Traffic Tickets in North Carolina

Almost everyone gets a traffic ticket at some point in their lives. In North Carolina, there is a wide variety of tickets that you might receive, including:

• Speeding (these can lead to a revocation of your driving privileges)
• Failure to stop for a stop sign/light
• Driving with no operators' license (NOL)
• Driving while license revoked (DWLR)
• Accident Cases

There can be serious consequences for almost any ticket. Your insurance premiums may sky rocket. Your driving privilege may be revoked. Your appearance in traffic court, often for hours, can be more than a minor inconvenience to your job and otherwise busy schedule. For these reasons, it is imperative that you are aware of the consequences of a traffic ticket and the maze of appearing in court without knowing the rules.

• ALWAYS TALK TO A LAWYER:
• 
  
  If an officer writes you a ticket, he may tell you that you can pay the ticket and not come to court. Be careful with this advice. If you simply pay the ticket, you are ADMITTING that you are guilty and you are agreeing to have a conviction entered against you in a court of law. Please don't make this MISTAKE; instead you should contact a lawyer with experience in traffic court. Ask the lawyer whether the ticket you received is a moving violation, and whether it will affect your privilege to drive or increase your Insurance Premiums. Find out what options may be available to your specific situations. In many instances, the District Attorney is willing to allow you to enter a plea of a lesser offense instead of the original charge. Your appearance in court may not be required. Please consult us in this regard.
  
  
• INSURANCE INFORMATION:
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  When you are convicted of speeding or another traffic violation, there are three different ways that you will be punished. First, the court will order that you pay a fine and the costs of court. Currently court costs are eight-six dollars ($86). Fines are generally within the discretion of the trial judge. Second, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will assess points against your diver's license, if you are licensed by North Carolina. These points vary by offense. Third, and potentially most devastating and certainly most expensive, your insurance carrier will assess you insurance points. Following is a chart displaying the rate of increase in your insurance premiums based on points you receive for a traffic conviction:
  
  
  • Points
  • Percentage Increase
  • Increase if Basic
    Rate is $300.00
  • 1
  • 25%
  • $375.00
  • 2
  • 45%
  • $435.00
  • 3
  • 65%
  • $495.00
  • 4
  • 90%
  • $570.00
  • 5
  • 120%
  • $660.00
  • 6
  • 150%
  • $750.00
  • 7
  • 180%
  • $840.00
  • 8
  • 220%
  • $960.00
  • 9
  • 260%
  • $1080.00
  • 10
  • 300%
  • $1200.00
  • 11
  • 350%
  • $1350.00
  • 12
  • 400%
  • $1500.00
  
  Even if you have never had any traffic conviction in the past, a conviction of speeding 70mph in a 55mph zone (a 2-point insurance offense) will result in a forty-five (45%) increase in your insurance premiums. If you have never had any traffic conviction in the past, a conviction of speeding in excess of 80mph in a 70mph zone (a 4-point insurance offense) will result in a 90% increase in your insurance premiums. A conviction of Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) is an 8-point insurance offense.
  
  
• CAN MY LICENSE BE SUSPENDED IN ANOTHER STATE FOR A NC TICKET?
• 
  
  Yes, North Carolina is a member of the Nonresident Violator Compact and a license suspension or serious ticket in any member state equals a ticket or loss of license in ALL member states. Only Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin are unaffected. If your license is suspended in North Carolina you cannot obtain a license in any of the member states until your privilege to drive in North Carolina is restored.
  
  
• EXPERIENCE WORKS FOR YOU
• 
  
  We have handled hundreds of traffic cases. That experience is critical. Please contact us for your FREE consultation. We handle cases in Nashville, Rocky Mount, Tarboro and Wilson.
  
  Please E-mail your name, phone number and violation and we will contact you with a quote.
  
  Feel free to call us with any questions at (252) 451-1200.
  
  You can also contact us by completing our Consultation Information Form.