Non-Moving Violation Archives

STOP SIGN TICKETS IN MISSOURI…

12AprMarch 29, 2021 By Charles Moore

STOP SIGN TICKETS IN MISSOURI

Stop sign tickets in Missouri are very common and carry different points on your license depending on where you get the ticket / which type of law enforcement officer writes the ticket.

This article discusses stop sign tickets in Missouri and how to get them resolved with a minimum fine and no points on your record.

Stop sign tickets received as a municipal ordinance violation, typically from a violation within a municipality with its own police force, carry 1 point if there is no accident, 2 if there is an accident.

Stop sign tickets in Missouri carry 2 points if charged under state law, usually by a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper.

They also carry 2 points if charged under a county’s ordinance, and we usually see that where the person was pulled over by a county’s sheriff officer.

No matter how many points the ticket carries, you can hire a stop sign ticket lawyer St. Charles to get the ticket amended to zero points, which will keep the points off your license and from insurance premiums increasing.

Remember that these tickets are usually given from an officer watching the driver from a fixed position. Sometimes that position is not at a good angle because the officer does not want to be seen. This can work to your advantage since your lawyer can point that out. It’s not that unusual to use things like Google Maps to our client’s advantage because we can confirm the location of the officer and make the argument that from the officer’s angle our client appeared to not come to a full stop but actually did.

CONCLUSION

In any event, in almost every case we can get the ticket amended to a no-point violation with a reasonable fine. That is not a bad second outcome if that’s how things work out. Remember also that by hiring a lawyer, you avoid having to attend court in the first place. Municipal courts in the St. Louis area are held during the week, either during working hours or in the evening. If you don’t hire a lawyer you can plan on having to take an entire morning off from work, or losing an evening to sitting in court waiting for your chance to speak to a prosecutor.

Charles J. Moore is the founder and owner of Traffic Ticket Center. He has been both a municipal prosecutor and a defense attorney during in his 17 years of practice, experience which greatly enhances his clients in cases where they are charged with a traffic offense, regardless of the charge.

Speeding Tickets in Missouri…

15JunJune 10, 2020 By Charles Moore

SPEEDING TICKET IN MISSOURI

A basic speeding ticket in Missouri is relatively easy for an experienced attorney to handle. At Traffic Ticket Center, we keep our fees low because a basic speeding ticket in Missouri is a routine procedure that we complete every day at our law office.

Unfortunately, too many people do not contact a traffic ticket attorney St. Peters to handle their ticket. Instead, they pay the fine that is listed on the back of the ticket to be done with it.

However, this can be a costly decision.

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T PLEAD GUILTY

We have several people call to inquire about Missouri speeding tickets each day and after we explain the process and state our fee for our firm to resolve the ticket. We explain that the court will also assess a fine to be paid, which is set by the prosecutor.

Once the potential client hears this, they may take another look at the back of the ticket where it states they can pay the $100 fine now. At this point we try our best to relay the consequences of paying the $100 fine to court as opposed to hiring us.

POINTS ON YOUR LICENSE

When you simply pay the fine listed on the back of your citation, the court accepts this as an admission of guilt or admission to the fact that you were speeding. Once it is recorded that you plead guilty to the charge, the court will pass the information along to Jefferson City where the state will assess points to your permanent driving record. Too many points and you can have your license suspended.

The number of points assessed will vary depending on the severity of the ticket. Here is a link to the various types of violations and the points they carry: https://dor.mo.gov/forms/899.pdf

INCREASED CAR INSURANCE COSTS

Points assessed on your driving record also leads to higher rates for car insurance. The increase in insurance rates is because the insurance company will use the points assessed on your driving record as proof that you disregard traffic laws and are therefore a higher risk to end up in a car accident.

Since the insurance company would have to pay out on your accident, they can use the points as an excuse to increase your rates to compensate for the added risk. Also, insurance companies will search for any excuse to increase your rates. It’s good business for them and tough luck for you.

It’s important to understand too that in recent years, you may have noticed that your insurance rates are increasing every year anyway, no matter how good of a driver you are.

Why is that? Because of the increase in serious accidents involving texting and driving and distracted driving. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to minimize already expensive insurance rates by avoiding taking points on your license.

DON’T LIKE GOING TO COURT? YOU WON’T HAVE TO

A major advantage of hiring a traffic ticket lawyer St. Peters to handle your ticket is that in most cases, you’ll never need to attend court. That saves you from having to take off work for a morning or afternoon court appearance, or having to waste an evening wasting for hours with everyone else. If your time is valuable to you, hiring us will save you that valuable time.

CONCLUSION

When you hire an experienced attorney to handle the ticket, they will work with the local prosecuting attorney to get the ticket reduced from a moving violation to a non-moving violation. A non-moving violation does not result in points on your record and therefor will not lead to an increase in insurance rates.

Traffic Ticket Center has resolved hundreds of tickets for clients over the years and our goal is to keep your record clean and your insurance rates down.

Call us at (636) 486-2669 to learn more.

Careless and Imprudent Driving in Missouri…

30AugAugust 30, 2016 By Charles Moore

Careless and Imprudent Driving in Missouri

Careless and imprudent driving is a common charge in Missouri. This charge is sometimes referred to as a "C&I" ticket. It is a four (4) point violation if it is charged by the officer on the scene as a violation of Missouri state law and a two (2) point ticket if charged under municipal law.

These tickets should be taken seriously because they are considered to be a more serious violation than an ordinary speeding ticket. In my practice, I often see these tickets issued to younger drivers for lane weaving, driving at a high rate of speed or for drag racing at a stop light. They are often given by an officer who witnesses a driver squeal his tires or run a stop light or stop sign at a high rate of speed.

Additionally, drivers should understand that a careless and imprudent driving ticket can be given in conjunction with another ticket. Let's say that a driver speeds through a stop sign at a high rate of speed. The driver can and probably will be given a ticket for careless and imprudent driving plus a ticket for speeding, which carries either three (3) points for a state law violation or two (2) for a municipal law violation.

Careless and Imprudent Driving tickets are often given to a driver when there is an accident that occurs. Often the officer will cite the driver for Careless and Imprudent Driving for doing something to cause or not avoid an accident.

Traffic Ticket Center can and often do get these tickets amended to non-moving violations, saving clients increased insurance premiums and points on their license.

If you've received a careless and imprudent driving ticket, call us today so we can help.