Connecticut Criminal Lawyer Blog
Everyone who gets a traffic ticket that does not require a court appearance in Connecticut is faced with the somewhat misleading language on the back of the ticket which states “If you are charged with a motor vehicle infraction or violation and you choose to pay the amount due to the Centralized Infractions Bureau, no points will be assessed against your operator’s license by the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.” This language is somewhat misleading as while the DMV may not impose points if you plead by mail or online the conviction will go on your permanent DMV driving history. Most insurance companies regularly check the driving histories when it comes time to renew your auto instance policy and having a record for a moving violation can result in increased insurance rates.
Plead Guilty or (No Contest) to a Speeding or Traffic Ticket Can Increase your Insurance Rates and Lead to Administrative Sanctions
No matter how tempting the offer of “no-points” sounds there are still consequences for pleading guilty or no contest. The reason why is even though “no-points” will be assessed against you, the conviction will be noted on your permanent Connecticut driving history and insurance companies will be able to charge you increased premiums on the basis of your conviction for a moving violation for years to come. Obviously, the more violations you have the more the insurance company charges you through higher insurance premiums.
Just What is The Points System?
The points system is a DMV formula where every moving violation is assigned a point value. If you pick up 10 points on your driving record in 24 months you would need to attend a driver retaining course. A consequence of taking the driver retraining program is that you would be under a probationary period for 36 months after taking the program during which any violation would result in a 30-day license suspension. DO NOT wind up in this position. Call us to fight the very first ticket so you never wind up getting placed under driving probation.
Even though points may not be assigned to tickets you just mail in they still go on your driving record and you are still subject to administrative penalties by the DMV if you pick up 3 moving violations within 24 months of you are over the age of 25 and 2 moving violations if you are under the age of 25.
The most important thing to remember is that even if you just mail in the ticket – pleading no contest you still get the offense listed on your driving record and it will cost you hundreds of dollars over the coming years in increased insurance rates. For this reason, your best approach is to always fight the ticket.
Some of the offenses and points associated for informational purposes are:
One Point Offenses:
Sec. 14-218a – Operating at an unreasonable rate of speed
Sec. 14-219 – Speeding
Sec. 14-230 – Failure to drive in the right-hand lane
Sec. 14-230a -Illegal use of limited access highway by bus, commercial vehicle, or vehicle with trailer
Sec. 14-236 – Improper operation on multiple-lane highways
Sec. 14-237 – Improper operation on a divided highway
Sec. 14-239 – Wrong direction at rotary or a one-way street
Sec. 14-242 – Improper turn, illegal turn, illegal stopping, failure to signal the intention to turn
Sec. 14-243 – Improper backing or starting
Sec. 14-244 – Failure to give proper signal
Sec. 14-277 – Operator’s duties on stopping a school bus
Sec. 14-289b – Operation of motorcycles abreast, illegal passing
Sec. 14-303 – Wrong way on a one-way street
Sec. 14-220 – Slow speed, impeding traffic
Two Points Offenses:
Sec. 14-223 (a) – Disobeying orders of an officer
Sec. 14-238 – Entering or leaving controlled access highway at other than designated entrance or exit
Sec. 14-238a – Entry upon a limited access highway other than a highway intersection or designated point
Sec. 14-241 – Executing turn from the wrong lane or contrary to traffic control devices
Sec. 14-249 – Failure to obey signal at a railroad crossing
Sec. 14-250 – Failure to stop at a railroad crossing by school bus, a commercial motor vehicle carrying flammable or explosive substance, taxicab, motor vehicle in livery service, motorbus, motor vehicle used for the transportation of school children
Sec. 14-298 – Failure to observe parkway or expressway restrictions
Sec. 14-299 – Failure to obey traffic control signal light
Sec. 14-301 – Failure to obey stop sign
Sec. 14-302 – Failure to obey a yield sign
Sec. 14-304 – Operating a vehicle through pedestrian safety zone
Sec. 14-227a (b) – Driving while impaired
Three-Point Offenses:
Sec. 14-231 – Failure to keep to the right when meeting opposing traffic
Sec. 14-232 – Improper passing or failure to yield to passing vehicle
Sec. 14-233 – Passing on right
Sec. 14-234 – Passing in a no-passing zone
Sec. 14-235 – Failure to keep to right on a curve, grade, or when approaching an intersection
Sec. 14-240 – Failure to drive a reasonable distance apart
Sec. 14-245 – Failure to grant the right of way at an intersection
Sec. 14-246a – Failure to grant the right of way at junction of highways
Sec. 14-247 – Failure to yield when emerging from a driveway or private road
Sec. 14-247a – Failure to grant the right of way when emerging from alley, driveway, or building
Sec. 14-283 – Failure to grant the right of way to ambulance, police, or fire apparatus
Sec. 14-300 – Failure to grant the right of way to a pedestrian
Sec. 14-224 (c) – Wagering, speed record
Four Point Offenses:
Sec. 14-240a – Failure to drive a reasonable distance apart, intent to harass
Sec. 14-279 – Passing stopped school bus
Sec. 14-281a – Operation of a school bus at excessive speed
Five Point Offenses:
Sec. 14-222a – Negligent homicide with a motor vehicle
Never Use the ONLINE REVIEW Program!
The best traffic ticket lawyers will all tell you never to use Connecticut’s new online traffic ticket review program. It is a system designed to cut down on the heavy flow of people into the Courts to contest traffic tickets and it works against you. You can read more about the pitfalls of the online review system in this blog post – https://www.connecticutcriminallawyerblog.com/connecticuts-new-online-ticket-review-program-you-should-never-use-it/
What Can a Traffic Ticket Lawyer do to Help?
The best traffic ticket lawyers will tell you to always fight your ticket in Court. When you get a $150 or $250 traffic ticket the instinctive reaction is to just pay the ticket and make the problem go away. This is what the Police and the Court system are banking on. Law-abiding citizens just trying to drive to work or get home are given tickets at random. Have you ever tried, for example, to actually drive the 55 mph speed limit down I-95? The truth is that no one obeys the speed limit. 90% of the traffic is going over the speed limit.
Regardless if you were just going 10 mph over the speed limit or if you were caught in a cell phone violation sting operation the bottom line is that a traffic ticket defense attorney can help you fight to keep your driving record clean, keep your insurance rates from going up and save you time from having to attend Court hearings (in most cases).
For most traffic infractions for a small fee, we handle the entire process for you from soup to nuts. We take care of the ticket for you. We mail the ticket in not guilty for you. We arrange a Court date for you. We appear on your behalf and negotiate a favorable resolution for the case. In those situations where a favorable resolution can not be achieved we arrange a mutually convenient trial date and we fight your case at a trial. We have 29 years of experience prosecuting and defending all types of traffic tickets in Connecticut.
Contact us Today for a Free Initial Consultation!
If you have been issued a speeding ticket or a traffic ticket anywhere in Connecticut we can assist you to get the ticket resolved at a very reasonable rate. Contact us now for a free initial consultation and we will give you a quotation of our flat fees for fighting speeding and traffic tickets. Let our 29 years of defending traffic tickets go to work in your favor today! Call us now for a free consultation 203.357.5555
