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How to Handle Traffic Tickets
Traffic tickets can have serious effects on driver’s licenses, driving records and car insurance premiums. As such, drivers have the option to either fight traffic tickets or, if they believe they are guilty, submit traffic tickets payment to their local DMV office. For more specific information about traffic ticket defense and how to pay traffic fines, visit your state’s page below.
Select a state to begin:
Select a state to begin:
Fighting a Ticket
To fight traffic fines, you must follow the required steps established by your state. Typically, fighting traffic tickets requires you to plead “not guilty” to the violation for which you have been charged. After pleading “not guilty” to the traffic violations, you will have to go to court and provide evidence for your case.
You may or may not be provided with a traffic violation court lawyer depending on your state of residence, but you will have the option of hiring a private attorney to represent you. If you win your case, you will not have to pay the traffic fines, and the infraction will be erased from your record.
However, if you lose the case, you will have to pay the citation as well as added court fees. For this reason, it is crucial that you do your best to win your traffic case. The best way to prepare for a defense is to hire a lawyer to represent you. Traffic ticket lawyers can be hired online by providing an image of your traffic ticket and responding to a few basic questions about the citation.
Paying a Ticket
Drivers can pay speeding tickets and other traffic citations in a variety of ways. Motorists can typically pay traffic citations online, in person, by phone or by mail, depending on their state of residence and the type of ticket they received.
All traffic tickets must be paid by the due date provided on the citation in order to avoid a penalty. For more information, visit the “How to Pay Traffic Tickets” page.
Lost Tickets
Whether you are interested in contesting a traffic ticket or merely paying the fine, you must have the citation information in your possession. Therefore, if you have lost your traffic ticket, you will need to find the actual citation or the information featured on the citation in order to move forward.
Typically, information from traffic citations can be found online, depending on your state of residence. Otherwise, you can contact the court that is handling your case and request the information by phone. Details from traffic tickets that must be obtained include the citation number, the due date for payment and the amount of the fine.
Fines and Penalties
If you are unable to beat a traffic ticket, you must pay the applicable fine. Fees for traffic citations vary greatly from state to state and from minor infractions to major violations. Also, bear in mind that additional fees may be charged for late payments, missed court dates and more. Those who wish to avoid fines and penalties should contact a lawyer and attempt to challenge the citation in court. Experienced lawyers can be found easily online.
DMV Points
By paying driving fines, you acknowledge your violation of state laws. Depending on your state of residence, points may be added to your driving record after a traffic conviction. Point values for specific traffic tickets and infractions vary by state.
Some major traffic violations can result in as many as five demerit points, whereas minor violations may only cause one or two points to be added to your record. To remove points from driving records, if your state has an established DMV point system, you can enroll in traffic school and submit a certificate of completion to the applicable motor vehicle department office.
How Tickets Affect a Drivers License
Traffic citations can have various adverse effects on driver’s licenses. In addition to points incurred from traffic fines, too many citations can result in a driver’s license suspension or revocation. Most states have an established limit for the number of driving fines/points that can be accumulated within a given period, such as three violations within 12 months.
Motorists who exceed this limit will have their drivers licenses suspended for a set period of time. Revocations for excessive traffic violations function in the same way, though revocations are typically reserved for repeat major violations, such as driving under the influence and reckless driving.
Car Insurance Fines and Violations
Traffic violations can also have a serious impact on car insurance premiums. Drivers who incur traffic tickets that convey unsafe driving habits will be viewed as risky investments and will likely have their insurance rates raised. To avoid insurance rate increases, motorists may typically dismiss traffic tickets by completing online traffic school and submitting a certificate of course completion to the state DMV and their insurance provider.