The easiest way to save time and money on traffic tickets is to obey the law. If you don’t get a traffic ticket, you saved 100%. However, even when you follow the law and do everything correctly, a law enforcement officer (LEO) sitting at a bad angle might not see you stop at the limit line, which is always around ten feet back from the stop sign.
They may see you slowly roll forward to check traffic before you proceed, and give you a ticket for “rolling through a stop sign,” saying you did not come to a complete stop. Even though you stopped where you are legally required to stop.
CA Vehicle Code (CVC) 22450, Special Stops Required, indicates “The driver of any vehicle approaching a stop sign at the entrance to, or within, an intersection shall stop at a limit line…” the crosswalk, or at the entrance to an intersecting roadway. A crosswalk could be much further back than the limit line.
However, if you get a traffic ticket, these are three sure-fire methods to save time and money on the penalties of a traffic ticket, use traffic violators school (TVS), a no-point conviction, and by hiring a traffic ticket attorney.
Sure, many would argue it cost more to hire an attorney, but they would just be repeating an old myth that has very little relevance in a factual application. Read on, and you will see what we’re saying.
#1 — Use TVS to Hide Traffic Tickets from Your Insurance
The use of TVS to mask a traffic ticket from your insurance company can save you only if it is your first and only violation within an 18-month timeframe. If you have back-to-back traffic tickets or get another after using it, it might cost more. You should always discuss the use of TVS with a knowledgeable traffic ticket attorney.
An experienced traffic attorney will typically not advise you to challenge a ticket if you can use TVS. There is usually no financial or time-saving benefit to you. If you get a ticket for running a stop sign, and it’s your first ticket, use the TVS. It will cost you a little more initially but save you a higher insurance premium.
You will have to plead guilty, pay the fine, pay the county to go to TVS, about $65, pay the tuition, and then complete a DMV-approved course before the court-ordered deadline. However, the DMV will hold your conviction confidential so that you will keep your “good driver’s discount.”
#2 — Ask for a No-Point Conviction
It depends on the county, the judge, and the court docket or schedule.
Discuss this possibility with a traffic attorney. However, a no-point violation could save you $1,500 or more on increased insurance premiums. For most traffic tickets, you can hire an attorney for much less than $1,500. What’s more, an attorney may get the ticket dismissed entirely.
#3 — Hire a Traffic Ticket Attorney
Call Bigger & Harman, APC, in Bakersfield to discuss your San Luis Obispo (SLO) County traffic ticket. Call their office, (661) 349-9300, or email attorney@biggerharmanlaw.com to determine what is possible in your situation.
We are traffic ticket attorneys. We represent California drivers with traffic violations to protect their driving privileges and legal rights. Plus, we can appear in court for you, even when you have a mandatory court appearance, so there’s no need for you to take time off from work or school.
Se habla Español (661) 349-9755.
References:
The DMV Portal
CVC 22450, Special Stops Required