So often on Reddit on /r/Raleigh I see “Wake County doesn’t do improper equipment anymore” when people ask for advice about speeding tickets. First, don’t get your legal advice from Reddit. Second, Wake County started doing improper equipment reductions again in 2015.
An improper equipment charge is a non-moving violation — this means you will not receive a statutory increase on your car insurance nor will you receive points on your license. Keep in mind an insurance company might revoke any safe-driving program you might be enrolled in, knowingly or not.
How can you get an improper equipment reduction in Wake County?
- Not have an improper equipment in North Carolina or the equivalent of one in another state within the last three years;
- Not have been stopped driving 20 mph over the limit and not in excess of 85 mph (regardless of the officer’s reduction, if any);
- Not have had more than three moving violations in the past ten years;
- Not have had more than one moving violation in the last three years.
The ADA will require a driving record from the NC DMV, and possibly other states if you have been licensed in others in the past decade. If you have an out-of-state license now, the ADA will require a record from that state.
If you hire an attorney for your speeding ticket, you most likely do not have to appear in court. An attorney can appear on your behalf unless you were stopped at an unusually high speed (in which case you wouldn’t be eligible for an IE anyhow).
An improper equipment reduction will cost $263 in court costs and fines. In Wake, you have 39 days after the date of the plea to pay the ticket, and you can do so online. This does not include the attorney fee.
Paige Feldmann offers a low-cost attorney fee for your Wake speeding ticket. Call 919-880-2124 for a free consultation.
Attorney William Pruden serves all areas of Wake County, North Carolina, including: Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Apex, and Morrisville.
