Traffic Ticket Consequences

Driving is an essential part of daily life for everyone, especially in California where public transportation is not one of our strong points. Going to work, taking the kids to school, shopping and most of the other daily activities depend on our driving privilege. With all this everyday commuting, getting traffic tickets becomes a natural part of it as well.

There are a lot of infractions and misdemeanors that can land you a pricey California traffic ticket. Infractions are not considered crimes, but there is still a fine to pay and you can incur points on your driving record which in turn can increase your insurance premiums. Parking tickets and many of the non-moving violations like faulty equipment, illegal parking and not having registration are infractions and paying fine is usually the only consequence of the California traffic tickets associated with them.

On the other hand, traffic ticket consequences for misdemeanors are much more severe. In addition to the heavy fines you have to pay, possible jail time and a suspended driver's license are what you may have to face as well. For example, traffic ticket consequences for a DUI/DWI offense is paying a heavy fine, attending DUI programs for up to twelve months, suspension of driver's license and possible jail time. If a DUI/DWI conviction is repeated, the consequences become higher. Heavy fines and suspension of driver's license are also consequences of high speed violations, which is speeding over 100 miles per hour. High speed violations along with a DUI/DWI offense can turn into a reckless driving citation, which has 5-90 days of jail time and even heavier fines. Many other factors can turn high speed violations into reckless driving. Having a child in your car, previous citations, road and weather conditions are some of the other of these factors. Reckless driving resulted in bodily injury has even much heavier fines and longer jail time.

Traffic ticket consequences do not end there; if convicted for each of these violations, you may receive points on your DMV record. If these points add up to a certain number during a certain period of time, again you will have a suspended driver's license. You may be eligible to go to traffic school to clear some of these points, but that is not always a solution. You can only attend traffic school once in 18 months, and not all points can be cleared by going to traffic school.

Traffic ticket consequences are too much and are not worth taking the risk. Avoid making illegal moves, and if you get a California traffic ticket at some point make sure you contest it. If you manage to win in court, which is not at all easy if you are not familiar with traffic laws, you can avoid traffic ticket consequences. You can schedule a free traffic ticket consultation with one of our traffic attorneys to find the best solution for handling your traffic ticket.