The fines and penalty assessments associated with a traffic ticket in Porterville or Visalia are just the beginning. Due to state laws, insurance companies cannot use some standard metrics, like credit scores, to determine risk.

While that’s normally a good thing, it’s bad news if you received a traffic ticket, because the effects are magnified. Consider a few examples:

• Driving Without a License: Since it’s not technically a moving violation, like speeding or running a stop sign, these violations may have little or no effect on your rates in some states. But in California, drivers can expect a 27 percent rate hike.
• Speeding, Less Than 30mph Over the Limit: Although it’s not the worst speeding violation in the Vehicle Code, most drivers still see a 40 percent rate hike.
• No Seat Belt: This non-moving, no-point violation triggers a rather startling 14 percent premium increase.

All these numbers are approximate. Furthermore, once your rates go up because of a traffic ticket, most companies will not consider reducing them for at least three years.

How an Attorney Can Help

All the above violations have something in common: for the most part, they cannot be dismissed through traffic school. So, unless you fight the ticket, a conviction is inevitable.

The good news is that a lawyer can often identify some traffic ticket defenses that you may have missed. Moreover, an attorney who regularly practices in Mono and Inyo County knows the system, so a plea bargain arrangement that results in no conviction, or a lesser conviction, is a real possibility.

Finally, almost all courts allow attorneys to appear on behalf of drivers, so you do not have to spend several days sitting in a courtroom.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive lawyers at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-859-1177 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-376-0214.