Speeding & Traffic

We tend to think of traffic tickets as routine and minor. But beware of hidden consequences that can last for years, cost thousands of dollars, and most are totally unnecessary!

Insurance increases, a suspended license, and an unnecessarily bad driving record are just some of the hidden consequences of "paying off" traffic tickets. Having your household driving record(s) evaluated, and then pursuing the right remedy can minimize or avoid many of those consequences.

The State is making it much easier today to "pay off" your ticket. That's because it is a "numbers game" to them. The more people that "pay off" their tickets, the less staff, court and resource time they have to dedicate to the process, and the more money they make. So officers and court personnel encourage you to "pay off" your ticket, at the Magistrate's office, at the Clerk's Office, or now on the web. They don't have an interest in what happens to your license, your insurance or your record. Most of the time they don't really know what the impact on you will be, because they don't have the facts they need to evaluate your situation, nor do they have any duty to do so. Make no mistake about it, "paying off" your ticket is a "conviction" to the charged offense. Most convictions have a three year impact on your license and insurance (that's six insurance payment semi-annual cycles).

The consequences of a conviction on your record can cause points to be assessed on two separate points systems, one for driver's licenses kept by the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, and one for insurance purposes, tallied by your insurance company and monitored by the N.C. Rate Bureau. Part of our evaluation is to advise you of what impact your charged offense would have related to both systems, and to advise what favorable actions we can take on your behalf.

Many people have heard of the "prayer for judgment" or "pjc". When in court, it is usual to see unrepresented people ask for a "pjc", and many times the court will grant the request. The problem here is that most of the unrepresented people are just guessing about the impact that the "pjc" will have on their record, and may are shocked several weeks or months later when their insurance goes up or their license gets revoked. Many of the cases we see are people trying to correct these ill-advised pleas. It is always much more expensive to correct an errant plea than to do it right the first time.

As a general rule, the money you spend for legal advice and representation on a traffic ticket will be earned back in the first or second six months of an unnecessary insurance increase. We can also often save you some money on fines and costs, making representation even more affordable. It is very rare that someone comes in with a traffic ticket and we can't help them. We can help!

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