No one sees traffic tickets as particularly significant, but moving violations can add up and cause significant time and trouble for people who get them, especially if you build up a few without paying them. Enlisting the right traffic ticket attorney can help ensure that your ticket or tickets are handled in the most efficient and just manner possible, and possibly help you avoid having to make an admission of guilt as well.

Guilty Pleas Carry Heavy Fines

Most people see moving violations as minor issues, but the fines can add up. Connecticut has been making a concerted push to seemingly hand out more tickets, both to raise state revenue and ostensibly to make streets safer, and many simply choose to pay them off instead of contesting them. However, points do accrue on your driving record if you admit guilt, even though moving violations are infractions - not crimes or civil torts. Violations like speeding, following too closely, and making an illegal turn will all add points.

If you have reached a total of six or more points on your record, the Connecticut DMV will send a warning letter to you advising you of that fact. You will also be advised that if you go on to exceed ten points, your license will be suspended for 30 days. In turn, if you then exceed ten points at any point in the next five years, the Department of Motor Vehicles then has the authority to suspend your license until your record dips below ten points. Points fall off your record within 24 months, or sometimes you are able to have them removed upon completion of a defensive driving course.

Commercial trucks, whether big rigs or smaller vehicles, are strictly regulated in Connecticut, and sometimes out-of-state drivers are surprised by the consequences for what may seem a petty violation. However, for a commercial truck driver, any moving violation can be a serious problem, so it is a good idea to enlist a Fairfield County truck violation attorney to ensure that any issues are handled as quickly and appropriately as possible.

Weight Violations

The most common trucking violations in Connecticut are weight violations, meaning that a truck is carrying too heavy a load. While this may not seem to be a particularly egregious offense, heavy trucks have a significant and serious impact on highway and bridge infrastructure, a large proportion of which is already in a state needing repair. Also, overweight trucks may not respond as quickly as those under the appropriate weight, so if evasive action is needed (for example, if a driver must react quickly to avoid a crash), they may not respond well.

Most weight violations are punished by a fine, the amount of which is calculated by the formula given in Connecticut’s statute. It can be very easy to simply give up and pay the fine, but doing that means that the moving violation will appear on your driving record going forward. Depending on the violation, this can pose a real problem for you - it may affect your ability to get a job in the future, or raise your insurance rate to a point where your employer may object. Contesting the ticket is generally a good idea because if you can get it reduced or dismissed, your driving record will benefit.

Most people think of traffic violations as everyday occurrences that one can pay a fine to resolve easily. While sometimes this is the case, sometimes the infraction is more severe, and while it is still a traffic violation, these can be quite serious, leading to license suspension and even revocation if the offense or offenses merit it. Enlisting an experienced attorney to help you defend against a traffic violation can save you time and trouble in the long run.

Many Different Kinds

Because the term ‘traffic violation’ can encompass so many things in Connecticut, it can be overwhelming to someone who has been charged with one, and it can be confusing to try and differentiate the charges which can be paid off with a fine from those that are much more serious. Also, some traffic violations may also be chargeable under criminal law as well as civil law, which means that even if you are found not liable under civil law, you might still be found guilty in criminal court, especially if you are deemed to have acted recklessly or with malice.

Something that also must be kept in mind is that even small infractions can result in points being added to your driver’s license, and points add up. Connecticut sends a warning letter to everyone who accumulates more than six points at any one time, but if you acquire more than ten, your license will be suspended for 30 days. If you are detained for a moving violation during that suspension period, or if your point total goes over ten at any time in the next five years afterward, your license will be suspended again until you get your point total below ten.

Were you pulled over for speeding? Did you get a ticket for rolling through a stop sign? Maybe you received a traffic ticket but do not think you deserved it. While very few drivers actually contest traffic tickets in court, it is an option. Here are a few frequently asked questions about fighting a traffic ticket in Connecticut:

Q: How do I plead not guilty to the alleged traffic violation?

A: There are three ways to plead not guilty. You can plead not guilty via a web portal, by phone or by mail. An experienced attorney can walk you through these options and make sure you enter the plea correctly.

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car crashes in the United States. It results in thousands of deaths every year, and hundreds of thousands of injuries, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Distracted driving takes many forms. Basically, any activity that takes the driver’s eyes off the road or hands off the wheel, or keeps him from concentrating, is a distraction.

For example, distracted driving might be a driver who takes his hands off the wheel to juggle a sandwich or other meal. It might be a driver who is trying to do her makeup because she is running late for work. It might be a driver who is trying to referee an argument between her kids in the backseat. But commonly, it is a driver who is talking on his phone, responding to a text message or otherwise using a handheld cell phone.