Golden Valley Traffic Lawyer

Most drivers will get at least one ticket during their lifetime. They usually come with relatively minor criminal penalties, but convictions can have significant civil penalties. Convictions can raise your insurance rates, and conviction of an underlying offense that led to an accident can affect your civil liability. Too many traffic convictions can even lead to the state suspending or revoking your license.

Fortunately, it is possible to challenge a traffic violation with assistance from an experienced criminal defense attorney. When you feel you were improperly ticketed, the consequences are too significant for you to just pay the fine. A Golden Valley traffic lawyer could help challenge the charge.

Traffic Tickets

There are several different types of traffic tickets, most of which are petty misdemeanors, meaning they do not qualify as crimes.

The most common type of ticket is given for moving violations. The police must see a driver engaging in illegal behavior before issuing the ticket, with the most common offenses being:

• Speeding
• Careless or reckless driving
• Running lights or stop signs
• Not stopping for a school bus
• Not having proof of insurance
• Driving with a suspended, revoked, or canceled license

Other traffic tickets come as the result of ignoring an underlying offense, such as failing to pay a ticket or appear in court. These can result in the court issuing an for arrest warrant.

Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI) can lead to felony convictions and affect employment and child custody. A traffic lawyer in Golden Valley could investigate traffic tickets and defend against charges.

Traffic Ticket Enhancements

Traffic ticket enhancements can convert misdemeanors to more serious criminal offenses. If the police officer decides the offender endangered people or property while committing the offense, they can add an enhancement by checking a box on the ticket, and they often do so when responding to a traffic accident.

While traffic tickets typically carry small fines, enhanced tickets have more substantial punishments, up to $1,000 and a potential 90-day jail sentence. A Golden Valley traffic attorney could help fight ticket enhancements.

Commercial Traffic Tickets

Commercial drivers have more rigorous standards than other drivers, which can lead to additional charges including tailgating, improper lane changes, and driving without a commercial license or the proper enhancements..

Commercial drivers need to be cautious, even if the police ticket them while they are in a private vehicle. All tickets show up on their commercial licenses and affect insurance rates and employability, which can have disastrous consequences for people who depend on a license for their livelihood. A traffic lawyer in Golden Valley could talk to commercial drivers about whether to challenge a ticket.

Meet With a Golden Valley Traffic Lawyer

While most traffic offenses are petty misdemeanors, they can still have severe consequences like increasing your insurance rates and jeopardizing your license. When you are involved in an accident, paying a ticket can provide evidence of wrongdoing.

To learn about your options, schedule a consultation with a Golden Valley traffic lawyer. They could explain the charges and potential criminal and civil consequences, review the evidence against you, and guide you on whether you should pay the ticket or fight it.