Traffic Violations

Receiving a speeding ticket or traffic ticket can be a huge and expensive hassle. Often times, it can cause you to miss work, or school to appear in court. Depending on how it is resolved, it can lead to expensive increases in your insurance costs or even the suspension or revocation of your driver’s license.

Before you handle your speeding ticket or traffic ticket yourself, relying on information from a friend or family member, (or, even worse, the officer who gave you the ticket) you should consult with a knowledgeable and experienced defense lawyer. We represent people accused of a wide arrange of traffic violations all across Onslow County. These offenses include:

  • Speeding Tickets
  • Speeding to Avoid Arrest
  • Driving Without Insurance
  • Driving While License Revoked
  • Illegal Turns
  • Failure to Stop (Running a Red Light or Stop Sign)
  • Driving without Registration / Expired Registration
  • Reckless Driving
  • Speeding in a School Zone
  • School Bus Violations
  • Hit and Run
  • Street Racing
  • Window Tint Violations
  • All Other Traffic and Moving Violations

Please contact us at 910-333-0224 to speak with our attorney.

 

If you received a traffic ticket, it means that you have been cited for a traffic infraction or a traffic-related misdemeanor. You have been given a court date at which time you must appear before the court. If you plead guilty or are found guilty of a traffic infraction or misdemeanor, a North Carolina motorist can be assessed two different types of points, driver’s license and insurance points.

Driver’s License Points

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles maintains a record of convictions and automobile accidents (for those in which the police are called) for every person licensed or required to be licensed. The NCDMV will assign points for convictions of North Carolina’s Motor Vehicle Laws in accordance with the schedule below. If you accumulate 12 or more points within a three-year period, the NCDMV may suspend your license.

The first suspension of your driver’s license under the point system shall be for no more than 60 days. The second suspension shall not exceed six months and any subsequent suspension shall not exceed one year. If you are in danger of losing your license because you have accumulated too many driver’s license points, the NCDMV may allow you to attend the Driver Improvement Clinic and have three points removed from your record. This, however, does not remove the points from your insurance.

You can only take this Driver Improvement Course once every five years. Once your license has been suspended, you can face a second suspension of your license if you accumulate eight or more points during the three-year time period immediately following the reinstatement of your license. If you are convicted of two or more traffic offenses that were committed on a single occasion, then you will only be assessed driver’s license points for the offense having the greater point value. 

Insurance Points

The automobile liability insurance rates that are paid by licensed drivers in North Carolina are determined by five factors:

1.     The basic North Carolina automobile insurance rates that are set out in the North Carolina Personal Automobile Manual. Also see the NC Rate Bureau.

2.     Insurance points that they have accumulated during the past three years for moving violations and accidents.

3.     Whether their insurance company has transferred their coverage to the reinsurance facility.

4.     What region of North Carolina they live in.

5.     Whether they have three years or less driving experience.

North Carolina drivers will be assessed insurance points if convicted of a moving violation or if they have an at-fault accident during a three-year experience period. This three-year period is determined to be the three-year period immediately preceding the date of application, or the date of preparation of renewal of your insurance policy.

A conviction includes pleas of guilty, no contest, suspended sentences, forfeiture of bail and the payment of court costs and a fine. Each household may receive one Prayer for Judgment Continued (PJC) every three years without it counting as a conviction. Prayer for Judgment Continued upon the payment of costs, without more, does not constitute the entry of judgment. N.C.G.S. ¤15A- 101 ( 4a) 3-4-2005

This is general information about traffic and insurance points and is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice as it relates to your particular situation. Consult with our office to discuss how your particular facts relate to the law.

If you are facing a traffic-related charge, it is important to understand the law and how it may apply to you. Timothy R. Oswalt welcomes the opportunity to assist you and help you understand the charges you are facing.