Articles Posted in St. Louis Traffic Tickets

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Yes, there is a possibility to still drive to work or school if your driver’s license has been suspended. But there are very specific rules that govern how the suspension works in the state of Missouri. This means that it is absolutely in your best interest to find an experienced traffic attorney to help you in the process.

If your license has been suspended, it is most likely due to having accumulated too many points on your driving record. You are assessed points when you receive a traffic citation for having violated the motor vehicle laws in Missouri. The term ‘points’ is a bit of a misnomer, though. When people initially hear that word, they automatically think that it is something good (like scoring points for your team). But in the context of traffic tickets (like speeding, illegal lane change, etc.), points are a bad thing (and you should really think of them as strikes). The more points that accumulate in a short period of time, the greater the likelihood that you will have your license suspended (or even revoked). In addition, it is also a really good way to have your automobile insurance go up (which is just another added expense to your already difficult budget).

But if this has happened, and your license has been suspended as a result, then you can apply for what is called a Restricted Driving Permit. This permit can be had if you have served at least thirty (30) days of your license suspension. It will allow you to drive for the limited purposes of getting to work, school, medical appointments, and other essential daily activities. You do not have to fill out any special form for this, as your local motor vehicle office can issue the permit on its own. But you will have to provide them with what is called an SR-22 form, which shows that you have proper vehicular insurance to drive. This restricted driving permit is valid for sixty (60) days’ time.

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The short answer is that you need to hire an experienced lawyer in order to take care of your situation so that it does not get any worse. Because one potential outcome (particularly if the ticket has not been paid) is that a warrant will be issued for your arrest. But this is not the course of events that have to take place.

When you are pulled over for having violated a traffic law, the police officer will almost certainly cite you with a ticket. The ticket will indicate the precise infraction for which you have been pulled over, the court date and time, and the amount of the fine. One option is to simply sign the ticket and pay the fine, but of course doing so will result in ‘points’ being applied to your driving record (these are negative marks indicating bad driving). This in turn will cause your automobile insurance to rise (because your carrier will deem you more of a risk). But your attorney can get the ticket reduced to a non-moving violation. Such violations do not negatively affect your insurance, because these kinds of infractions do not go on your permanent driving record.

But if in fact you received a speeding ticket in Missouri, and for whatever reason you did not take care of it (by either calling a lawyer or paying the associated fine), and your court date comes and goes without you making an appearance, the judge will undoubtedly issue a bench warrant for your arrest. This means that if you are subsequently pulled over while driving (or if you for some reason are questioned by the police), the officer will see that the warrants are active and will be duty bound to arrest you. This will land you in jail, and you almost certainly will not be released unless or until the underlying tickets are paid for.

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Assuming you want to get your privileges back, there are a few things you should do in such a situation. The state of Missouri will allow the opportunity to reinstate your driver’s license, but it depends on why your privileges were revoked in the first place.

Let’s say you have had your license suspended or revoked because of too many points on your record from speeding tickets (each time you are cited for a traffic violation, a certain number of points are assessed against your driving record; as they build up over time, the state will eventually impose a stiffer penalty). This can happen in a number of ways, but here a few examples: if you accumulate eight (8) points in eighteen (18) months, your driving privileges will be suspended for thirty (30) days if it is the first suspension, sixty (60) days if it is the second suspension, and ninety (90) days if it is the third suspension. If you accumulate twelve (12) points in twelve (12) months, eighteen (18) points in twenty-four (24) months, or twenty-four (24) points in thirty-six (36) months, your driving privileges will be revoked for one year.

If this is the situation in which you find yourself, the procedure moving forward would to file an SR-22 form (which proves up automobile insurance), and maintain such proof of liability insurance for two years from the starting date of your suspension/revocation, and pay a $20.00 fine.

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Yes, an officer can do that if he/she deems the situation calls for it. A common example would be when you get pulled over for speeding, and when the policeman asks to see your proof of insurance, you realize that you have forgotten where it is. This is a great opportunity for the officer to write two citations (one for driving in excess of the posted speed limit, and no proof of automobile insurance).

