Lake Havasu City Traffic Ticket Lawyer

Let’s face it, Traffic tickets seem to be an incredibly common part of a driver’s day-to-day life, but fact is that, they can drastically impact a person’s driving record,  how much a person will pay for car insurance and even their ability to continue to legally drive.   There are hundreds of different violations you may be cited for on a traffic ticket including both civil traffic, criminal misdemeanor and even felony charges! The  procedure and penalties look different depending on the violation or charge.

Odds are that, if you received a traffic ticket in Lake Havasu City, you were cited out of one of the following Courts: Lake Havasu City Municipal Court, Lake Havasu City Justice Court, or Mohave County Superior Court. To help you navigate the process, consider working with an accomplished defense attorney. The experienced Lake Havasu City Traffic Ticket Lawyers will help you resolve the citation or case with the best outcome possible.

Why Might Someone Receive a Ticket?

There is an immense variety of reasons why you might be stopped and given a ticket. Tickets are divided into two main categories: Civil and Criminal. Civil traffic tickets tend to be less harsh and cover less serious crimes, like for example failure to stop for a stop sign. These can be resolved more easily than criminal tickets, usually do not require involvement of a prosecuting attorney, and in many cases can be taken care of using Arizona’s Online Defensive Driving School Option, which dismisses a ticket once per year for a driver.  Civil tickets generally result in fines, license points, or defensive driving school, but with a criminal ticket, in addition to future hassles in auto insurance, you could be looking at penalties such as jail time, fines, and probation and a life-long criminal record.

What Do Points on my License Mean?

Depending on whether you received a civil or criminal ticket, the number of points you are given for a moving violation may vary. However, according to the ADOT, accumulating 8 or more points in a 12-month period can result in mandatory Traffic Survival School, or a 12-month driving suspension. The points assessment is as follows:

Resolving a Traffic Ticket in Lake Havasu City

The short answer is that it depends on your case. If you have received a Civil Traffic Ticket in Lake Havasu City, you can:

• Plea responsible and pay the fine – Here you’d receive points on your driver’s license if it was a moving violation but in many cases you don’t need to appear at court, and you can take care of all the fines by paying the Court directly. For example, if your ticket was out of the Lake Havasu City Municipal Court you’d pay your fine at the Court website here: Lake Havasu City Traffic Ticket website
• Plea not responsible and request a civil traffic hearing – You can request a civil traffic hearing by contacting the Court listed on your ticket. This hearing will allow you to contest the charges on a new court date, determined by the Court. Keep in mind that you are waiving your choice to attend defensive driving school, which is the next and last option that you have.
• Attend Defensive Driving School – Signing up for and successfully completing defensive driving class AT LEAST 7 days prior to your court citation deadline will dismiss the fines, court appearance, violation, and points associated with the traffic violation for ONE traffic violation every 12 months.

If you have received a Criminal Traffic Ticket or a misdemeanor or being charged with a felony traffic violation like Aggravated DUI, the process looks a lot different. You or your Attorney are mandated to appear before the court on the time and date on your traffic citation or complaint unless an attorney has your presence waived. Additionally, you are not necessarily eligible for defensive driving. Points, criminal record and possible jail time are all possibilities here.

Contact a Lake Havasu City Traffic Ticket Attorney Today

Having a knowledgeable attorney on your side in either a civil or criminal case can be a great asset in navigating the court and legal proceedings. In a civil case, you almost always have the option to complete defensive driving school, but it might not be in your best interest to do so, especially if you know you did not commit a violation that you were cited for. For criminal cases, our qualified  Lake Havasu City Traffic Ticket Lawyers can help you review your case, negotiate with the state on your behalf, and use the relevant evidence to work towards the best outcome possible. Call The Law Offices of Brandon White to schedule a free strategy session today!