So you say you want to spend the day in traffic court, really? Well, here are your choices: you can pay it and plead guilty; you can fight it and plead not guilty, or you can request traffic school if eligible because you haven’t been in the last 18 months. (California).

First of all once you’ve gotten a ticket you can go to the court website and pick a date for your arraignment, that means pleading guilty or not guilty this is not to set a trial. Once you do that then you can set a trial date if you decide to fight the ticket or if you just want to pay it or if you want to pay it and request traffic school. A plead of NOLO is the same as pleading guilty.

If you decide to request the traffic school choice… there is an additional fee over your “fine” for instance in Los Angeles courts $64 to process traffic school papers, then you can choose the traffic school (we hope you will choose us!) If you decide to set a date for trial, it’s always best to set a date as far in the future as they offer you. That gives you the best chance that the police officer might not even show up. If they don’t show up…. They usually dismiss the case. But if they do show up then you have to be prepared to fight your case. The best way to do that is with photographs, diagrams and have a concise idea of how and what you’re going to say. The police officer is the first one to speak, listen carefully to what they say, and the judge will give you an opportunity to question the police officer, then if you have no other questions and you tell your side of the story, and wait for the judges decision. If you lose you still have the right to request traffic school even though a cleric might’ve told you that you shouldn’t requested because once you try a case they know they judge doesn’t get it. You still have the right to ask you if you lose.

If you lose or lose with traffic school will go down to the clerks office and pay and they will give you about two months to complete the course. If you take the course at our great Improv Online a Traffic School… we do all the paperwork for you do not have to return to the court.

If your court required you to pay bail in order to set a trial date will get the money back in 4 to 6 weeks. Many courts are not charging in order to set a trial date check the website of your particular court. There is no extra fee to try a case.

There are only three words which are important if you try a case, credibility, credibility and oh… did I mention, credibility?
Do not under any circumstance impunity integrity of the police officer or call him a liar! That’s the easiest way to lose your case on the spot.

When the judge gives you a chance to question the officer… this is a good opportunity to raise doubts. Where was the officer’s position, did they have a clear view of what you did. Is there anyway they could’ve made a mistake. Always be courteous, always be professional, and dress respectfully. You don’t have to overdress in an Armani suit, that’s too much, just show the court respect. No jeans no shorts no flip-flops.

If the judge gives you traffic school then the point that you have accrued towards negligent operator points will be hidden from the insurance company and you win, even if you lose.

Preparation and credibility are everything. Good luck!

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OK, so you got a traffic ticket… Look, it happens to the best of us. But now you want to avoid getting the POINTS that the DMV issues for your moving violation so your insurance company does not jack you! Driving Safety is our main mission here at The Improv Traffic School, but so is keeping your insurance costs lower… and we have been doing it for decades now.

Most moving violations like speeding, running a red light, illegal U-turns and such carry points that can add up to a suspended license or even a revoked one. For instance, in California, if you rack up 4 Points in 12 months, 6 in 24 months or 8 in 36 months, you will get a nasty letter from the DMV saying “COME ON DOWN…YOU ARE THE NEXT CONTESTANT ON THE DMV HEARING OFFICER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!!” and then you have to explain WHY in the world they should let you out of their office with a valid drivers license in your wallet? Do you know what the chances of that are? Have you ever heard of the Law Firm of SLIM & NONE?

There are actually attorneys you can hire to handle your hearing, and they have been specifically trained to get you a better outcome like perhaps a “restricted license”… driving to or from work, or during hours of employment or to and from school. OR… they might be able to get you a shorter suspension.

Can YOU do this yourself? Perhaps if you understand that you have NO right to drive and do not approach your suspension hearing as if you did. We ALL have to drive to make our living really. Educate yourself online as to how to conduct yourself at a Suspension Hearing. For revocations… I highly suggest you do not handle this yourself.

So… of course we suggest that you DO NOT BREAK THE LAW in the first place, but, as the saying goes… “compost happens“. Your “Good driver discount” with an insurance company CAN be at stake with even ONE point found against you, which is why our traffic school IS a solution. Always check with your own Insurance to see, and check with your State DMV by phone or website to check out what the policy is on points in YOUR state.

The post California Driving: Am I Eligible for a Good Driver Discount? appeared first on MyImprov.

That dreaded red light ticket appeared in the mail and you have been confused because of all of the newspaper and television news reports that these tickets are not legally valid. Well don’t be fooled they are.

The city of LA decided to get rid of the red light program because of the bad deal they made with the vendor but there are many other cities in the Los Angeles County area for instance are still using the red light camera program and many throughout the state and other states. If you get a red light camera ticket in the mail, it’s because the police officer reviewed the videotape and saw that your wheels were behind the crosswalk when the light was already read, no matter where you think they were in your memory.

Here in California the fines run close to $500 plus additional fees if you want to take traffic school, Plus the fee for the traffic school online course.

People who run red lights happens to be the number one cause of car injury and death in the state of California so it’s a really bad idea to think that a yellow light means “speed up”… And the camera doesn’t make mistakes.

