Your spouse is pregnant, and they suddenly go into labor. You can tell that it’s urgent, and you feel that it’s an emergency situation. You need to get them to the hospital as soon as you can, both due to their own health complications and to protect the unborn child.
As such, you begin breaking the speed limit on your way to the hospital. A police officer pulls you over, noting that you are driving above the speed limit. Is it legal for you to do this because you had a valid reason and an emergency?
You could still receive a ticket
No, speeding is not legal in any situation. Just because there’s an emergency doesn’t mean that the law can be broken, and all speed limits do still apply.
That said, you will sometimes hear stories of people who are rushing to the hospital when they get pulled over, but the police officer refrains from giving them a ticket and instead escorts them to the medical center. It is certainly up to the officer’s discretion to determine if there’s a valid emergency, and they may decide to render assistance.
But that doesn’t mean that the laws have been changed or that the speed limits aren’t being enforced. In fact, the officer could very well escort you and your spouse to the hospital so that you get there in time—and then write you a speeding ticket due to the violation. It’s very important to remember that all laws still stand, even in an emergency situation.
Exploring your options
That said, there are often legal options you can exercise to fight a speeding ticket or any other type of traffic violation you may receive. Take the time to carefully look into your legal rights and determine what next steps to take. It may help to work with an experienced law firm.