Only 58,000 of some 3.3 million eligible drivers, or about 15 percent, have taken advantage of the ticket amnesty available in Apple Valley and Barstow.

To be sure, there have been thousands of success stories that have been well-documented in media reports. Many eligible drivers are able to reduce a few thousand dollars in fines to a few hundred dollars, start payment plans, and get suspended drivers’ licenses reinstated. But only a handful of people have come forward, possibly because of lack of information about the amnesty and eligibility for the program.

Even if the amnesty does catch on, when it ends next March, the penalty assessment system will revert back to the way it was before, in all likelihood.

Amnesty v Attorney

There is a more disturbing possibility, which is that the eligible tickets are so old that drivers figure they have gone this long without being caught, so what is the point in coming forward now.

The amnesty does no good if the driver received a ticket during the second Obama administration. Furthermore, most people are only eligible for a 50 percent reduction in fines, and 50 percent of $2,000 is still more money than many working families can afford to pay.

Thanks to recent procedural changes, attorneys now have more latitude than ever before when it comes to dealing with old traffic tickets. In most cases, a lawyer can get the suspension order lifted in only a few days and get the citations back on the docket. Once they go to court, there are a number of legal and equitable defenses that can either result in the fines being reduced or the tickets being thrown out.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.