Traffic Violations
In a typical day in traffic court, There's hardly an empty
seat to be found. The most common complaint of violators is that the
cop specifically targeted them because of their appearance, race or the
type of car they drive. There is a commonly held belief that police
write more tickets to raise revenue or build their quota of citations
for the month.
Millions of traffic violations are issued every year. There are 3 types of traffic violations.
1. Infractions
2. Misdemeanors
3. Felonies
Infractions are by far the most common, usually moving violations such
as speeding, running a red light or stop sign, improper passing, or
right-of-way violations. Infractions are punished by a fine, and
usually points against one's license or there is sometimes the option
of attending a traffic safety class to avoid the fine and negative
points. There is no jail time, or probation unless the violator refuses
to sign the ticket, fails to appear or pay the fine.
A driver stopped for a moving violation is normally released after
he/she signs the ticket. The ticket (citation) which is a notice to
appear in traffic court with the option to pay the fine should you
choose not to contest it. There is a court date stated on the ticket,
commonly in 45 days or so. When you sign the ticket, you are not
admitting guilt, rather you are merely acknowledging that you know of
the court date and agree to appear in court or pay the fine if you
decide not to fight it. Refusal to sign the ticket can result in arrest.
Misdemeanors are a criminal offense so they are quite a bit more
serous. Some examples would be DUI, leaving the scene of an accident,
or reckless driving. Drunk driving is the most common. Such offenses
usually always result in suspension of your driver's license, or
revocation in some states for multiple offenses.
Felony traffic violations are fortunately rare. Some examples would be
vehicular manslaughter, or a hit-and-run accident resulting in injury
or death. This could carry imprisonment in addition to steep fines.
Any one of the 3 categories can raise auto insurance premiums.
Upon receiving a ticket for a traffic infraction, in 45 days or so you
would receive instructions in the mail on options to deal with the
citation.
You could accept guilt by paying the fine, and so not have to appear in
court. This will automatically result in negative points on your
license.
You might pay the fine and attend driving safety school, hopefully to avoid negative points on your license.
You can choose to appear in traffic court and plea Not Guilty (similar
to an arraignment), upon which a new court date will be assigned where
you will testify along with the cop who wrote the ticket.
Amount of the fine depends on the particular violation and severity of
the violation. Traffic courts do have mandatory minimum fines, set bail
schedules for more serious violations. Some examples might include
running a red light/stop sign, child restraint, car pool lane
violations. Depending on your situation and the Judge, you might get a
break on the fine, but unfortunately the violation will still be
recorded on your driving record.
The most popular way to get bad driving poings off of one's DMV record
and avoid increases in auto insurance, is to attend traffic safety
school. This is something you will need to pay for, and attendance is
not an option.
Regarding auto insurance, normally an insurance company will raise
one's premium in the case of a habitual offender. One violation is
usually not a problem but 2 or more violations within a 3-year period
will cause rates to increase in many cases.