Safety advocates want the CHP to answer for a lesser police presence on Highway 17, but lackluster enforcement is definitely not a problem on Highway 395 and some other California highways.

Until a few years ago, the CHP routinely assigned three officers to a stretch of Highway 17 that’s notorious for speeders and speed-related accidents. But now, there is only one officer, and the Safe on 17 Committee wants speeding cameras to take up the slack. Advocates point out that some states already use speeding cameras, and Caltrans may start using cameras in carpool lanes. To them, speeding cameras are simply the next logical step.

Under current law, speeding cameras are illegal speed traps.

100+ MPH Tickets

Humans write plenty of VC 22348(b) citations on both Highway 395 and along Highway 15 (especially in the Mojave Desert area close to the Nevada border). These citations are among the most drastic ones in the Vehicle Code, even though 100mph is no longer the equivalent of the sound barrier. Fines and penalty assessments start at $859 for a first infraction at 100mph, and the financial penalty increases thereafter. VC 22348(b) convictions mean mandatory license suspension and they count two points towards NOTS suspension; normally, drivers cannot use traffic school to erase the points.

There are indirect costs as well, mostly in the form of increased auto insurance rates. As a rule of thumb, the total cost of a California traffic ticket is small compared to have your insurance rates go through the roof.

To keep cases moving through the system, some prosecutors are willing to drop the charges to standard speeding if the drivers plead guilty. This charge has a much lower fine, no mandatory license suspension, and half as many points.

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.