Traffic Tickets Should Always Be Challenged
Let Us Explain Why
Opportunities for Reducing Points on Your Driving Record
If you have recently been charged with a traffic offense in California, and otherwise eligible, you may be given the opportunity to attend traffic school. Nobody wants a minor traffic offense clouding their driving record.
Most times an experienced legal group will be able to get your ticket dismissed entirely. Once the violation is dismissed no points, court appearances or insurances increases are applicable.
How Traffic Violations Affect Your Record
In California, as is true throughout most the nation, the DMV adds points to your records when you are convicted of a traffic violation, as a sign of negligent driving.
Most moving violations come with one point. But more serious violations carry two points. These include driving under the influence or hit-and-run. If you accumulate too many points in a given period of time, the State of California will suspend your license.
If you receive four points in one year, six points in two years, or eight points in three years, the state will suspend your license. And remember, a point will stay on your record for three years.
While a single point can drastically affect your insurance costs, two points be devastating.
Details on Traffic School Eligibility and Enrollment
DMV approved classes can be found at http://www.ctsi-courtnetwork.org/. Keep in mind, however, that you may only attend traffic school once every 18 months.
California no longer allows you to take the second-offender traffic school if you get another ticket in that 18-month period. You will also not be able to take traffic school if you were driving a commercial vehicle with a commercial driver’s license.
If you hold a commercial driver’s license, but were driving your personal vehicle when you received a citation, you may still be eligible for traffic school, but the point will still show up on your record for insurance purposes.
If you think you might be eligible for traffic school, you should request it before your trial begins. Most judges will not offer traffic school after trial, although by law they cannot automatically deny you the opportunity simply because you elected to exercise your right to trial.
Determining the Best Course of Action
Challenge any alleged violation is always the best course of action. Vast benefits outweigh any downside of having your case heard before a judge.
You may want to avoid traffic school altogether and get the ticket dismissed instead. If this is the case, visit our “Get Started” page now and begin the dismissal process, avoiding the fines and traffic school altogether.
Traffic School Option
You can only attend traffic school once every 18 months, do not take this for granted and only attend traffic school after the violation has been challenged and not successfully dismissed.
In the unlikely event you are found guilty traffic school is always an option. Jumping straight into traffic school without taking the violation to trial is setting you at a massive disadvantage.
Of course, you could give in and pay the ticket. But not only are the fines themselves costly, the incident will go on your driving record, in turn driving up your insurance rates. In California, most traffic offenses are infractions.
These can carry a fine of up to $370 or more. Other, more serious, offenses may come with much higher fines or jail time. Fortunately, there is another option. Traffic school is now available online in every city in California. And you won’t receive any “points.”