Car insurance may increase and any good student/good driver discounts may be suspended for 1 or more years.
Yeah that’s why i’m trying to avoid the insurance increase if I can at all
I did traffic court as an attorney-volunteer as Notelling did. My recollection is that the fees are very high - on the order of more than double the fine. Sometimes the judge will reduce them, though the clerks, who for some reason thought their opinion was appropriate, tried to dissuade us from doing so. Under $400 for that violation sounds low, but it’s been years since I was in traffic court. You go on the date you’re assigned on the ticket. It was rare that the officer didn’t show. If I recall correctly, there was an announcement before the court session started to the effect that once opted for a hearing, you couldn’t elect traffic court, so when you check in, ask the clerk if the officer is there–sometimes they’ll let you know. And, as a resident and parent, please know that speeding on Mulholland is very dangerous!
Had you never driven on Mulholland before? Just trying to imagine how you could be going almost double the speed limit. Was it an unfamiliar area? In a hurry to get somewhere?
Because I was curious, I looked it up and it seems as if penalty assessments are almost triple the bail/fine amount, $29 for each $10. http://www.lacourt.org/division/traffic/TR0200.aspx. Also, unless it’s changed, 30 mph+ over the speed limit renders the driver intelligible for traffic school.
also i just had another question: the citation I did get was a 22349(b) which basically says a violation going over 55 mph in a two lane highway. Since I was going 75 (making me 20 mph over 55) would I be eligible for traffic school? Or does that rule only apply to the posted speed limit?
also, can you explain what the penalty assessment is?
The penalty assessment is similar to a tax. If you look on the court link, there’s a breakdown showing where the money goes. It is unlikely that the judge will waive it. As far as traffic school, the speed may be over the posted limit. None of can or will give legal advice here. It may be in your best interest to consult a lawyer; perhaps your school has a clinic or other access.
I’ll see if my school has something like that.
When I looked up my ticket online, one of the options said: Request Traffic School - The amount due is $431.00 plus an online transaction fee of $5.00 will be added to this amount. The traffic school due date will be 8/24/2016.
does this mean I am eligible to do traffic school or am I just asking for it (meaning it can be granted or denied?)