So why should you hire an attorney for a traffic ticket? You should do everything you can to protect your privilege to drive. Accumulating tickets will be costly and eventually, will result in your license being suspended or revoked. Consider Points & Fines, as well as increased insurance premiums. If you are on the graduated license system, your probation could be extended. If you accumulate too many tickets in a short period of time, you can be restricted or suspended. Too many points will result in driver responsibility fees. Therefore, to see whether you can avoid a ticket being reported to the Secretary of State, have the points reduced, or get a ticket dismissed, you should contact Thomas J. Tomko at 586-795-8822 to have your case reviewed.
Points and Fines
You should be concerned about points on your record as well as fines payable to the Court. Too many points can result is license action by the Secretary of State, refer to License Suspensions. To what extent a ticket can be kept off your record will vary according to your Court and your driving record. The Law Offices of THOMAS J. TOMKO and Associates, P.C. will have a good idea of what you face for your ticket in your Court. Call (586) 795-8822 for an in-office appointment. A listing of points and fines for common offenses, (source: Sterling Heights as of 1/08), are as follows:
|
Offense |
Fine |
Points |
|
Abandoned Vehicle |
100 |
N/A |
|
Accidents (all) |
100 |
Varies 2 to 6 |
|
Auto For Sale On Private Prop |
100 |
N/A |
|
Careless Driving |
125 |
3 |
|
Careless Driving Accident |
150 |
3 |
|
Defective Equipment |
75 |
N/A |
|
Disobey Stop Sign |
75 |
3 |
|
Disobey Traffic Control Device |
75 |
2 |
|
Drag Racing |
150 |
4 |
|
Drove Left of Center |
75 |
2 |
|
Expired Plates |
75* |
0* |
|
Fail To Obey or Stop (all) |
75 |
Varies 2 to 6 |
|
Fail To Stop Assured Clr Dist |
75 |
2 |
|
Fail to Yield |
75 |
2 |
|
Following Too Close |
75 |
2 |
|
Impeding Traffic |
75 |
N/A |
|
Improper Lane Use |
75 |
2 |
|
Improper Passing |
75 |
3 |
|
Improper Plates |
75* |
0* |
|
Offense |
Fine |
Points |
Pts Lim Access |
|
Improper Turn |
75 |
2 | |
|
No Operator's Lic On Person |
60 |
0* | |
|
No Prf Of Ins (present w/10 days) |
100 |
N/A | |
|
No Prf of Ins (no prf provided) |
100 |
0 | |
|
No Registration |
75 |
0 | |
|
Obstructed/Obscured Vision |
75 |
2 | |
|
Open Intox In Motor Vehicle |
100 |
2 | |
|
Prohibited Turn |
75 |
2 | |
|
Speeding 1-5 Over |
65 |
2 |
0 |
|
Speeding 6-10 Over |
75 |
2 |
1 |
|
Speeding 11-15 Over |
85 |
3 |
2 |
|
Speeding 16-25 Over |
100 |
4 |
3 |
|
Speeding 25 & Over |
100 |
4 |
4 |
|
Handicapped Parking |
100 |
N/A | |
|
Parked on Sidewalk |
65 |
N/A | |
|
Parked on Traveled Part of Hwy |
65 |
N/A | |
|
All other Parking |
35 |
N/A | |
|
Seat Belt Violation |
65 |
0 | |
|
Violation Child Restraint Law |
60 |
0 |
- Moving Violations Doubled in Construction, School or Emergency Zone
- * - Denotes Misdemeanor, with possible Criminal Penalty
- N/A - Denotes NOT Reported to Secretary of State unless FCJ Suspension
Insurance Premiums
When you get a ticket, sooner or later your insurance premiums will go up. The money you spend on an attorney in getting points reduced or a ticket kept off of your record will save you money on future insurance premiums. There is no guarantee, but you may be able to avoid points by negotiating a favorable plea. The ability to negotiate a favorable plea will depend on your driving record and the facts in your case. In some cases, a plea can be negotiated to an offense which does not go on your record or has no points!
