You're cruising along, trying to get to your destination, and you see those flashing lights in your rearview mirror. When you glance down at your speedometer, you know exactly why the police officer is pulling you over — you were speeding. Fines, lost points on your driver's license, and maybe even a court appearance loom in your future. Below are four important steps to take both the day you get a ticket and after.

Keep Your Cool

Your adrenaline may surge when you get pulled over. However, don't let that affect your demeanor. Find a safe space to pull over. Keep your seatbelt on and your hands on the steering wheel — indeed, keep your hands in plain site the whole time you're talking to the police officer.

Likewise, remain civil. As you reach for your license and registration, tell the officer what you're doing. That said, don't admit to wrong-doing because the officer could use it against you in court.

Review and Understand the Charge

The officer will hand you a ticket. Review the ticket for any mistakes. You don't necessarily have to do this in front of the officer. Indeed, if there are enough mistakes in the ticket, it could signify inattention on the officer's part. This could be grounds for getting the ticket dismissed.

Consider if You Want to Fight the Charge

Speeding ticket fines are often steep. However, the financial cost doesn't end there. Car insurance companies often raise your premiums after a speeding ticket. New insurance companies also use the presence of speeding tickets on your records for calculating premiums, and they usually go a few years back. Likewise, you can only get so many points against your driver's license before it's suspended or even revoked.

Appearing in traffic court often results in reduced or even dismissed charges. Therefore, you'll need to weigh the time commitment of a court appearance against all those issues when deciding if you want to fight the charge.

Think About Hiring an Attorney

Once you've settled on fighting the charges, you'll need to decide if you want to hire a speeding ticket attorney. Does such a lawyer give you an advantage in court? Having a lawyer represent you gives a distinct advantage. As the Department of Motor Vehicles points out, a speeding ticket lawyer is used to navigating the legal system, especially on these specific charges. This could spell the difference in fines, fees, and your driving record.

Keep your cool throughout the whole process after you've gotten a speeding ticket, and consider fighting the charges with the help of a speeding ticket attorney. Visit a website like http://www.clgnc.com/ to learn more.