California’s Most Expensive Traffic Tickets
All traffic tickets in CA are expensive; however, these five will cost you a lot more than just a substantial fine. The top five pricey traffic tickets in CA are hit and run, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, speed contests, and speeding 100+ mph. These are not in order of how much it will cost for the fine or increased insurance premium.
Hit & Run
The reason we are leading off with hit and run is despite the possibility of a base fine of $300 to $1,000, which could total $4,000 or more after county and state penalties and surcharges get added and jail time, those found guilty of this charge typically face civil suits for property damage, injury, and wrongful death.
Therefore, you need an experienced and knowledgeable traffic law professional as well as an attorney with an extensive criminal law background. Anything brought out in your trial for hit and run could be used against you in a civil suit, which could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Reckless Driving Traffic Tickets
Those drivers found guilty of “willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property” or reckless driving under CA Vehicle Code (CVC) 23103, Driving Offenses could be ordered to pay a base fine of between $145 and $1,000 and from five to 90 days in jail or both.
Once again, the added county and state surcharges could take the total fine over $4,000. However, reckless driving typically leads to a significant increase in auto insurance premiums, more often than not, even higher than a DUI conviction. If you can get an auto insurance company to retain or accept you as a client after a conviction it will be expensive.
Driving with a Suspended License
The conviction of violating CVC 14601, Violation of License Provisions, driving with a suspended license, is also a misdemeanor crime with either jail time, a base fine of $300 to $1,000, or both. Plus, after all penalties have been served, you will need to pay the county a $125 reinstatement fee to get your license back, and you might be required to present an SR-22 Proof of Financial Responsibility. Actually, all of these except speeding 100+ mph generally require this addition.
Traffic Tickets for Speed Contests
Violating CVC 23109, Driving Offenses by participating in a speed contest, or aiding and abetting a speed contest could result in a base fine of $355 to $1,000 and not less than 24 hours in the county jail, but not more than 90 days.
Speeding 100+ MPH
The conviction of a major infraction, speeding 100+ mph, according to CVC 22348, Other Speed Laws typically results in a base fine of $300 to $500, which with penalties and surcharges totals $900 to $2,600. This offense requires a mandatory court appearance by the individual or an attorney. The traffic court judge normally orders a suspension of driving privileges for a 30-day period.
What These Traffic Tickets Have in Common
When convicted of these traffic tickets, you can be sure your auto insurance company will raise your insurance a significant amount, usually two or three times what you are currently paying. Regardless of guilt or innocence, you need an attorney. Many drivers go into court believing that if they tell the judge what happened, they will get the charges reduced or dismissed. This is rarely the case.
For whatever reason, most drivers get tongue-tied or nervous and cannot articulate what happened. In the first place, a traffic ticket attorney knows what the judge is looking for in the request for dismissal or reduced charge. Every traffic law has specific elements the state must prove “beyond a reasonable doubt.” All the attorney need do is raise doubt on one of those elements. Always consult an attorney before deciding to pay a fine or challenge traffic tickets.
Let Us Handle Your Tulare County Traffic Ticket
Call Bigger & Harman (661) 349-9300. Se habla Español (661) 349-9755.
Although all traffic tickets in CA are expensive, a conviction on one of these five could leave you without driving privileges, wipe out your savings, or leave you unable to afford auto insurance on the car for which you have a five-year note.
Send us an email, attorney@biggerharmanlaw.com.
References:
CVC 14601, Violation of License Provisions,CVC 20002 & 20001, Accidents and Accident Reports, CVC 22348, Other Speed Laws, CVC 23103 & 23109, Driving Offenses