Now if you do not pay the ticket for the red light camera the court is not going to come after you like other moving violations but they will ding your credit send you to collections and should you appear in that court on another citation the judge will cite you for failure to pay , Almost triple what the original cost was.

The only way out of these tickets is if the face in the photograph is clearly not you because the ticket goes to the registered owner, the registered owner would have to show up in court and say that’s obviously not me and although they would like you to explain who that was behind the wheel they cannot force you to.

The best way to avoid red light camera ticket, is being defensive driver as you’re driving down the street anticipate that a yellow like maybe coming up. Yellow light means prepared to stop and under no circumstances do you ever want to run a red light.

Just FYI, places that send you tickets for rolling stop signs are not legitimate tickets.

• For information on How Much is a Red Light Ticket in New York, click:
  How Much is a Red Light Ticket in New York

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Attention California Drivers! One of the most asked questions I get is…

“HOW did they come up with the fine I was levied for my traffic ticket?”

I wish I could tell you that it was a bunch of old witches and crones sitting around a bubbling cauldron conjuring up some evil numbers… but close.

The state legislators come up with laws that set the minimum fine for an offense and then the individual Judicial Traffic courts can tack on extras, like “Courthouse construction fund”, “Fingerprint Identification Upgrade Fund”, or whatever their pet project is in their district.

Also, many states mandate a “Penalty Assessment” on every minimum fine which can be from $10-$30 of ADDITIONAL fine for every $10 of the base fine….so more than DOUBLING your fine. So, a fine for “Speeding” could be a legislated $100, but after P/A and the other funds, you can get to $500 REALLY fast.

The post How Did They Come Up With The Fine I Was Levied For My Traffic Ticket? appeared first on MyImprov.

There is a category of traffic violations in California called “Correctable Violations” more popularly known as “Fix-it” tickets. Back in the day, if you made the correction, there was no charge for the ticket. Ah… but times have changed. The economy and the laws have changed. The State of California wants and needs your financial contribution, so there are no more “freebies.”

Some examples of these “Fix-it” tickets include:

• Equipment Violations – (broken headlight/tail light/cracked windshield/raised or lowered vehicle/illegal exhaust)

• Drivers License/Registration/Insurance Violations – If you were pulled over and you didn’t have your license, registration, or proof of insurance, or if any of these were expired, you will receive this violation. However! There is a new law in California that may help you avoid receiving a ticket for forgetting to keep your proof of insurance in your glove compartment. It states that you are allowed to show proof of insurance coverage via a photo on your smart phone.

If you did not actually have insurance when you were ticketed, you can be liable for the full fine (It is VERY expensive, it can cost you $800+).

If your ticket falls under the category of Correctable Violations, it would be wise to know what to do to stop the ticket from appearing on your driving record or to avoid increasing fees.
You will have a certain amount of time to fix your automobile’s broken part or show proof of document ownership. There are different time requirements for different violations. The specific amount of time you will have to “Fix It,” should be stated on the ticket itself.

If instructions are not on the ticket, then you can find them on the California state website.

We suggest when beginning the process, to first get your car’s mechanical problem fixed. It is very dangerous to have a broken headlight or windshield while driving behind the wheel. You also must get it replaced before verification can occur.

FROM THE COURT: “When you fix the problem, get an authorized person to sign the “Certificate of Correction” part of your ticket. Take the proof of correction to the court and pay the dismissal fee before the deadline. You can check your ticket or contact the court to see if the court accepts proof of correction by mail. The court will then dismiss your case and it will not go on your record. You must take or mail the signed ticket with proof of correction to the court along with your dismissal fee. Do this before the deadline on your ticket. The court will then dismiss your case.”

• Navigate car registration in California like a pro – Learn how to register a car with ease at How to Register a Car in California!
• For More Information About California License Plate, Click : California License Plate Check
• Lost your Arizona license? Learn how to easily obtain a new one online with our comprehensive guide on replacing lost Arizona licenses.

To get your ticket “SIGNED” for verification, the only people that can do that are:

• A Police Officer who is designated for corrections of violations
• The DMV
• A Court Clerk

The post What Do I Do If I Get a California Fix-It Ticket? appeared first on MyImprov.

• Running a Red Light (officer issued or by camera)
• Speeding
• Unsafe lane change
• Rolling/running a stop sign
• Crossing over double double yellow lines
• Tailgaiting, …(just to name a few)

If you take traffic school, the ONE POINT will be moved to your DMV H6, also known as your “Private Driving Record” which is NOT visible by insurance companies unless you apply for a job driving for that company. As long as you do not get another violation in the following 18 months from the day of that violation, the ONE POINT will stay hidden on your record.

Traffic School is ALWAYS the best choice, not only because of the valuable information you will learn with our informative and fun course, but to help prevent getting that next ticket which WILL jack your insurance rates, or get you into a crash.

The post Can I Enroll In Traffic School to Reduce the Number of California Driver’s License Points On My Record? appeared first on MyImprov.