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Traffic Moving Violations:
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Common moving violations include speeding, running a red light or stop sign, driving
with an expired license or without auto insurance, and passing a stopped school
bus. If you receive a traffic ticket or citation for a moving violation, you have
the option to pay the stated fine, or to appear in court on the date and time you
are required to appear. A traffic citation should be taken seriously. Letting a
traffic ticket go unpaid or failing to appear in court can result in suspension
of your driver’s license, additional fines, and even a warrant for your arrest.
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Receiving a citation for a moving violation does not mean that you are guilty of
the offense. Just paying the fine is the same as pleading guilty in court, however,
and may make driving more costly to you for some time. The Texas point system adds
two points to your license for driving in excess of ten percent above the posted
speed limit, and three points for moving violations resulting in an accident.
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Points on your driving record may cause your auto insurance rates to go up considerably
for several years. More than six points on your driving record in a three-year period,
and you will owe annual surcharge fines to the state. Failure to pay these fines
can result in suspension of your license.
You may request permission of the court to take a driving safety course before your
court date to have your ticket dismissed, but only once per year. You may not take
the course for certain violations, including speeding in excess of twenty-five miles
per hour over the posted speed limit or driving without auto insurance. You may
request deferred adjudication in some cases, where in return for a deferred sentence
you will pay the fine and court costs and be placed on probation, during which time
the court may require you to complete a driving safety course. If you receive no
more tickets during the probation period, your ticket will be dismissed. Deferred
adjudication is completely at the discretion of the court and is not always available.
Hiring a traffic attorney to defend you in court is likely to be your best option
to fight your traffic ticket, keep points off your driving record, and keep your
auto insurance rates from skyrocketing. A traffic attorney can represent you in
court on your behalf, so that you also save valuable time by not having to appear
yourself. An experienced traffic lawyer is familiar with the applicable law and
court procedures, giving you the best chance
for winning your case. With skillful representation, many traffic cases result in
dismissal or in pleading down to a nonmoving violation with a reduced fine, leaving
your driving record intact.
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Sullo & Sullo, LLP has an experienced team of traffic attorneys who can help you
fight your traffic ticket and protect your driving record.
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Traffic High Speed Violations:
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High speed violations are a type of moving violation for which you can be cited
if you drive in excess of the posted speed limit. If you receive a traffic ticket
or citation for speeding, you have the option to pay the stated fine, or to appear
in court on the date and time you are required to appear. A traffic citation should
be taken seriously. Letting a traffic ticket go unpaid or failing to appear in court
can result in suspension of your driver’s license, additional fines, and even a
warrant for your arrest.
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Receiving a citation for a high speed violation does not mean that you are guilty
of the offense. Just paying the fine is the same as pleading guilty in court, however,
and may make driving more costly to you for some time. The Texas point system adds
two points to your license for driving in excess of ten percent above the posted
speed limit, and three points for moving violations resulting in an accident.
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Points on your driving record may cause your auto insurance rates to go up considerably
for several years. More than six points on your driving record in a three-year period,
and you will owe annual surcharge fines to the state. Failure to pay these fines
can result in suspension of your license.
You may request permission of the court to take a driving safety course before your
court date to have your speeding ticket dismissed, but only once per year. You may
not take the course for certain violations, including speeding in excess of twenty-five
miles per hour over the posted speed limit or driving without auto insurance. You
may request deferred adjudication in some cases, where in return for a deferred
sentence you will pay the fine and court costs and be placed on probation, during
which time the court may require you to complete a driving safety course. If you
receive no more tickets during the probation period, your ticket will be dismissed.
Deferred adjudication is completely at the discretion of the court and is not always
available.
Hiring a traffic attorney to defend you in court is likely to be your best option
to fight your speeding ticket, keep points off your driving record, and keep your
auto insurance rates from skyrocketing. A traffic attorney can represent you in
court on your behalf, so that you also save valuable time by not having to appear
yourself. An experienced traffic lawyer is familiar with the applicable law and
court procedures, giving you the best chance
for winning your case. With skillful representation, many traffic cases result in
dismissal or in pleading down to a nonmoving violation with a reduced fine, leaving
your driving record intact.
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Sullo & Sullo, LLP has an experienced team of traffic attorneys who can help you
fight your traffic ticket and protect your driving record.
