Traffic Citation FAQs

Traffic citations are a part of life, and many people simply pay their tickets without a second thought. However, paying a traffic ticket could be a mistake. Tickets harm your driving record and can increase the price of your car insurance. If you received a traffic citation, it is in your best interest to speak with an experienced traffic defense attorney in Mooresville.

Traffic citations are not criminal offenses, but they can still cause harm. If you receive too many citations, you could lose your license. In addition, a moving violation will be reported on your driving record and your insurance premiums are likely to go up as a result. It is in your best interest to fight any ticket that you receive. With help from a knowledgeable Mooresville attorney, you have the ability to defend the charges in court.

Keep in mind that you are not guilty of a traffic infraction until you are found guilty or plead guilty. If you pay the ticket, you have agreed that you are guilty of the traffic offense. You do have the option to request a hearing. Your attorney will assist in preparing your defense and in presenting it at your hearing. A traffic citation may be dismissed or you may be able to plead guilty to a lesser offense. This will help keep you from having a citation on your record and will avoid having to pay increased insurance premiums.

Traffic citations are not just annoying, they are also costly. Your insurance rates will likely go up based on the seriousness of the offense. Even when you are guilty of one of the least serious traffic offenses, your insurance will go up as much as 45%. Minor traffic citations include following too closely, failure to obey a traffic signal or sign and illegal passing among others.

Some traffic citations are considered very serious. Infractions such as DWI, street racing, hit and run, excessive speeding and reckless driving can cause your insurance to go up as much as 400 percent. In some cases, you may find it difficult to obtain insurance at all and when you do find a company willing to accept your driving record, you will pay high prices for even the most basic coverage.

The short answer is yes. North Carolina uses a point system to keep track of your driving violations. Each time you are guilty of a violation, you will receive a specified number of points on your license. Your license can be suspended without a hearing once you accumulate 12 or more points in a three-year period. That number decreases to eight points if you have previously had a license suspension.

It is important to realize that one traffic stop or accident may sometimes result in more than one ticket. For example you could receive a ticket for speeding, reckless driving and failure to obey a traffic signal, all in just one traffic stop. If you are guilty of all these infractions you might accumulate eight or more points. As you can see, it is imperative that you fight each and every ticket that you get in order to ensure that you can sustain your driving privileges.

Tickets that you receive in another state need to be resolved through that state’s system. However, with today’s computer systems, it is likely that the North Carolina police have access to outstanding citations from other localities. An out-of-state ticket can still impact your insurance rates since it is reported. It may not be feasible to fight a traffic ticket from another location since you would have to appear at a hearing in that state. If you have an outstanding ticket from another state, discuss the matter with a Mooresville attorney.

If you have a number of unresolved tickets, you will likely need legal help to sort through the situation and find a resolution. The first step is to seek assistance from Arnold & Smith, PLLC. Our skilled legal team has the expertise necessary to handle even the most complex cases. We will help sort through your situation and review your options. If you have too many outstanding tickets or if your license has been suspended, we can help. There may be some options available to you to resolve the problem. If you received a traffic citation, contact our legal team at Arnold & Smith, PLLC to discuss your case with a free initial consultation.