Traffic Tickets and Other Traffic Violations
I Fight traffic Tickets in the City of Houston. I will represent you in fighting traffic tickets in county and municipal court in houston Texas. Do not let your ticket linger and hope that it will go away. Avoid higher insurance premiums and ensure that that ticket will remain off your permanent record. Call a traffic ticket attorney to help fight your speeding ticket. Contact me to fight any traffic ticket.
HELPFUL INFO
How to Handle the Ticket before the Court Date
The court must be contacted and be made aware of how a ticket will be handled. By state law, you have at least 10 days to contact the court. This time limit will be stated on your ticket. Many jurisdictions give more time. If you need more time, contact the court before the time limit expires and ask for an extension.
Don't lose the ticket. This can cost you hassles in time and money. If you do lose the ticket, try to remember what county or town you got it in and/or which law enforcement agency gave you the ticket. (The judge has heard this excuse before.)
Don't forget about the ticket. If you neglect the ticket, you could be arrested later. (The judge has heard this excuse before too.)
What if There is a Mistake on the Ticket?
If there is a mistake on your ticket (wrong license number, spelling of your name, your gender, the date, car make or year, etc.) the ticket will not be automatically dismissed. If numerous things are wrong on your ticket you could ask for a trial on your ticket. If the officer fails to identify you in court, or if you convince the jury that the officer made so many mistakes on the ticket that he must have been mistaken about the offense too, then you could get either a dismissal or a not guilty finding. Ask the court clerk for a copy of the complaint that was filed against you. Sometimes, errors that were made on the ticket will be corrected on the complaint (such as the speed that you were going, location where you were stopped, etc)
Amount of Fines
State law authorizes traffic ticket fines to be anything from $1.00 to $200. The judge sets the fines. Most fines are between $125-$200. Sometimes the officer will hand you a sheet from the Judge informing you of the Judge's fine schedule. If you do not receive a fine schedule, call or write the court within the 10 days allowed to find out the amount. Fines can vary from one part of the state to another.
Payment of Fines and Court Options
You do not have to automatically pay a ticket. You do have several other options. Basically, there are 3 choices available to you:
Attend Defensive Driving School. If you have never been (driver's education doesn't count) or have not been in the preceding 12 months, you may enroll in defensive driving school upon request of and approval by the judge. It is usually classroom hours at a specified time with a small tuition charge typically between $25-30. Usually the judge of another county will let you go to the school in your home county. When you are finished, the ticket will be dismissed and no fine will be assessed. However, court costs are approximately $65.
Go to Trial. If you have a good case, this may be your choice. The trial will be where you got the ticket. You can represent your self; however, you are usually better off with an attorney if your finances permit it. You can have a trial in front of a judge or a 6 person jury. If you go to trial, the judge is no longer obligated to the set or scheduled fine that you would have paid if you had paid the ticket. If you are found guilty, your fine could be anywhere between $1-$200. In most cases, the fine will be about the same as the set fine. Please contact the Student Legal Services at 847-7272 for more information if you decide to take this route.
Pay the ticket. This is the most common and easiest way out.
Alternative Way to Get a "No Driver's License" Ticket Dismissed
If you receive a ticket for "No Driver's License" because you left your valid license at home, you may take your ticket and driver's license to the Judge and he will dismiss the ticket. This doesn't work if you had no license at the time the ticket was given, your license had expired or was suspended, or if you did not have the correct license for the vehicle you were driving (such as a motorcycle).
Pleas that You Can Enter in Court
There are 3 pleas that you can enter in court: Guilty, Not Guilty, and "No Contest". What no contest (sometimes called nolo contendere) means is that you do not admit any guilt, but you don't want to contest the ticket with a trial. You will pay the same fine as though you have pled "guilty". Unless you plead "not guilty", the "no contest" plea should always be used when the ticket was given for an accident so that you admit no fault in the accident.
Paying a ticket and your insurance
Paying a ticket does not automatically affect your Texas Insurance. State law now says that getting a traffic ticket and paying it can no longer automatically increase your insurance. However, if you pay several tickets in a 12 month period, the insurance company can refuse to renew your insurance. "Several" can mean any number from 3 on up; it depends on your company. When initially applying for insurance, your record can be used to set the initial rate. Remember, this applies only if you are insured in Texas.
What if you fail to dispose of a ticket?
This varies from court to court:
Some courts will contact you in one way or another.
Most often, the court will issue a second ticket called a "failure to appear". This ticket subjects you to an additional fine between $300 and $500. A notice about this ticket will be mailed to the address on your driver's license. You must then pay the "failure to appear" ticket regardless of how you choose to take care of the original ticket.
If you fail to respond to the notice about the "failure to appear", the Judge then issues a warrant for your arrest. (Note: a "failure to appear" is not mandatory before a warrant can be issued.) Remember, a warrant issued on a ticket given in any Texas county can and will be served statewide. Tickets given in another state will not result in a warrant served in Texas.
--This content was created and approved for use by Rick Powell of Texas A&M University on June 19, 2006 at 3:50 p.m.
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