Don’t Let a Traffic Ticket Become a Problem – Houston Traffic Ticket Lawyer David McNeal Can Help

Traffic tickets are aggravating, and tickets are often unfair. The key thing that Texans need to know about traffic tickets is that you must deal with and resolve them promptly, or a small ticket could turn into a big problem. Moreover, resolving a traffic ticket does not always mean paying the fine.

In Texas, many common traffic violations are infractions that are not considered criminal violations. Several moving violations, however, are considered Class C misdemeanors, the least serious category of criminal charges.

For most drivers, a traffic ticket can be dealt with quickly and painlessly, but if your tickets pile up, you could be looking at some significant legal difficulties. Similarly, if you forget or disregard a ticket, the consequences could quickly become serious.

Why Hire The McNeal Law Firm To Help You?

Those consequences are explained below, but they do not mean that you should pay the fine for a traffic ticket and allow points that will go against your driver’s license. (The point system is also explained below.)

Paying the fine for a traffic ticket is an admission of guilt. You probably have a better option. The McNeal Law Firm advises and represents drivers in and near the greater Houston area who have been charged with traffic violations related to:

1. Speeding, tailgating, and reckless driving
2. Stop signs and traffic signals
3. Improper turns and improper lane changes
4. School zones and school buses
5. Suspended and revoked licenses
6. Insurance violations and failure to appear in traffic court

What Happens If You Ignore a Traffic Ticket?

If a traffic ticket is dealt with immediately with an attorney’s help, the consequences for most Texas drivers, if any, will be minimal. However, if you forget about a traffic ticket or simply ignore it, or if you fail to appear in traffic court, a bench warrant may be issued for your arrest.

A traffic ticket that is issued by a municipal police department is usually handled in that particular city’s municipal court. All other tickets are usually handled by a county court.

You must deal promptly and straightforwardly with a traffic ticket. If you are charged with a failure to appear in court, you may not be allowed to renew your driver’s license or vehicle registration until the matter is resolved. If you cannot show up for your court date, your Houston Personal Injury Attorney can probably represent you or have the hearing postponed, but you cannot ignore or forget a scheduled court appearance.

What Are the Fines for the Most Common Traffic Tickets?

In Houston, as of 2020, these are the typical fines – for first-offense convictions – for some of the more common traffic violations. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. It is merely an indication of what you can expect if you are convicted of one of the following traffic violations:

1. Driving with an expired non-commercial vehicle registration: $119
2. Failure to wear a safety belt: $184
3. Driving without having a driver’s license: $219
4. Making an unsafe lane change: $229
5. Driving with an invalid or revoked driver’s license: $231
6. Driving through a stop sign or a red traffic light: $269
7. Failure to maintain automobile insurance: $289
8. Driving with an unrestrained child: $344

What Are the Fines for Speeding Tickets?

Fines for speeding tickets in Texas vary from one jurisdiction to another, although every speeding conviction adds two points to your driver’s license. As of 2020, in Houston, these are the typical speeding fines:

1. 1 – 5 m.p.h. over the posted speed limit: $224 (or $254 in a school zone)
2. 6 – 9 m.p.h. over the limit: $244 ($274 in a school zone)
3. 10 – 14 m.p.h. over the limit: $259 ($289 in a school zone)
4. 15 – 19 m.p.h. over the limit: $284 ($309 in a school zone)
5. 20 – 29 m.p.h. over the limit: $309 ($334 in a school zone)
6. 30 or more m.p.h. over the limit: $334 ($359 in a school zone)

What Is the Point System and How Does It Work?

Do not plead guilty by paying a traffic fine before you’ve consulted Houston traffic ticket attorney David McNeal. If you pay the fine, the state’s point system will penalize you and place points on your driver’s license.

Two points apply for moving violations. Three points are added for a violation that causes an accident. A driver who is guilty of four moving violations within twelve months or seven moving violations within twenty-four months will face a driver’s license suspension.
As of 2019, the Texas Department of Public Safety no longer maintains the Driver Responsibility Program or imposes “surcharges” on drivers who accumulate six or more points within three years. Drivers are still responsible for all other suspensions, fines, or fees on their driving records.

How Will The McNeal Law Firm Help?

At some point, every traffic ticket must be finally resolved or your driver’s license will eventually be suspended. However, receiving a traffic ticket does not mean that you have to be convicted, fined, or have points applied to your license, but it does mean that you will need the advice and services of a good Texas traffic ticket attorney.

Houston attorney David McNeal has a comprehensive knowledge of this state’s traffic laws. As your traffic ticket attorney, he will explain the charge against you, your options, and the possible outcomes while protecting your rights and working on your behalf for the best possible results.

Attorney David McNeal has built a reputation for hard work on behalf of his clients and legal excellence in the courtroom. He knows that many Texans must drive for school, work, child-care, and to meet other personal and family responsibilities.

If you are ticketed for any traffic offense, or if you are at risk for a driver’s license suspension, get the legal help you need and contact The McNeal Law Firm immediately.

How Should You Handle a Traffic Stop?

If you are stopped in traffic by the police, treat the officer with respect. If the officer issues you a ticket, accept it without complaint. If you have been wrongly ticketed, you will have the opportunity to explain it to a judge, and you have the right to an attorney, but do not bicker with the officer who is issuing the ticket.

What you don’t say cannot hurt you. A police officer may try to get you to admit that you were speeding, for example, but anything you say can and probably will be used against you, so the less you say, the better. You have the right to remain silent, but it is also important to remain polite. Say something like, “I’m sorry, officer, but I’d simply like to exercise my right to remain silent.”

You also do not want to announce to a police officer something like, “I know my rights.” The officer may take such a statement to be a challenge to his or her authority. “Polite and quiet” is always the best policy when the police pull you over in traffic.

We Review Your Case at No Cost and With No Obligation

Whether your traffic ticket is for parking, an equipment violation, or a moving violation – or if the problem is more complicated and involves a possible license suspension or an arrest warrant for ignoring a ticket or failing to appear in traffic court – take the matter as quickly as possible to The McNeal Law Firm by calling our Houston office at (832) 819-3281 to schedule a case review at no cost and with no obligation.

Do not let a small traffic ticket become a big legal problem. Call us to learn more about your rights and more about our legal services, and let Houston traffic ticket attorney David McNeal protect your rights and advocate aggressively and effectively on your behalf.