If you were ticketed for speeding in Carteret County, the most important thing to know is this: in many cases, that moving violation can be reduced to something that is not a moving violation at all — and the difference is worth real money for the next three years.
For more than seventeen years, Joshua Tetterton has resolved speeding tickets in the Carteret County courthouse in Beaufort, and the improper equipment reduction is one of the most common tools for doing it well.
What “improper equipment” actually means
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-123.2, every vehicle must have a working speedometer. A violation is an infraction — not a crime — punishable by a penalty of up to $25. And the statute says something remarkable in plain language: “No drivers license points, insurance points or premium surcharge shall be assessed” for this violation.
When a prosecutor agrees to reduce a speeding charge to improper equipment, you are no longer convicted of a moving violation. You are convicted of, essentially, a faulty speedometer. No DMV points. No insurance points. No premium increase. Your driving record stays clean where it counts.
Who qualifies in Carteret County
An improper equipment reduction is not automatic — it is a negotiated outcome, and the District Attorney’s office applies its own guidelines. Speed, zone, your driving history, and how recently you’ve used a reduction all factor in. This is where local experience matters: knowing how these cases are actually handled in this courthouse, not how a statewide blog post says they might be.
As a general rule, drivers with clean or nearly clean records facing ordinary speeding charges are strong candidates. Drivers with recent prior reductions, very high speeds, or aggravating facts may need a different strategy — a prayer for judgment continued, a reduction in the speed charged, or another approach entirely.
What it costs — in most cases
For a typical Carteret County speeding ticket resolved by improper equipment reduction, our flat attorney fee is $150, and the court costs and penalty generally total about $266. Those are the numbers in most cases — the facts of your case and your driving record can change what’s possible and what it costs, and we will quote your exact number before you hire us, not after.
Compare that one-time cost to the alternative: a speeding conviction can raise your insurance premium substantially every year for three years. For most drivers the reduction pays for itself several times over.
You usually don’t have to come to court
For most speeding tickets, we can appear in court on your behalf under a waiver of appearance. Clients from Raleigh, Charlotte, or out of state routinely resolve Carteret County tickets without ever making the drive back.
Talk to us before you just pay it
Paying a speeding ticket online is a conviction — the full points, the full insurance hit, locked in with a few clicks. Before you do that, call 252-728-1373 or send us the details. Our office is at 313 Turner Street in Beaufort, directly across from the courthouse where your case will be heard.