Of course, this does not mean that your license is going to be taken away from you. Even the best of us get caught from time to time speeding; and it’s not terribly unusual for someone to forget to put their new insurance card in the glove compartment. And the courts recognize this fact, which is exactly why they give you the chance to make up for it.

At this point, you have three choices: 1) you can simply sign the back of the ticket, pay the associated fine, and be done with it; 2) you can try and challenge the ticket in court at a designated hearing, in front of the judge and against the prosecutor; or 3) you can hire an experienced attorney to take care of everything for you.

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While it may seem as if it is cheaper to simply pay the fine for your traffic ticket once you receive it, it is actually cheaper in the long run if you have an experienced attorney take care of it for you. Let me explain why.

Let’s say you are pulled over for speeding (I use this as my example because it is probably the most frequent thing for which people are stopped). The citation itself will provide you with an opportunity to take care of the ticket by signing the back of it, and mailing in the appropriate dollar fine. This will ensure that the ticket will no longer be outstanding (and therefore no risk of a warrant for your arrest being issued). But by signing the ticket and paying the associated fine, you are pleading guilty to the infraction, and a number of other negative things occur as a result (that you are not made aware of).

When you simply pay the associated fine for the speeding ticket, it will then go on your driving record by way of a ‘points’ system. A certain number of points (which should really be thought of as ‘strikes’ against you) are put on your record based on the type of infraction. Speeding typically will get you two (2) points, unless you are pulled over by a highway patrolman, in which case three (3) points are assessed. As these points begin to accumulate, your automobile insurance will consistently raise your insurance premium (because if there is one thing that an insurance company is good at, its raising your rates; and they are always looking for an excuse to do just that). In addition, it is also possible (depending on how frequently you get pulled over) that you could have your license suspended or revoked for several months up to a year. Reinstating your license thereafter is very time consuming and costly.

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The attorney does this by working out a negotiated settlement (i.e. plea bargain) with the local prosecutor. But that only happens after your attorney has done the necessary work to make this possible. Depending on the circumstances and the type of ticket you received, this can be done relatively quick.

If you are pulled over for having committed a traffic violation (speeding, failure to use turn signal, lane change violation, etc.), you have a right to fight the ticket in court. The prosecutor will have to prove that you in fact violated the laws of the state, and convince the judge of this contention. You of course have the ability to offer counter-arguments in your defense. But this course of action can take a lot of time, and still end with you being held guilty of the infraction. Another option would be to simply sign the back of the ticket, which allows you to plead guilty, and simply pay the fine. This certainly takes care of the ticket, but there are consequences for doing this as well. If you do nothing but pay the fine, the state will assess ‘points’ against your driving record. These points should really be thought of as ‘strikes,’ because they have a negative effect.

If several points accumulate over time, a couple of bad things can happen. First, your automobile insurance will certainly rise, as you will end up paying a higher monthly premium. This is because your insurance carrier will label you as a ‘risky’ driver, and the cost of insuring you against things like accidents will be pushed up. Secondly, there is a chance that you could have your driver’s license suspended or revoked. The state does this in order to send a signal to those people who get a bunch of tickets over a short period of time. And the process to have your license reinstated can be costly and timely.

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An FCC ticket stands for Fine Collection Center. This is the department in Jefferson City, MO, that handles traffic tickets that have been issued by State Highway Patrol Officers. This kind of ticket does not come with a court date (as you can expect to see on a typical citation from a local police officer). Rather, it will simply tell you that the fine is ‘Due in 30 days.’

Of course, one option that you have at this point is to simply mail in the amount of money to the collection center in order to pay off the fine. This will certainly take care of the ticket, but it will not prevent ‘points’ being assessed against your driving record. For each traffic violation, a certain number of points are put on your record (it is probably better to think of them as ‘strikes’ as opposed to ‘points,’ because that kind of gives the impression that you have scored something!). As these points accumulate over time, it is probable that your automobile insurance premiums will go up, and it is also possible that you could lose your license to drive. For instance, if you are pulled over by a HYPO for speeding, three (3) points are assessed for such an infraction in Missouri.

