Did you know a traffic violation can cost you thousands of dollars a year?
While it’s better not to receive a ticket in the first place, the question is what to do in the event you do receive one. The operator is normally informed by the police officer that if you plead guilty and mail your fine, no points will be assessed against your license. While this is true, it’s also misleading. Your motor vehicle history will still reflect the violation. Your motor vehicle history is what the insurance companies look at to determine rates. A single moving violation is sometimes enough to send your rates through the roof, especially if a young driver is the recipient of the ticket. The violation will be part of your driving history for years to come.
We often advise our clients to plead not guilty when they receive a ticket. This is because, on many occasions when we represent a client in court on a traffic ticket, we have been able to obtain a successful conclusion which ultimately may save the client thousands of dollars in future insurance costs. Even a “minor” motor vehicle violation can cost you thousands of dollars per year in insurance premiums, so in many cases, it is cost effective to retain an attorney.
It should be noted that many insurance companies may treat minor infractitions as major violations. An exampe is Failure to wear seat safety belt in front seat,14-100a(c)(1). It ia a 37.00 fine but it can count as a major violation due to the fact you can substain more severe injuries by not wearing your seat belt.
We strongly encourage you to contact an attorney immediately if / when you recieve a ticket. Keep in mind that upon receiving a ticket, you may have only a limited amount of time to decide how you wish to plead, guilty or not guilty.
Frederick D. Paoletti, Jr. is the founding principal of Paoletti & Gusmano Attorneys at Law, a criminal defense and personal injury firm located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. For more articles related to protecting yourself during personal injury and criminal situations, please visit http://www.paolettilaw.net.