas, speeding traps or unclear signage don’t make it any easier to adhere to the law. Around 41 million speeding tickets are issued every year, speaking in testament to both the often uncontrollable need for speed, and a flawed system that requires expensive and time-consuming surveillance… but no matter what, the fact is that when you get slapped with a fine, it can really ruin your day.

Fighting a speeding ticket can be a huge headache, but there are other reasons why it’s best to avoid speeding tickets, or really a moving violation of any kind. Check out this list and remember to consult a traffic ticket lawyer as soon as you can if you find yourself in this predicament.

Cost
Every day, about 112,328 people are given an average fine of $150 for speeding. The monetary fine is one of the biggest incentives for not getting a speeding ticket, and indeed, the prices can far exceed $150. As a traffic lawyer will tell you, in most states, the faster you were going, the higher your fines will be. The cost of traffic tickets in general is clearly a large source of income for states — the National Highway Traffic Security Administration estimates that the collective cost of speeding and related accidents is around $40.4 billion every year.

Points
Most everybody knows that one of the worst consequences of a speeding ticket is the deduction of points from your license, which could jeopardize it if enough points are taken off. Not to mention possibly the worst result of a speeding ticket…

Insurance
The fewer points there are on your license, the more proof your car insurance company has that you are a liability, and the more justified they are to jack up your insurance premium. Many people try to counteract this particular effect by taking traffic courses, or otherwise proving their trustworthiness to an insurer.

Taking a ticket to court is something many people are reluctant to do, but can often be the only way out of many of the effects of a speeding ticket. Get tips for traffic court, and help with your case in general, from a traffic lawyer.