A bit of legal advice: If you get a traffic ticket, call a local attorney before you decide to just “pay it and get it over with.”

I get calls a lot from people saying “I just found out that my license is being taken away because of this” or “I lost my job as a driver because of this” and too often, by the time they realize it, the deadline for appealing the ticket has long passed.

The cops and the judge have no duty to inform you of what pleading guilty may do to your license, so call a lawyer.

This applies to all tickets, actually. Always plead not guilty and ask for a hearing. Even if you don’t hire a lawyer to help you, it’s not going to get worse and maybe the cop will be willing to give you a better deal once you show up in court. (Or maybe you’ll be really lucky and the cop won’t show up.)