Think Twice Before Paying That Traffic Ticket or
Choosing Traffic School
When you get stopped for a traffic violation, you may want to just pay it to make it go away or choose to go to traffic school. But you might want to seriously think twice before doing that!
For more information about how the firm can help you, call the law firm of Patricia J. Jones, P.A. Traffic Tickets Defender for a FREE consultation at 954-448-5300. You can speak to attorney Patricia Jones, not a receptionist, assistant or paralegal, about your ticket or driver’s license situation, and you can learn about your rights under the law and your right to fight back! The goal of the law firm is to achieve the best possible resolution of your traffic ticket and to keep you behind the wheel.
It's All about the Money: Fines
Fines for traffic violations can run from the mildly stinging to the seemingly excessive, depending the violation and your driving record. Often times people just want to make the ticket go away, and it may be tempting to do the math and conclude that the time lost in traffic school is not worth your time. So, they decide to just pay that traffic ticket. But driver beware! When you just pay that ticket, it is an admission of guilt; it is a conviction; and it goes on your driving record. Insurance companies base the insurance rates they charge you on how good a driver you are, which they determine by considering your driving record. So, you could actually continue to pay for that ticket for much longer than it takes for you to pay the traffic ticket fine to the clerk of the court. You could be paying money because of the ticket for several years! It’s a good idea to always consider your driving record and the impact that record has on your insurance rates.
For many traffic tickets issued in Florida, there may be the option to go to traffic school. However, driver beware! If you choose to go to driving school, you still have to pay a monetary penalty, and there is no reduction in the financial penalty for traffic school elections. And not only do you have to pay for the ticket, but you also have to pay to attend traffic school! So, for traffic school elections, you must pay for the ticket in addition to paying to attend traffic school.
An attorney with years of experience in the area of traffic ticket defense law might be able to handle your case in such a way that it will not be reported on your driving record, such as occurs if a ticket is dismissed. You can hire Patricia J. Jones, P.A. Traffic Tickets Defender to put years of experience and knowledge about traffic law defense to work for you.
For more information about how the firm can help you, call 954-448-5300 for a FREE, no obligation consultation with an attorney, not a receptionist, assistant, or paralegal.
It's Still All About the Money: Insurance Rates
Generally speaking, depending on your state law and insurance policy, one ordinary moving violation in a three to five year period might not affect your insurance rates. But if you already have a violation on your record in the past few years, you just might be in for a shock the next time you see your insurance bill if you add another moving violation to your driving record.
The effect of choosing to go to traffic school on your insurance policy rates depends entirely on your state's laws and your insurance policy. You can look at your insurance policy to see whether electing to attend traffic school wipes out the offense or call your insurance company and without identifying yourself ask whether choosing to attend traffic school for a ticket can be used to increase your insurance rates. Often times insurance companies may seize any opportunity to increase your rates; that is how they make money and stay in business.
For more information about how the firm can help you, call 954-448-5300 for a FREE, no obligation consultation with an attorney, not a receptionist, assistant, or paralegal.
Avoiding a Suspended License
Generally speaking, one or two noncriminal traffic violations will usually not cause your driver’s license to be suspended, but that doesn't mean that they are of no consequence. Most states, like the state of Florida, have a point system, and each violation that isn't successfully contested or erased counts towards your point total. Once you reach a certain point total which is determined by the department of motor vehicles, your driver’s license or driving privilege may be suspended. In Florida, this kind of suspension is called or referred to as a “points suspension.” Under Florida law, accumulation of 12 points in 12 months results in a suspension of not more than 30 days; accumulation of 18 points in 18 months results in a suspension of not more than 3 months; accumulation of 24 points in 36 months (3 years) results in a suspension of not more than 1 year.
In Florida, the department of motor vehicles, which is called the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) may also revoke the driver’s license or driving privilege of a person who accumulates a specified number of convictions for certain offenses within a 5 year period or has 15 convictions for moving traffic offenses for which point may be assessed. The DHMSV designates such a driver to be a habitual traffic offender (HTO). The DHSMV revokes the driver’s license of a person designated a habitual traffic offender for a minimum of 5 years.
Florida law allows a person’s driver’s license or driving privilege to be suspended as a result of conviction of certain offenses, such as driving under the influence (DUI)/driving while intoxicated (DWI), felony possession of drugs while the person was driving or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle, racing, conviction of a traffic law which resulted in a crash that caused the death or personal injury of person or property damage in excess of $500, or two or more violations of failing to stop for a school bus within 5 years.
