Not all traffic violations in Los Angeles are just a simple fine. Some can become criminal offenses, potentially carrying jail time and affecting your career. Others are “just tickets,” but those tickets could carry points that cost you your license.
If you need to fight a traffic violation of any kind, do not risk doing it alone. You need a traffic violation attorney in Los Angeles from the Simmrin Law Group on your side. We can help you get the violation dropped, negotiate it down to a less serious citation, avoid jail, and ensure you keep your license.
How Do I Fight a Traffic Violation in Los Angeles?
If you were issued a ticket for a traffic violation, you can contest it at the courthouse listed on your citation. After you pay the bail set by your ticket, a county clerk will set up a court date. At that court date, you can plead your case.
We don’t advise doing that alone, though. While you may think that you can fight your ticket by yourself, there are intricacies of traffic law that our traffic violation attorneys in Los Angeles are well-versed in. We know the process and the best way to get your charge reduced or dropped.
Is It Worth It to Hire a Los Angeles Traffic Violation Attorney?
It’s almost always worth it to have an L.A. traffic violation lawyer on your side. You might not want to bother with finding the right attorney or paying lawyer fees, but it pays off in the long run.
While your citation may seem like a simple ticket, the fees it brings along with it and the points it puts on your license can follow you for years. A traffic violation could mean higher insurance premiums, a harder time finding a job, and even the revocation of your license.
Thankfully, our attorneys can help. A Los Angeles traffic violation attorney from the Simmrin Law Group can:
- Filing the proper motions and documents
- Negotiating with the prosecution
- Gathering evidence that supports your innocence
- Contesting your fine or getting your charge dropped
By hiring a traffic violation attorney, you are investing in your future. Lawyer fees are a drop in the bucket compared to the money, time, and resources you might have to put into dealing with your citation alone. We give free initial consultations, so it’s worth at least talking to a lawyer and seeing how they can help you.
What Kinds of Traffic Violations Can You Help With in Los Angeles?
A good traffic violation lawyer in L.A. can help you with any kind of ticket or violation. The most common cases we encounter in Los Angeles include:
- Red light cameras
- Speeding tickets
- CDL tickets
- Driving on a suspended license
- Driving on a revoked license
- Driving without insurance
- Reckless driving
- Hit and run
This is far from a comprehensive list. Los Angeles’ traffic laws are complicated, with dozens of infractions that a driver can run into even when driving as responsibly as possible. Unfortunately, even small violations can cost points off of your license and ultimately your license itself. Many can also become criminal matters.
How Does a Traffic Violation Lawyer in Los Angeles Get a Ticket Dismissed?
No two traffic violation cases are the same, so there’s no one specific way that your L.A. traffic violation attorney will fight your ticket. If there is anything amiss with your ticket, your lawyer will know how to find it and use it to get your case dismissed.
An attorney can also help you find driving schools and other opportunities to make yourself look responsible for the court. If you can show that you have improved your driving and committed yourself to community service, a judge may agree to reduce or drop your charge.
At your initial consultation, your L.A. traffic violation lawyer will assess your case and tell you what the next steps should be. They’ll tell you if they think they can get your ticket dismissed and how they can go about it. If you agree to hire their services, our attorney will get to work immediately to reduce or eliminate your penalties.
Which Traffic Violations Count As Criminal Offenses in Los Angeles?
California essentially has three types of traffic offenses: infractions, misdemeanor crimes and felonies. Each of these types of offenses carries different kinds of penalties and not all are criminal.
Traffic Infractions
Traffic infractions are not criminal offenses. They include most of the ordinary “tickets” such as speeding tickets, parking tickets, etc. They also include some moving violations that are considered potentially dangerous but not serious enough to count as criminal charges.
Common Examples of Infractions in Los Angeles
Common examples of infractions include:
- HOV (carpool) lane violations
- Illegal lane change
- Not stopping at a stop sign
- Speeding
- “Fix it” tickets related to broken lights and other problems with your vehicle
You can fight an infraction in traffic court, and your hearing date is already printed on the notice you were given. Most of the time your entire case can be resolved on the day of your scheduled hearing. However, going to traffic court can involve hours of waiting just to get a few seconds in front of the judge. It can be very hard to win at traffic court if you do not understand the law.
Penalties for infractions always include a fine and often take points off your license. You can end up losing your driver’s license simply because of these minor infractions.
Misdemeanor Traffic Violations
Misdemeanors are criminal offenses and typically carry jail time. They may also carry other penalties including large fines, probation, mandatory traffic school and automatic license suspension. Examples of misdemeanors include:
- Reckless driving
- Excessive speeding
- Driving on a suspended license
- Hit and run
Most job applications and colleges will require you to disclose your criminal history, including any misdemeanors. It’s also important to know that some of the charges above can be felonies depending on the circumstances.
Misdemeanors cannot be resolved in traffic court. They will involve a criminal court case, which typically includes multiple court dates and a trial by jury if the charge is not resolved beforehand. A traffic violation lawyer in Los Angeles can help you fight your case.
Felony Traffic Violations
Felonies are criminal offenses that are punished much more severely than misdemeanors. One of the key differences between a felony and a misdemeanor is that a felony sentence may involve time in state prison, not just the local county jail.
Sentences may also be more than a year in length – often 2 years, 3 years, or longer – whereas a misdemeanor sentence rarely goes over 1 year. Like misdemeanors, felony convictions can also include a suspended driver’s license, large fines, and probation, and these penalties tend to be larger, longer, or more severe for felonies.
However, the biggest difference is that once you are convicted of a felony you will carry felon status for life. This may prevent you from working many jobs or even getting certain kinds of licenses. It also affects your right to own firearms, among other restrictions.
Felony traffic violations can include:
- Reckless driving
- DUI
- Vehicular manslaughter
- Hit and run
If you are facing a potential felony, a traffic violation attorney in Los Angeles may be able to get it reduced to a misdemeanor, help you avoid jail time, or even win your case for you. You should never face a felony without legal representation.
How Does a Traffic Violation Affect My Driver’s License?
Some traffic violations include an automatic suspension. For most infractions, however, you will simply have “points” added to your driver’s license. Most violations are either one or two points:
- 1 point: Most infractions like speeding, illegal U-turn, or running a red light
- 1 point: Causing an accident (accidents do not add any points if they weren’t your fault)
- 2 points: More serious violations like reckless driving, driving without a license, or excessive speeding
If you accrue too many points, you will have your license suspended. The limits are:
- 4 or more points in a single year
- 6 or more points in 2 years
- 8 or more points in 3 years
Because of these “per year” limits, points effectively go away over time. However, you can also remove points by taking traffic school in some cases. This can be a crucial strategy to avoid losing your license – your L.A. traffic violation lawyer can recommend whether this will help in your case and help you set it up.
Talk to a Los Angeles Traffic Attorney for Free
Every year, countless defendants go to traffic court alone, thinking they can negotiate down their infraction—and most don’t realize how hard it is until it’s too late. Don’t let this happen to you.
Whether you are trying to keep your license after a ticket, fighting a serious charge that carries jail time, or hoping to avoid going to court at all, let the Los Angeles traffic violation lawyers at Simmrin Law Group help you. We offer a FREE consultation to help you get started. Fill out the form to the right or call us to get your free consultation today.