Laurel Traffic Lawyer
If a person is facing a traffic offense in Laurel, it is important they contact an experienced defense attorney who can help to find a way of lessening their traffic charges.
A Laurel traffic attorney is essential in helping to negotiate down whatever offense you may be facing. There are a lot of proactive ways an attorney will be able to help you get a better result on the day of trial. A qualified attorney can use their knowledge and experience in past cases to help you combat your charges.
Traffic Offenses
There are two categories of traffic offenses, and they are incarcerable and non-incarcerable. Non-incarcerable offenses are offenses where someone does not risk any incarcerations. There is also no prosecutor involved and the defendant not entitled to a public defender. These charges are citations, such as speeding, red lights infractions, and illegal u-turns, which generally go to traffic court.
Incarcerable offenses carry anything from 30 days of incarceration up to a year of incarceration or more. These are typically offenses such as DUIs, driving on a suspended license, driving without insurance, or hits and runs, which all warrant the attention of an experienced traffic lawyer in Laurel. The most common traffic offense is driving on a suspended license.
Potential Penalties
Even the most basic of traffic offenses, which are non-incarcerable traffic citations, can carry over $1,000 in fines. In addition to monetary penalties, a driver could be assessed points on their record, which could lead to a loss of their driving privileges and increased insurance rates.
For jailable offenses, a person could face expensive fines up to the thousands, as well as up to a year or more in jail, thereby making it important that a traffic lawyer in Laurel is contacted right away. Depending on the particular offense, the stigma of their conviction could ultimately affect a person’s relationships with friends and family and their ability to find employment.
License Consequences
License suspensions can happen for a variety of reasons. DUIs cause someone to get their license suspended, as well as acquiring many traffic tickets and accumulating points. Someone’s license could be suspended for failing to pay a minor ticket. If someone gets pulled over and cited for a seatbelt ticket, and thereafter the person fails to request a hearing or mail in payment, their license will be suspended. If they are caught driving on that suspended license, they can be charged and face up to a year in jail.
Often, people are facing these traffic charges like those with a license suspension will forget. They might not get anything in the mail, and they forget and drive anyway. If they are caught driving with these offenses, they could be facing incarceration and are unprepared in court.
Point System
All moving violations carry points. Some non-moving violations can also carry points. In Laurel, three points lead to a warning letter, five points lead to driver improvement, eight points require a suspension, and 12 points require revocation. Points span two years and they range anywhere between one point for a simple offense, as small as for a speeding ticket, to 12 points for a DUI.
If they are convicted of the traffic offense in court or they just pay it without going to court, that is tantamount to a conviction and points will be assessed. Points, if they accumulate can cause a loss of driving privilege for a period of time and cause insurance premiums to skyrocket. In the long run, they will pay a lot more premiums than if they ever went to an attorney to defend it. Oftentimes, the attorney knows what to do and how to navigate the waters to try to get any potential points reduced, minimized, or even eliminated entirely.
Role of an Attorney
There are certain protocols police have to follow in traffic offenses. Even if someone receives a non-incarcerable traffic offense, police still have to be able to prove certain elements and if they do not, there is an opportunity for the defendant to combat their charges with the help of a Laurel traffic attorney.
An experienced Laurel traffic attorney could help reduce any potential charges. If someone is caught at a high rate speed, an attorney has the potential to reduce their charges. An experienced traffic attorney in Laurel could work toward probation before judgment, which could eliminate points from a person’s driving record and could help reduce the fines.
There are a lot of things that can be done in advance of a trial date that would help lead to a more favorable resolution. The judges want to see what a person has done about their offense, what could be done, and what caused the offense to begin with. A Laurel traffic lawyer can help a person go through their options and plan what would be the best option for their case. An attorney can help a person be proactive about their charges and plan ahead in order to have the potential for a better result.
