Cordele Speeding Ticket Attorney
As upsetting as it may be to get a traffic ticket, it’s more than an inconvenience and an unexpected bill to pay. If you don’t contest the ticket, the fine could be just the beginning of the expenses you may need to pay, including higher insurance rates. If you get enough tickets you could lose your license, your ability to travel easily and possibly your job. If you’ve received a traffic ticket, you should talk to an attorney so you can understand your situation and the best way to proceed.
Violations fall into two categories: when the vehicle is in motion (moving violations) or when it’s stopped or parked (non-moving violations). Moving violations include:
- Driving faster than the posted speed limit
- Driving slower than the minimum speed
- Driving an unsafe speed for the conditions
- Reckless driving
- Failure to obey a police officer
- Disobeying a stop sign or red light
- Following too closely
- Driving without a seat belt
- Drunk driving
- Failing to move over a lane for an emergency vehicle with flashing lights.
Georgia has a point system set up in its statutory code that ranges from two to six points, depending on the infraction. If your tickets add up to 15 points within a 24 month period, your license will be suspended. Infractions and the points associated with them are:
Offense Code | Conviction | Points |
§40-6-397 | Aggressive Driving | 6 Points |
§40-6-390 | Reckless Driving | 4 Points |
§40-6-163 | Unlawful Passing School Bus | 6 Points |
§40-6-45 | Improper Passing on Hill or Curve | 4 Points |
§40-6-181 | Speeding: | |
15 to 18 mph over speed limit | 2 Points | |
19 to 23 mph over speed limit | 3 Points | |
24 to 33 mph over speed limit | 4 Points | |
34 mph or more over speed limit | 6 Points | |
§40-6-20 | Failure to Obey Traffic-Control Device | 3 Points |
§40-6-2 | Failure to Obey Police Officer | 3 Points |
§40-6-253 | Possessing an Open Container of an Alcoholic Beverage while Driving | 2 Points |
§40-6-248.1 | Failure to Adequately Secure Load (except fresh farm produce), resulting in an Accident | 2 Points |
§40-8-76 | Violation of Child Safety Restraint | |
1st Offense | 1 Point | |
2nd or Subsequent Offense | 2 Points | |
§40-6-241.1 | Violation of usage of wireless telecommunication device | 1 Point |
§40-6-241.2 | Operating a Vehicle while Text Messaging | 1 Point |
§40-6-54 | Improper Use of Designated Travel Lane – 4th and Subsequent Offense | 1 Point |
All Other Moving Violations | 3 Points |
Depending on the circumstances, you may be cited for multiple infractions at the same time. If you are involved in an accident and the investigating officer believes you are at fault, you may be given a ticket for the infraction the officer believes lead to the accident. This can make a civil legal action filed against you concerning injuries or property damage resulting from the accident easier to prove.
Georgia’s “Super Speeder” law can boost what you’ll need to pay, depending on how fast you were driving and where the ticket was issued. Traveling 75 mph or faster on a two lane road or 85 mph or faster on other roads or highways would qualify you for spending an additional $200 in fines.
Failing to pay will result in a license suspension which requires a $50 fee to be reinstated.
Traffic tickets have an especially serious impact on those with a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Depending on the infraction and if multiple tickets have been given, a CDL driver may have a license suspended and insurance may be dropped, ending the person’s ability to work and earn an income.
Whether a ticket will impact your car insurance rates and by how much depends on the infraction and the insurance company. Insurance.com’s analysis of more than 490,000 auto insurance quotes, along with data gathered by Quadrant Information Services, shows how much common infractions can increase your auto insurance rates, on average:
- Reckless driving – 22%
- DUI first offense – 19%
- Driving without a license or permit – 18%
- Careless driving – 16%
- Speeding 30 mph over the limit – 15%
- Failure to obey stop sign or stop light – 15%
- Improper turn – 14%
- Passing in a no-passing zone – 14%
- Following too closely/tailgating – 13%
- Speeding 15 to 29 mph over limit – 12%
- Speeding 1 to 14 mph over limit – 11%
- Failure to yield – 9%
- Failure to show proof of car insurance – 6%
- Seat belt infractions – 3%.
Contact a Fitzgerald Lawyer Todday
If you have been issued a speeding ticket or a ticket for any other traffic violation, contact our office. Getting a ticket doesn’t mean you’re guilty of the offense. We can defend your rights and interests by helping you contest the ticket or by negotiating a guilty plea to a lesser infraction to reduce the impact on your finances and lessen the chances of a license suspension.
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We are proud to serve the counties of Irwin, Ben Hill, Crisp, Wilcox, Jeff Davis, Coffee, Tift, Dooly, Atkinson, Colquitt, Berrien, and Dodge. We are appreciative of the opportunity to serve the cities of Ocilla, Fitzgerald, Abbeville, Eastman, Hazelhurst, Tifton, Douglas, Moultrie, Nashville, Enigma, and Cordele.
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If you believe you may have a case, fill out our online contact form or call us when you’re ready, at (229) 468-0832.