Driver’s license or driving privilege suspension also arises in Florida when a person has a certain kind of financial obligation and fails to meet it. These kinds of driver’s license suspension are sometimes referred to as a“financial responsibility suspension.” Some examples include suspension of a driver’s license for failing to pay child support (“child support suspension”), failure to pay a judgment from a lawsuit (“judgment suspension”), and failure to have insurance (“insurance suspension”). In Florida, a person’s driver’s license or driving privilege can also be suspended for failing to pay a traffic ticket or for failing to appear for a court date for a traffic case.
Because of how important being able to drive is in all of our lives and having our driver’s license or driving privilege in good status, it makes sense to have an attorney represent you for all of your traffic tickets. An attorney knowledgeable and experienced in traffic ticket defense, like defense lawyer Patricia J. Jones, may be able to help you avoid getting points on your driver’s license and avoid suspension or revocation of your driver’s license.
The law firm also can be hired to help you resolve your driver’s license problems and try to get your driver’s license reinstated.
You can hire Patricia J. Jones, P.A. Traffic Tickets Defender to put years of experience and knowledge about traffic law defense and driver’s licenses to work for you. The goal is to keep you behind the wheel or to help you get back behind the wheel again.
For more information about how the firm can help you, call 954-448-5300 for a FREE, no obligation consultation with an attorney, not a receptionist, assistant, or paralegal.
Going To Traffic School
For some traffic tickets issued in Florida, you may have the option of going to traffic school. But, there are limits on how often, and whether, traffic school can help you -- it's not a get out of traffic ticket free card. Most states limit how often you can use the traffic school option and limit it to certain types of offenses. For example, in Florida, you cannot chose to go to traffic school and avoid a court hearing if you were traveling in excess of 30 mph over the speed limit.
However, even if you do have an option to choose to go to traffic school, driver beware! If you elect to go to driving school, you still have to pay a monetary penalty, and there is no reduction in the financial penalty for traffic school elections. And not only do you have to pay for the ticket, but you also have to pay to attend traffic school! So, for traffic school elections, you must pay for the ticket in addition to paying to attend traffic school, not to mention any lost time from work or school.
Traffic school courses differ, but most are at least four hours long and consist of a series of lessons about traffic safety and driving safely. It can be an unpleasant, boring experience, and it is not intended to be pleasant. It is meant to deter people from breaking traffic rules, and the state wants to ensure that you don't violate traffic laws again. If you do go to traffic school, be sure to follow up after completing traffic school. Make sure the court has received proof that you have completed the traffic driving school course. You certainly don't want to sit in that classroom for, say, 8 long miserable hours and then not get credit for it. Depending upon the driving school course you take, you will have to provide the proof of completion of the traffic school to the court or the traffic school will do so for you. But just to be safe, in case the traffic school messes up and does not notify the court that you have completed the course, it’s a good idea to contact the court to confirm that they have received it.
The goal of the law firm is to help you avoid going to traffic school. You can hire Patricia J. Jones, P.A. Traffic Tickets Defender to put years of experience and knowledge about traffic law defense and driver’s license suspensions/revocations to work for you.
For more information about how the firm can help you, call 954-448-5300 for a FREE, no obligation consultation with an attorney, not a receptionist, assistant, or paralegal.
Finally: It’s Your Right to Fight Back!
Getting a traffic ticket has to be one of the most undesirable situations a person can experience. It may often be followed by stress, worry, and unnerving risk of getting an unfavorable outcome when a person who has not been educated in or trained in the law and legal representation endeavors to defend himself or herself against a police officer who is supposed to testify in court against all the people he issues traffic citations to as part of his job. You also need to consider the time loss off from work or school when traveling to and attending court. A law firm may be able to detect technicals errors in your charges that could possibly result in dismissal your ticket , which a person who is not an attorney and practicing in the field of traffic ticket defense law may not be able to detect, and may, thereby, allow you to avoid convictions, fines, and traffic school altogether. The bottom line: Seeking advice and services from experienced attorney practicing in the areas of traffic law and criminal law may help you to achieve the best possible outcome for your tickets or traffic related case. When you have health issues, you go to a doctor; when your car breaks down, you let a licensed mechanic fix it; and when you get a ticket you may first want to consider consulting with the firm of Patricia J. Jones, P.A. Traffic Tickets Defender before paying any ticket, choosing traffic driving school or going to court. The mission of the firm is to strive for the best possible outcome for your case and driving record!
Please do not hesitate to call 954-448-5300 for a FREE consultation about your traffic matter or driver’s license issue. You can discuss your specific legal case or legal matter with attorney Patricia Jones, not a receptionist, assistant or paralegal, and you can learn about your rights under the law and your right to fight back!
