A speeding ticket in North Carolina may seem like a simple matter, but if not taken care of properly, it may affect your license and insurance in the future.
There are several options for taking care of a speeding ticket, and all differ based on the speed in which your ticket is written. If the law enforcement officer writes “waivable” on your ticket, you should be able to take care of the ticket online without going to court. However, this isn’t recommended. Otherwise, you must appear in court. If you are unable to appear for any reason, you may hire a lawyer to appear on your behalf.
How to Resolve the Ticket
Prayer for Judgement Continued (PJC) is an option for a speeding ticket that you want to plead guilty for. Let’s say you get a ticket for speeding 65 mph in a 55 mph zone, PJC may be an option for you. However, PJC cannot be used if your speed was over 15 mph. If you choose a PJC for your ticket, it is essentially pleading guilty for the offense. The bright side of this option is it does not allow points on your driver’s license or on your insurance unless you receive another ticket within a set period of time. A PJC can only be used twice in five years. So, keep that in mind if you have more than once traffic offense on record.
Defensive Driving School is another option that may benefit you when you receive a ticket for a higher speed. One of our attorneys can appear for you in court and request that the ticket be reduced to a lesser speed. If you attend the driving school, your ticket will automatically be reduced and your license and insurance may not be affected.
Going to Court
One very important thing to remember is that you must show up to your court date if you do not have a lawyer representing you. If you have the choice to pay your ticket online and waive your appearance, that is the only way that you do not have to appear in court, but again, that isn’t recommended. If you do not show up to court, a failure to appear will be issued and you may face the revocation of your license. Having a lawyer appear on your behalf prevents this from happening.
If you are unsure as to where to go with your ticket and want to make sure your insurance and license are protected, contact King Law Offices at 88-748-5464 (KING) and we will ensure that you are given the best possible outcome.