Whether its a speeding ticket, MIP, DUI / DWI ...whatever... you need a lawyer.
Simply put, if you have been charged with a crime, you need a lawyer. Period. Whether its a speeding ticket, MIP, DWI / DUI, or a more serious charge, you always will fare much better represented by counsel.
Ours is an adversary system. When one is charged with a crime, no matter how minor, their adversary is the government. Think about that for a second. The government is not just on the other side, the government is the other side.
It is naive for one charged with a crime to think they can beat the government at the government's own game, playing by rules set by the government (of which he or she likely is almost wholly unaware), on a field of play controlled by the government. Unrepresented defendants generally don't appreciate the extent of their ignorance of both criminal procedure and substantive criminal law and, more importantly, the practical effect of their ignorance. How can one even know if he or she is being treated fairly when they don't know the rules of "the game" or how to play? ANSWER: One cannot.
Generally, unrepresented defendants don't (or refuse to) appreciate that, by custom and practice, the "system" operates in such a way that defendants who are represented are treated much more favorably. The "system" doesn't run a smoothly when defendants represent themselves. The "system" doesn't like it when defendant's represent themselves and unrepresented defendants are treated accordingly. In practice, in the "real world," our criminal justice system is not what most would consider "fair" to those charged with a crime who are not represented by counsel. For an adversary system to work, there have to be adversaries. Every defendant needs an attorney to be a formidable adversary and protect his or her rights.