Got ticket for Reckless Driving in Kansas, how should I fight it?

I got a ticket for reckless driving the other night. It was snowing a bit and at 1am. I was the designated driver coming from a friends house. On a two lane road I put my blinker on and started to change lanes and realized half way over that there was a car in my blind spot. I quickly got back over and out of the way.



The kicker was that the car was a police car! So I got pulled over and issued a Reckless Driving ticket. I wasn't speeding, I used my turn signal and as far as I can tell didn't really break any laws. I looked up the statute in Kansas and it says ';Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.';



Should I hire a lawyer and plea this down? Go to trial with a lawyer? Or try either of those by myself.



Got ticket for Reckless Driving in Kansas, how should I fight it?
well a lawyer might not do a lot of good . if you have a clean record you might just go in font of the judge and tell him your side of the story. and get off with a fine and less points against you . Got ticket for Reckless Driving in Kansas, how should I fight it?
id just explain to the judge what happened, it doesnt sound like you did anything wrong to me, the cop was probably just in a bad mood.



edit- to the hammer- he doesnt say he used his emergency blinkers anywhere... he says he put his blinker on to change lanes... and where does it say his brake lights were out?
Dumb is using the emergency blinkers while driving, not parked, your only defense is diminished mental ability.



How would anyone know what you intend to do when both tail lights signal turn and your brake lights don't work?
You made an unsafe lane change, therefore you are guilty as charged. A blinker is not all that is necessary when you know that all cars have blind spots. It is your duty to make sure that no cars are in the other lane. You should have turned your head to look and you would have seen the head lights. Never start a lane change or a turn without also turning your head to see if it is clear to do so. You are fortunate the the officer's car was not struck and that you nor the officer was injured. You have learned a new driving skill, so be thankful that the only result was a citation, one that you need to pay.