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.

Don’t get caught off-guard.

It’s that time of year again in Pinellas County. School buses, school children, and school zone speed limits! After months of driving the normal speed limit on our daily commutes in St. Petersburg and Clearwater, it’s easy to get caught off-guard and drive through a school zone without slowing down. Of course, in its campaign to raise awareness of school zones, our local law enforcement agencies have heightened patrols in school zones.

Penalties for School Zone Violations – That’s a lot of Milk Money!

While this is often the result of a small mistake, the penalties for doing so are large. Currently, the fee schedule in Pinellas County for speeding in a school zone are as follows:

• 6-9 m.p.h. = $ 156.00
• 10-14 m.p.h. = $ 306.00
• 15-19 m.p.h. = $ 406.00
• 20-29 m.p.h. = $456.00
• 30 + m.p.h. = Mandatory Court Appearance

Laws Regarding School Zones

While it is easy to identify some school zones that are marked with flashing lights and those that are directly in front of a highly-trafficked school, others are more difficult to identify. There are several factors that all drivers must be aware of regarding school zones:

• First, not all school zones are marked with flashing lights. Sometimes, the school zone is marked only by signs showing the decreased speed limit and the times those speeds are enforced. It’s easy to get distracted by your phone, radio, or passengers and simply not see it.
• Second, school zone speed limits are not enforced for the entire school day. Florida Statute 316.1895(5) states, “speed limit[s] may be in force only during those times 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after the periods of time when pupils are arriving at a regularly scheduled breakfast program or a regularly scheduled school session and leaving a regularly scheduled school session.” Simply put, school zone speed limits are enforced 30 minutes before and after the children are regularly moving to and from school. This leads us to our next point.
• Third, not all schools start at the same time. There are over 140 school and school centers in Pinellas County. Special attention must be paid during your daily commute to ensure you don’t get caught in one of these speed traps during enforcement times. The speed limit in a school zone during enforcement times is 15 m.p.h. so be careful!
• Last but certainly not least, the fine associated with your ticket isn’t going to be your only concern if you find yourself in this unfortunate position. Points can be assessed on your license and you could see a significant rise in your insurance premiums.

Tips for Avoiding a School Zone Citation

As with any citation, if you are pulled over by a police officer for a speeding violation in a school zone, the officer will have the discretion to choose whether or not to issue you a ticket. Keep these tips in mind if you are pulled over by law enforcement:

• Don’t Fail the Attitude Test. If you are stopped by the police, be polite and respectful.
• Do Ask for a Warning. The worst the officer can say is no. A simple “I’m very sorry officer, is there any chance you would give me a warning” may be the difference between a ticket and no ticket.
• Don’t be a Roadside Lawyer. If you are issued a ticket, the side of the road is not the place to dispute the ticket.

Call Pinellas Ticket Defense for a Free Consultation

If you find yourself charged with any traffic ticket in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or other area of Pinellas County, we can help. We can carefully examine the facts and law associated with your charge. We will relay to you all of the options that exist in your case in our efforts to secure the best possible outcome.  Call our office for a free consultation to discuss all of your options. (727) 578-0303.