What to Do when You Get a Traffic Ticket

When you get a traffic ticket, the one thing you should not do is ignore it. You must go to court or hire an attorney to represent you and plead not guilty, no contest, or guilty. If you just go pay your fine, you are pleading guilty. Sometimes, that’s the right choice, especially when traffic school is an option. No matter what your status, ignoring a ticket will not make it go away.

So, you’re reading this, you’re an undocumented alien and you think “I cannot go to court and fight the ticket because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will arrest and deport me.” So, don’t go to court, hire a traffic ticket attorney to represent you in court. Se Habla Español, 661.349.9755.

“Fix-it” Tickets

A fix-it ticket is just what it sounds like, you get a ticket for a broken tail light and you fix it. So, after you get that tail light fixed, you take the repair receipt to the law enforcement agency that issued the ticket. The officer will sign your “Certificate of Correction” on your ticket, then you go to traffic court on or before your scheduled date and pay the fine or a dismissal fee if there is one and the court will dismiss your case.

Traffic School May not Be an Option

Traffic school is an excellent method of keeping your traffic ticket confidential from your insurance company. Your insurance company will not know you had one unless you tell them.

As of 1 May 2017, the court must send a reminder or “courtesy notice” ten days before your court date. This, however, is not a “get out of jail free card” even if you do not receive one, you must still handle your traffic ticket. But, on that notice, it should stipulate whether you are eligible for traffic school. You should be eligible for traffic school If:

· You have a CA driver’s license

· You received a moving violation

· You were not driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV)

· You haven’t used traffic school for a ticket in the previous 18 months

· Your ticket does not require a mandatory court appearance

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) provides a list of state-certified traffic schools here. You will still need to pay the fines and fees associated with the traffic ticket, but you won’t be assessed NOTS points.

NOTS in a Nutshell

The CA Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS) is a DMV run initiative to remind and warn drivers that had an at-fault accident or were convicted of a moving violation under the CA Vehicle Code (CVC). Your license will be suspended if you receive four points within a year, six points within two years, or eight points within three years.

Along with your six-month suspension, you will get traffic probation for 12 months. The suspension and probation will run at the same time for the first six months and if you keep a clean record, after six months your license can be renewed, but your probation will continue for another six months.

Hiring a Traffic Ticket Defender

You will not always require a traffic ticket attorney when you get a ticket, but if you have been charged with a serious violation, a misdemeanor, or ignored your traffic ticket and got a bench warrant FTA, you should call Bigger & Harman as soon as possible and clear your warrant or ticket. You will never need to enter the courtroom if you do not wish to.

Bigger & Harman are traffic ticket defense attorneys who only handle traffic law, they operate mainly in California’s Central Valley, in Kern, Kings, Tulare, Inyo Counties, among others and in SoCal, Riverside, San Bernardino, and LA County. Call 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com.