Hopewell Traffic Lawyer
Most people think of traffic offenses as minor and trivial. However, if left unchecked, moving violations can become serious problems that implicate your right to drive and threaten your very financial well-being.
Bringing in a Hopewell traffic lawyer before the repercussions of traffic tickets becomes too serious can be a very wise move to make. By challenging traffic tickets with the help of an attorney, you could keep demerit points off your driving record and ensure you do not have to pay more for car insurance, in the future.
Traffic Tickets and Driving Rights
Drivers who get pulled over and receive a traffic ticket and then fail to successfully defend against that ticket in court will find driving points added to their license. The precise number of driving points that get added depend on the nature of the traffic ticket. Some common tickets add the following number of driving points:
- Speeding up to 10 miles per hour over the limit – three points
- Improper U-turn – three points
- Speeding between 10 and 20 miles per hour over the posted limit – four points
- Not stopping for a pedestrian – four points
- Speeding over 80 miles per hour – six points
- Driving while intoxicated – six points
The full listing of demerit points is available on the website of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
These points stay on a driver’s record for varying lengths of time, depending on the severity of the infraction. When they accumulate, penalties ensue. Acquiring 18 points in a year, or 24 points in the span of two years, can lead to a license suspension that temporarily takes away a driver’s right to drive.
Traffic Tickets and Insurance Premiums
Unfortunately, the potential for a license suspension is not the only repercussion of getting traffic tickets and accumulating too many driving demerit points: Insurance companies also learn about a driver’s demerit point total, and alter their premium costs, accordingly.
Therefore, drivers who receive too many tickets – or who are ticketed for especially dangerous driving habits multiple times – can find their car insurance payments increasing substantially. Over the long run, this can cost thousands of dollars.
How a Traffic Attorney Can Help
Because the repercussions of a traffic ticket are not light, hiring legal help to combat the effects of an accumulation of demerit points is not unreasonable. In fact, over the long run, hiring an attorney to defend against a traffic ticket can even save money.
For drivers who have already gotten ticketed in the past and who have a dangerously high number of demerit points on their record, though, bringing in a lawyer to defend against another ticket can be the difference between keeping their license and losing it for a period of time. While the suspension is in effect, commuting to and from work can become a chore, and the professional repercussions can be dire.
Drivers who do not have many demerit points on their record can also benefit from a Hopewell traffic attorney, too. Keeping the number of points on a driver’s record low is the best way to never get into the stressful position where a license suspension is a real possibility.
Talk to a Hopewell Traffic Lawyer Today
If you have been pulled over and ticketed for a moving violation in or near Hopewell, reaching out to a lawyer can be a wise move if you want to protect your driving rights or are concerned about your car insurance payments. The legal representation of an attorney in these circumstances can protect both your finances and your driving rights.
Call a Hopewell traffic lawyer today. With the help and advocacy of a lawyer, you can work to make sure your rights and interests are protected.