Winchester Traffic Penalties & Fines Attorney
All traffic violations are seen as serious offenses in Virginia, and the law comes down hard on those who have a history of poor driving. By enlisting the help of an experienced traffic violations defense attorney, you can keep your driving record clean and avoid serious expenses down the road. As a nation, we suffer greatly from traffic collisions. Loss of production, medical bills, and other financial losses add up to incredibly high amounts every year. According to USA Today, traffic collisions cost the U.S. $871 billion annually, and likely much more due to the rising death toll of American drivers in more recent years. Because of these huge financial costs, and the even more tragic cost in terms of lost life, you stand to face heavy punishment for not being considered a safe driver. We all make mistakes, however. We believe that our clients deserve the right to hold onto their driver’s licenses and to not be punished with exorbitant insurance premiums. Contact or Winchester traffic penalty attorneys today for immediate assistance.
12 Points on Your License Could Spell Disaster
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) keeps track of every individual’s driving record by tallying demerit points against those who have been cited and convicted of certain traffic violations. When you get pulled over for speeding or turning without signaling properly, you do not simply receive a fine and go on your way. The DMV records a specific amount of points for each infraction, which inevitably gets sent on to your insurance company and your insurance premiums go up. When you reach 12 points in a 12 month period of time, your license can be taken from you. You must pass a traffic safety class in order to keep your license from being suspended, and even then, it may not be enough. Additionally, if you get 18 demerit points in a 12 month span, or 24 demerit points in a 24 month span, you will automatically lose your license for a minimum of 90 days.
Six, Four, and Three Point Demerits
The length of time a demerit stays on your DMV record is in the parentheses.
Examples of six-point violations:
- Reckless driving – passing two vehicles abreast (11 years)
- Refusing blood/breath test (11 years)
- Manslaughter (11 years)
- Speeding 20 mph or more above the posted speed limit (5 years)
- Failure to stop at the scene of a crash – injury (11 years)
- Operating unsafe vehicle (3 years)
Examples of a four-point violation:
- Passing when unsafe (three years)
- Passing to the left of approaching vehicles (three years)
- Failure to keep to the right when crossing an intersection (3 years)
- Failure to yield right-of-way (3 years)
- Failure to obey railroad crossing signal (3 years)
Examples of three-point violations:
- Improper stopping on highway (3 years)
- Violation of right turn on red (3 years)
- Changing course after signaling (3 years)
- Evading traffic control device (3 years)
We Can Help You
Contact the Winchester traffic violations defense attorneys of Simms Showers, LLP today to keep your record clean. We are prepared to assist you throughout each step of your case.