If you have recently received a citation for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device in Clearwater, St. Petersburg, or the surrounding areas of Pinellas County, you may be wondering what that citation means. An allegation that you failed to obey a traffic control device means that a police officer has alleged that you have failed to abide by some sign or other marking on a road or highway. This includes stop signs, yield signs, no left turn signs, turn only errors, etc.

How Many Points Will I Get for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device?

Getting points assessed against your license will almost always result in an increase in your insurance premiums. A conviction for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device can result in the imposition of three (3) points against your license. If you accumulate 12 points over a period of 12 months, your driver’s license can be suspended.

Can I Avoid the Points for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device?

In many instances, our office is able to resolve violations of a traffic control device in a way that does not result in our client getting any points. This can occur in several ways, including asserting a defense that the sign was not reasonably visible or properly placed, or presenting mitigation to the Court in order to negotiate a no-points resolution.

Why Did I Get a Violation of a Traffic Control Device Ticket if I was only Speeding?

In some cases, a client is issued a Violation of a Traffic Control Device citation in Pinellas County for speeding. Usually, this is indicative of the client having a polite and respectful attitude with the law enforcement officer, and the officer “cut” our client a break. This is because the fine for Violation of a Traffic Control Device is substantially less than speeding.

Hire a Highly Experienced Pinellas Traffic Ticket Defense Attorney

If you have been issued a citation for Violation of a Traffic Control Device or any other citation, time is of the essence. You only have thirty days from the date on the citation to exercise your rights. 

Contact the best Pinellas Traffic Ticket Defense Lawyers at 727-578-0303 to discuss the options that may be available to you to avoid the points or to seek an outright dismissal of the charge against you.

If you have received a traffic citation for speeding, running a red light, failing to stop at a stop sign, or careless driving, one method that you can avoid “points” being assessed against your driver’s license is to take an “election” and do a driving school. However, in some cases, a client is not eligible to take an election.

Why Am I Not Eligible to Do Driving School?

The driving school option is only available to an individual five times in his or her lifetime. Thus, if the client has already avoided points five times by doing the school, he or she is not eligible on any subsequent tickets. Additionally, the driving school option may be utilized once every twelve months. So if you avoided points by taking the driving school in the past year, you are not eligible to do that again. Finally, there are some tickets that have a mandatory court appearance and cannot be resolved by taking the driving school. These tickets include speeding at more than 30 miles per hour over the speed limit, or any citation that results in serious bodily injury or death.

How Can I Avoid Points if I am Not Eligible for Driving School?

Just because you are not eligible for driving school that does not mean that you will definitely receive points. If you received a citation in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or the surrounding areas of Pinellas County, contact our top-rated traffic ticket defense attorneys at Russo, Pelletier & Sullivan. Our team will review your prior history and the unique facts and circumstances of your case. In some cases, our lawyers can negotiate with the judge on your behalf to resolve your case for a “withhold of adjudication” which means that you will not get the points.

How do I Get Russo, Pelletier and Sullivan to Handle My Case?

If you need help with your Pinellas County Traffic Citation, contact our office at 727-578-0303. Our staff will schedule you with the first available appointment with our highly-rated traffic citation defense lawyers to discuss the facts of your case and develop the best strategy for avoiding points.

Many people are surprised to learn that there are some speeding tickets that you cannot simply pay and do a class to avoid points being assessed against your license. If you have been issued a speeding ticket for more than 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, you will notice that there is not a payable fine on the ticket and instead, it will indicate a “mandatory court appearance.”

Can a Lawyer Help Me Avoid Going to Court?

The Pinellas Traffic Ticket Defense firm of Russo, Pelletier & Sullivan is frequently retained by individuals who do not wish to have to appear in court. In most cases, if our office is hired by an individual with a speeding violation, we can appear in court on the client’s behalf. This allows our clients to spend their time at work, caring for their children, or running their business.

Clients who choose to get our office involved in these matters have the benefit of three lawyers who appear in front of the traffic court judges daily. Our regular appearances in front of the traffic court judges allow our top-rated traffic ticket attorneys to have a good barometer for how the judge will rule in certain cases.

Can a Lawyer Help Me Keep the Points off of My License?

If you were cited with a speeding ticket that was more than 30 miles per hour over the speed limit, you cannot simply “elect” to do the driving school to avoid the points. However, that does not mean that points are a certainty. Our highly ranked Clearwater speeding ticket attorneys can present mitigation to the Court on your behalf and request that the judge not impose points. Every scenario is different, that the judge’s ultimate decision will rely on a number of factors, including your prior record of traffic violations, the speed alleged, whether you were in a school or construction zone, and your attitude and demeanor with law enforcement.

How do I Get Russo, Pelletier and Sullivan to Handle My Case?

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Pinellas County, simply call 727-TICKETS (727-842-5387) to schedule a free consultation. Our attorneys will discuss the unique facts and circumstances of your case and develop a strategy tailored to fit your objectives. We have offices located in both St. Petersburg and Clearwater, but often can handle the entire consultation over the phone.