When Is It Worth Fighting a Traffic Ticket?
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Many people ask themselves if it is worth fighting a traffic ticket when the fine is around $234 for 1–15 mph over the limit. However, the traffic ticket involves much more than just a fine, and commercial drivers should stick around for a special word at the end of the article. If this was your first ticket, you might want to go to traffic school to keep the Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS) points from showing up on your motor vehicle driving record (MVR), which your insurance company can see. The right to go to traffic school will cost you another $60–$70, and then you will have to pay the tuition, which brings your total up over $300. ARE YOU NOT ELIGIBLE FOR TRAFFIC SCHOOL? Now, let’s say you already had a traffic ticket within the last 18 months and you used traffic school to prevent your insurance company from knowing. You will not be able to use it again for this ticket, and your insurance company will first cancel your “good driver’s discount” because you cannot have more than one NOTS point on your MVR and keep your discount.
Once that happens, it is gone for at least three years, and then they will raise your insurance premium due to the increased risk.
Now let’s look at how much that $234 speeding ticket you received on 65, 198, or 99 will cost if you pay just $125 per month for auto insurance. The average Californian pays $163.50 per month; you may pay more or less depending on several risk factors the insurance company uses. Fighting a traffic ticket for speeding 1–15 mph over the limit could save you as much as $1,179. What if you received a ticket for 16–25 mph over the speed limit? You could save approximately $1,485 by fighting that traffic ticket, which carries an estimated $360 fine. The fine for 26 mph and above, up to 100 mph, will cost almost $500 and the same for a red-light ticket. You could save $1,750 by fighting those tickets.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” EPHESIANS 2:10
Fighting a traffic ticket for a commercial driver is a no-brainer.
Commercial drivers ticketed in their truck are not eligible for traffic school and face many more career and financial penalties than a regular Class C driver. They should almost always fight their ticket. Commercial drivers can take traffic school under certain circumstances if they are ticketed in their private vehicle. But unlike Class C drivers taking traffic school, their conviction will not be kept confidential from insurance or their employer. Obviously, this can lead to a pretty bad outcome. Commercial drivers ticketed in their private vehicles should always consult with an attorney before taking traffic school on their violation.
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