Traffic Ticket Attorneys in Arizona
Traffic tickets can affect your life in many different ways. Finding the top traffic ticket attorneys in Arizona is crucial to remaining behind the wheel. The costs of a traffic ticket include the fines, court fees, and increased car insurance rates. If you drive for employment, too many traffic tickets can even affect your job. If you get a traffic ticket in Arizona that you need to get resolved as painlessly as possible, an experienced Arizona attorney specializing in traffic tickets can help.
Arizona Point System
Not only do you have to worry about the financial costs of traffic tickets in Arizona, you also have to worry about point accumulation on your driving record. Each traffic ticket is assigned a specific point value. Usually, most moving violations that do not result in accident or injury are two points, although speeding tickets can be up to three points. If you accumulate eight points in one year, you will lose your Arizona driver’s license.
Penalties
The severity of a penalty depends on the severity of the infraction committed. Here is a list of penalties for the most common infractions.
Driving on a Suspended or Revoked License
If you are cited for driving on a revoked or suspended license your vehicle may be impounded by the law enforcement agency for up to 30 days.
Failure to Appear or Pay Fine for Traffic Citation
Your driver license will not be issued or renewed if MVD has been notified that you have not appeared in court for a traffic violation charge. When you are cited for a traffic violation, your signature on the citation is a promise to appear in traffic court. If you fail to appear in court, or fail to pay a fine, the court may direct MVD to suspend your driving privilege. When you have satisfied the court, you may take the court documents to any driver license office to apply for reinstatement of your driving privilege.
If you are under 18, your driving privilege may be suspended for failure to appear in court, pay a fine or failure to comply with any court order.
Altered or Fictitious License
It is unlawful to display any license that you know is canceled, revoked, suspended, fictitious or altered. It is also illegal to alter a license or obtain a false driver license. These actions will result in your driving privilege being suspended; you are also subject to possible fines and/or a jail sentence.
Aggressive Driving
You may be cited for aggressive driving if you commit a series of acts during a single, continuous period of driving that presents an immediate hazard to another person or vehicle, exceed the posted speed limit and commit two of the following violations.
- Failure to obey traffic control signs or signals
- Passing another vehicle on the right side
- Unsafe lane change
- Following too close
- Failure to yield to emergency vehicles
These are the penalties for aggressive driving:
- First offense: You will be required to attend a Traffic Survival School course and your license may be suspended for 30 days.
- Second and subsequent offenses: If you commit a second offense within 24 months, you are guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and your license will be revoked for 12 months.
Red-Light Running
If you run a red light (or flashing red light) you must attend Traffic Survival School for each conviction that MVD receives. If you fail to attend, your driving privilege will be suspended until the class is completed.
Failure to Stop at an Accident
If you are a driver involved in an accident where there is damage to a vehicle, injury or death, you are required by law to stop your vehicle at the scene of the accident, or as close as possible and immediately return to the scene. You must remain at the scene to
- provide aid to any injured person, including making arrangements for medical treatment.
- provide your name, address and license plate number.
- show your driver license to any person involved, if requested.
Conviction for failure to comply will result in your driving privilege being
- revoked for 10 years (not including the time you are incarcerated), if involving death.
- revoked for five years (not including the time you are incarcerated), if involving serious physical injury.
- revoked for three years if involving injury other than death or serious physical injury.
- suspended for one year if involving only damage to a vehicle.
Fighting a Traffic Ticket in Arizona
If you are worried about the repercussions of your traffic ticket in Arizona, you might choose to fight the ticket in court. If you decide to do this, you’ll need to contact the Arizona DMV to set a court date. It is a good idea to hire traffic ticket attorneys in Arizona to represent you in this process. They can more easily work with the prosecutor and the judge to get you the most favorable outcome.
Keep in mind that many attorneys are also specialize in driver’s license reinstatement in Arizona. If you have lost your license due to a DUI or too many traffic tickets, these attorneys can help you fight those tickets and get you back on the road faster than you might be able to do otherwise. You may have to jump through some hoops, such as Traffic Survival School. The good news is that these attorneys can usually help keep your license and limit the effects that a DUI or traffic ticket can have on your life.
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