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Houston Red Light Tickets:
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Red light running is a serious problem in Houston, with thousands of crashes every
year causing injuries, deaths, and millions of dollars in damage. A red light running
violation occurs when a driver’s vehicle enters an intersection after the light
has turned red. There is no violation if the light was yellow when the vehicle enters
the intersection, even if the light turned red before the vehicle left the intersection.
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It is a violation to make a right turn or a left turn from a one-way street onto
another one-way street while the light is red without first coming to a complete
stop.
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Red Light Running Moving Violations:
Running a red light is a moving violation when a ticket for this offense is cited
by an officer. The moving violation is different from a red light camera ticket,
which is regarded as a civil offense. A citation from an officer takes precedence
over a red light camera ticket when received for the same violation.
As for other moving violations, if you are cited for running a red light you have
the option to pay the stated fine or to appear in court on the required date and
time. Failure to do either can result in additional fines, suspension of your driver’s
license, and even a warrant for your arrest. Points may be added to your driver’s
license that can result in additional fines and higher auto insurance rates. Please
read the above Traffic Moving Violations section for more information and how you
can get help from a traffic attorney to protect your driving record and your insurance
rates.
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Red Light Camera Tickets:
Red light camera tickets have recently been the subject of much controversy. While
proponents of the cameras extol them as an effective driving safety program, opponents
have criticized them as a revenue-generating scheme.
As of 12:01 pm Wednesday, August 24, 2011, the city of Houston stopped issuing red
light camera tickets after the Houston City Council voted to permanently shut the
red light cameras down, at least for now.
Houstonians voted to turn the red light cameras off in the November 2010 election.
After a federal judge ruled the election invalid, the camera controversy was reignited
when American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the company operating the cameras, sued the
city for breach of contract. Faced with the lawsuit, red light camera citations
resumed in July 2011 when the city turned the cameras back on.
While the Houston City Council finally decided to turn the red light cameras off,
the battle is far from over as the city continues negotiations with ATS, which is
claiming up to $20 million in damages. ATS plans to be back in court to ask the
federal judge to rule on the consequences for the city’s breach of contract, while
the question remains as to how much money the city owes in damages.
The city is not letting past violations off the hook, and will continue to seek
collection of outstanding fines of $75 per violation. Red light camera violations
are regarded as a civil violation and not a moving violation, however, so that no
points are added to your driver’s license and no report is made to your auto insurance
company. Liability can be contested, but this has rarely been successful. Failure
to pay the fine or contest liability within 45 days after receipt of the Notice
of Violation incurs a $25 late payment fee. Failure to pay after the second notice
may result in collections proceedings and a judgment against you, and a request
to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to place a hold on renewal of your vehicle
registration.
The Notice of Violation is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle and not
the driver of the vehicle at the time of the violation. If your vehicle was stolen,
sold or being test driven by another person at the time of the violation, you can
submit a sworn statement to the Court by mail or in person before the Notice of
Violation due date that you were not driving the vehicle when the violation occurred.
Although red light camera tickets are no longer being issued, red light running
is still a moving violation subject to citation by police officers. Please read the above
Traffic Moving Violations section for more information and how you can get help
from a traffic attorney if you receive a red light ticket.
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Sullo & Sullo, LLP has an experienced team of traffic attorneys who can help you
fight your red light ticket and protect your driving record.
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Please call us today at 1-800-730-7607 or hire us online!
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Free Consultation
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Receive an immediate response to your request.
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Recent Articles and Publications
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March 10, 2012
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How Can a Conviction on Your Driving Record
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While many of us tend to be fairly laid-back regarding traffic violation offenses, the truth is these relatively minor infractions of the law can cause you significant levels of grief down the road. This is the way your traffic ticket generally evolves over time: You see the flashing lights in your rearview mirror and are filled with dismay to realize you are being pulled over by a city of Houston police officer.
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Full Story
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February 28, 2012
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Avoiding an Arrest in Texas by Posting a Bond
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Suppose you are unpleasantly surprised to find there is a City of Houston warrant for your arrest as a result of an unpaid traffic ticket or a failure to appear in court as promised. Of course your primary goal is to avoid an embarrassing arrest which could take place wherever the police happen to find you.
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Full Story
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February 27, 2012
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What is a Capias Warrant?
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The word “capias” means “that you take” in Latin, therefore a capias warrant is usually issued to compel someone to do take a specific action. Capias warrants are issued by civil courts, therefore they are apart from a criminal arrest warrant, however make no mistake—you can wind up in jail as a result of a Texas capias warrant.
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Full Story
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No article available
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