Gibbons Law Firm: Reducing The Penalties On Your Traffic Ticket

As drivers, we share a common responsibility to keep ourselves and other drivers safe. Too often, drivers who engage in risky behavior threaten more than themselves or their passengers - they endanger other drivers with whom they share the road.

In order to protect roadway travelers, law enforcement uses a point system designed to penalize drivers who exhibit dangerous behavior. If a driver accumulates enough points within a certain period of time, he may have his license suspended or revoked so as to not further threaten other drivers and passengers.

It should come as no surprise that that license suspension or revocation is a severely frustrating and inconvenient punishment. As such, many drivers wish to do everything they can to avoid accumulating points on their driving records. While exhibiting safe driving behavior is always the best way to avoid getting points, mistakes happen and sometimes accidents are unavoidable. In these situations, a Lake of the Ozarks traffic attorney may be your best defense against the dreaded points against your license.

Understanding The Point System

Each type of traffic violation is assigned a point value. When you are ticketed for a certain violation, you will receive the associated number of points on your license. If you commit multiple violations in a single accident (such as both speeding and careless and imprudent driving, for example) you may be assigned the points for both infractions. Here is a general example of how some of the points are assigned (source: DMV.org):

Careless and imprudent driving - 2 points
Excessive speeding - 3 points
Driving unlicensed or without a permit (or knowingly allowing someone else to do so) - 4 points

As the severity of the violation increases, so does the number of points assigned to it. As examples, committing a felony involving a motor vehicle and operating a vehicle while your license is suspended or revoked are both worth 12 points.

How Much Is Too Much?

If you get 3 points on your license every three or four years, it's probably not something worth worrying about - but if you accumulate too many in a certain amount of time, the consequences can be severe. (The following information sourced from DMV.org.)

If you accumulate 8+ points within an 18 month period, your license may be suspended for:

30 days (first suspension)
60 days (second suspension)
90 days (third and subsequent suspensions)

Your license may be revoked for a period of one year if you accumulate the following number of points in these specific amounts of time:

12+ points in 12 months
18+ points in 18 months
24+ points in 24 months

Reducing The Penalties On Your Traffic Ticket

In some cases, a traffic ticket may be nothing more than a minor annoyance. However, depending on how many points it is worth or how many other tickets you have had recently, it may quickly become a major problem. In addition to potentially risking license suspension, accumulating points often results in hefty fines and increased insurance costs.

Depending on your situation, hiring a traffic attorney may be a valuable investment. Your attorney may be able to work with you to have your charges reduced to incur fewer points or - in some cases - potentially dropped altogether.

If you are facing a hefty traffic ticket with several points and substantial fines, we encourage you to schedule a consultation with our traffic attorney in Lake Ozark, MO. To learn more about Gibbons Law Firm, call 573-348-2211 or visit www.RGibbonsLawFirm.com.

Remember, your initial consultation with Gibbons Law Firm is always free.