Ventura Traffic Ticket Attorneys

Why You Should Always Fight Traffic Tickets

If you receive a traffic ticket for a minor infraction with a relatively small fine, it is understandable that you might just want to pay up and settle the matter. However, you should remember that receiving a traffic ticket constitutes being charged with a crime. Paying the associated fine signifies that you are pleading guilty without ever defending yourself.

Even more importantly, traffic violations add points to your driver’s license. If you accrue enough points, you will be classified as a “negligent driver” and your driver’s license can be suspended or even revoked. Restoring your license will generally require legal support and a protracted DMV hearing. It is almost always easier to handle individual traffic tickets, no matter how minor, versus a suspended license.

Traffic infractions are assigned points values by the California DMV. When you are found guilty of a traffic violation, which occurs when you pay a corresponding ticket, those points are assigned to your license. Failing to obey traffic lights, running a stop sign, and unsafe lane changes will generally run you 1 point each. More serious infractions, including DUIs, reckless driving, and hit and runs, tend to add 2 points each.

Your driver’s license can be suspended or revoked if you accrue:

• 4 or more points within a 12-month period
• 6 or more points in a 24-month period
• 8 or more points in a 36-month period

This means that even a combination of small infractions can lead to serious consequences. Losing a your ability to drive can cause you to lose your job if your employer requires you to be a licensed driver. Consequently, you should rely on the services of our Ventura traffic ticket attorneys to fight any and all tickets.

Contesting a traffic ticket prevents the associated points from immediately appearing on your record. Should you successfully overturn the ticket or if the case is dismissed, you will accrue zero points, protecting your future ability to drive. If you are a first-time offender, you may also be able to take “traffic school” counseling to effectively dismiss the points by hiding the infraction from your driving record.

The potential suspension of your license is not the only reason you should avoid points on your driving record. Traffic infractions and the points they confer will almost always raise your insurance premiums. You will likely see a permanent raise in prices of your insurance rates for each infraction. Should you accumulate enough points, insurance carriers might decline to continue covering you and deny coverage inquiries in the future.

How We Can Fight Traffic Tickets

The process of contesting traffic tickets is often deliberately labyrinthine. The state hopes you will pay the fine and move on. Those who do choose to exercise their rights and fight will typically face resistance in the form of bureaucracy. In many traffic ticket cases, the courts are designed to be as confusing and time-consuming as possible, incentivizing you to give up.

Our team knows how to move through traffic court and has a full understanding of legal strategies that can successfully win cases. We can evaluate the facts of your case and explore all legal avenues that can yield a positive outcome.

Contrary to popular belief, many infractions do not require you to appear multiple times in court. You are in most situations permitted to submit a written “not guilty” plea, within which you can request a Trial by Written Declaration. This helps avoid situations where you are forced to give up multiple days to inefficient court appearances. Most of the work can instead be reviewed by your legal team and handled entirely by mail. If a Trial by Written Declaration produces an unfavorable result, we can help you request a second, in-person trial that gives you another shot at overturning a ticket.

In many situations, the simple act of contesting a ticket will result in the case’s dismissal, meaning you will not have to pay the associated fine or incur points on your record. This is because the prosecution – typically the officer that issued the ticket – is required to submit their account of the events within a certain amount of time after your initial dispute is filed. Many courts and departments will opt not to bother participating and instead let the deadline lapse, especially if they learn the defense has retained quality legal representation.

Let Us Help You Beat Your Traffic Ticket

You may think your traffic ticket is a hopeless endeavor. Perhaps you were hit with a red-light camera or a radar gun, giving the prosecution seemingly irrefutable evidence that you violated some area of traffic law. The truth is you can overturn many tickets with the right legal strategy, even in situations where the issuing officer has hard evidence. Our Ventura traffic ticket lawyers at Lessem, Newstat & Tooson, LLP have a long history of helping California drivers protect their driving privileges and record. We will leave no stone unturned in helping you contest an unfair ticket and will work to reduce any negative consequences of the process.