Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Should I pay my traffic citation?


Residents and tourists alike are charged with traffic offenses such as speeding or failing to yield each year in, and around, the Las Vegas Valley, however few realize the problems associated with a traffic charge conviction.

When a person handed a traffic citation by the police pleads guilty to the traffic violation, pays a fine, and attends traffic school, that person probably has not considered the following results associated with pleading guilty to a traffic citation:

•          Every conviction for a moving violation likely will raise your insurance rates.
•          Multiple convictions for traffic violations will likely result in a driver’s license suspension or license revocation. In Nevada, if you are convicted of driving with a suspended license, you may 
be restricted from acquiring a new license for a full year.
•          If you were involved in an automobile accident, received a moving citation, and are being sued civilly, the conviction may be used in the civil lawsuit to show that you were per se negligent.
•          If you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), you may lose your license and the ability to earn a living. 
•          If you handle the traffic ticket by yourself, you will probably take at least 1 day off from work to go to court to resolve the ticket, and it is not a pleasant experience. 
As a result of convictions for moving violations, like simple speeding tickets, you will likely pay fines, court administrative fees, increased insurance costs, and attend traffic school. Further, you could suffer possible suspension or revocation of you driver’s license. If your Nevada license is suspended, you will not be able to obtain a license in any other State until the Nevada suspension is completed. On top of this, you will need to miss a whole day’s pay, just to go to court!

So, how can you likely prevent the headaches associated with the above for some minor traffic infraction? 

You hire a criminal defense attorney with experience negotiating thousands of citations.  Attorney Anthony Wright has negotiated plea deals for misdemeanor traffic citations for many years and will bring his knowledge to the court for your matter and you will likely have to do little more than pay his fee, give him a copy of the citation, and then pay the fine to the court upon a negotiated deal.

Read more of our articles on Las Vegas criminal law.