Out-of-town speeding tickets are pretty widespread on the Grapevine in CA. The Los Angeles Times once said, “The Grapevine is the heart of California’s freeway system. It’s also vulnerable.” They further stated, the Grapevine “…featured 697 curves, which caused drivers to make the equivalent of 110 complete circles as they crossed the mountains.

Driving the Grapevine can be tricky even for locals. There are quick dips in the speed limit to match the grade of the road’s slope. Therefore, it could go from 55 to 35 mph in a flash. Plus, with all the trucks and buses in the first lane, you might not even see the sign that changes the speed limit.

Although many believe the “Grapevine” is merely the steep grade from the Tejon Pass to the bottom, it is actually a 40-mile stretch, and drivers could have to resolve their speeding ticket in either Los Angeles or Kern County Traffic Court.

Understanding CA Vehicle Code and Speeding Tickets

CA Vehicle Code (CVC) 22407 governs downhill speed limits limits for truckers on the grapevine when the speed is reduced from 55 MPH.  If the speed limit is reduced to 35 or 40 MPH, then the speed limit legally must have been set after a traffic survey. If the officer does not properly introduce the traffic survey into the record, then the ticket must be dismissed. 

What’s challenging about disputing a speeding ticket in CA is that each county maintains jurisdiction over their traffic tickets. Therefore, out-of-town drivers are made to return to either Santa Clarita Traffic Court in Los Angeles County or Lamont Traffic Court in Kern County to resolve their speeding tickets.     But if you hire a traffic attorney, they can do it for you. 

Use the Legal Services of Bigger & Harman, the Kern County Traffic Attorney Team, to Challenge Your Speeding Ticket 

When you get a speeding ticket on the Grapevine, call Bigger & Harman, (661) 349-9300. Se habla Español (661) 349-9755.

Whether your speeding ticket will be resolved in LA County or Kern County, we can resolve it for you without you having to attend the court proceedings. 

Email: attorney@biggerharmanlaw.com. 

References:

The 2021 CA Driver Handbook English y Español

CVC 22350, Speed Laws

The LA Times article, The Grapevine is the heart of California's freeway system. It's also vulnerable