There is, however, a better way to deal with these traffic tickets. An experienced lawyer can get the moving violation (i.e. driving in excess of the posted speed limit) reduced to a non-moving violation (like excessive noise or illegal parking). This has the double effect of preventing any points from attaching to your driving record (because no points are assessed for a non-moving violations), and your insurance rates will not be adversely affected.

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Yes, there is a possibility that this could happen if you are cited for multiple infractions that appear on your driving record. The key to avoiding this outcome is to make sure that these infractions never make onto your record in the first place. That is where an effective attorney becomes invaluable.

If you are pulled over, receive a ticket for a moving violation, and simply pay the associated fine, the ticket is certainly taken care of. But each time this occurs, the citation is placed on your driving record, and a certain number of ‘points’ are assessed against you. The more points that are assessed, the greater the risk of your driver’s license being either suspended or revoked (not to mention a higher insurance premium). For instance, if you receive four (4) points in the span of twelve (12) months, the Missouri Department of Revenue will you a notification of the fact that you are accumulating a lot of points. This is a sort of warning letter. If you get eight (8) points in eighteen (18) months, the Department of Revenue will suspend your driving privileges (for a minimum of thiry (30) days, and up to ninety (90) days, depending on how many more you receive in that timeframe).

A full revocation of driving privileges can occur in the following situations: twelve (12) or more points in twelve (12) months; eighteen (18) or more points in twenty-four (24) months; twenty-four (24) or more points in thirty-six (36) months. If any of these accumulations occur in the set out timeframe, the Department of Revenue can revoke your license for one (1) year.

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If you receive multiple traffic tickets over a condensed time frame, then it two negative things could happen: 1) your insurance premiums could go up substantially; and 2) you could be labeled by the state as a ‘Repeat Offender’. Repeat offenders can have their driver’s license suspended, or worse, could face jail time. But this is why it is so important to retain the services of a law firm that understands how to properly handle these matters.

When you are pulled over by a police officer for a moving-violation (let’s say your garden variety Missouri speeding ticket), the infraction will carry a certain number of ‘points’ against your record. These are not the good kind of points that you score in a game. Rather, ‘points’ should be viewed as ‘strikes’ against your driving record. The more points/strikes you accumulate over time, the higher your automobile insurance will rise as a result. This means steeper and steeper monthly premiums. But if you receive several of these citations for speeding in excess of the posted limit, the state will assume that you are not getting the message (that driving above the speed limit is prohibited). In general, if you have more than one or two such violations in a twelve (12) to eighteen (18) month period of time, you can be labeled a Repeat Offender. This can have serious consequences for your ability to keep your license, you risk jail time if there are any other future offenses, and could even have an impact on your job (especially one of the primary tasks in your employment is the operation of heavy equipment or driving).

But again, this need not be the outcome for you. The affordable St. Louis traffic ticket defense attorneys at The Bankruptcy Company can make sure that the tickets you receive do not turn into the headaches described above. Our team of lawyers will work hard to reduce the moving-violation you have been charged with to a non-moving violation. This will ensure that you will not be assessed any points against your driving record, thus keeping your insurance rates in check and your record clean of infractions. This is done by working closely with the local prosecutor and/or judge to reach an agreement so that the ticket is handled in an efficient, quick, and relatively painless fashion.

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You can, but the chances are very good that you will be arrested instead. The arrest warrant that was issued by the judge is a court order that requires a police officer to arrest you on the spot. So even if you are being a good citizen and taking care of your debts to society, you will still be taken under custody.

When you receive a traffic citation from a police officer, the ticket will indicate a fair amount of information. Included on this document will be your court date. If you pay your fine before this date, or hire an attorney to take care of it for you, or you simply make an appearance in front of the judge in order to argue against it, you will be okay. But if you do not make an appearance on the court date, the judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest.

Once this happens, you are at risk of getting thrown in jail wherever you go. So if you get pulled over again, they officer will run your license, see that there is a warrant for you, and then arrest you. Or if you decided to simply go take care of the ticket by showing up on some later date, you will get arrested. This is not really a risk you want to take.

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