Tampa Moving Violations Attorney

What are Moving Violations?

A moving violation is defined as any traffic violation that occurs when a vehicle is in motions, such as running a stop sign or speeding. It does not include any violations related to parking or to insurance or registration issues. Moving violations in Florida can result in points on your driver’s license that count against your right to drive. Accumulate enough of these points, and your license can be suspended or revoked.

There are a variety of offenses under the umbrella of moving violations, and some of the more common include:

• Speeding
• Running stop signs or red lights
• Failure to obey posted traffic signs
• Tailgating
• Making a U-turn illegally
• Failure to yield to emergency vehicles
• Excessive acceleration
• Passing a stopped school bus

If you have been cited for a moving violation, then contact a Tampa moving violations attorney right away. They can review your case and fight your ticket to possibly keep your driving record clean and free of points.

Speeding Tickets in Florida

In Florida, Speeding, or “Unlawful Speed” as it is known on the books, is governed under Statute 316.183. A speeding ticket can carry consequences such as points on your driver’s license and substantially increased insurance rates. If you accrue as little as 12 points, you could have your license suspended and face other penalties. Many people don’t realize that the payment of a speeding ticket is an automatic admission of guilt, which immediately registers the offense on your driving record. That is why it is important that you contact a Tampa speeding ticket lawyer if you have been given a speeding ticket, as they will be able to help you fight the validity of the ticket in court.

There are many variables in the judgment of a driver’s speed by a law enforcement officer that could lead to mistakes or errors being made. The officer’s radar gun could be malfunctioning, registering a higher speed than the vehicle is actually traveling, or the officer could make a misjudgment in how fast you were going if he is making a visual determination of your speed.

If you receive a ticket for a speeding offense, the consequences could be much steeper than you originally anticipated. You could face increased insurance rates, loss of your driving privileges, or even trouble at your job if your employer has accessed your driving record. A Tampa moving violations attorney may be able to help you avoid these consequences, by challenging the law enforcement officer who gave you the ticket to prove that you were speeding beyond a reasonable doubt.

Florida Stop Sign Violations

There are several mistakes a driver can make at a stop sign. The most common tickets issued are either for not stopping at all or failing to stop completely (a rolling stop). There is no specific amount of time that one must be at a complete stop as long as you do completely come to a halt. Sometimes we see tickets that were issued improperly because the officer decided your stop was not “long enough”. As long as you did stop completely, however briefly, your ticket can usually be dismissed.

Because a stop sign violation ticket will have both a fine and add three (3) points to your driving record, before you just pay the fine and admit you were guilty, you need to know what you can do. It is possible to modify or eliminate your ticket completely.

Failure to Obey Traffic Sign Citations in Florida

here are many traffic signs, including stop signs that if ignored, can result in a citation. As this is considered a moving violation, these tickets will cost you a fine as well as giving you points against your driving record. If all you do is pay the fine assessed, you are admitting your guilt and the charge becomes part of your record.

There are many different types of traffic signs or signals you may encounter while driving. If you don’t see or understand one or just ignore it, you can be cited for failure to obey a traffic sign. Some of the most common citations made are for:

• Failure to stop for a red light
• Failure to stop at a stop sign
• Failure to yield the right of way at a green light
• Failure to stop or yield before making a right on red
• Failing to stop for a malfunctioning traffic light
• Failure to obey a traffic control device

Tailgating Violations in Tampa

What do you do if you get a ticket for tailgating? If you are driving too close behind the car or truck in front of you for the speed you are traveling, you may be stopped and issued a ticket for tailgating. Also called “following too close”, the assumption is that if the vehicle in front were to suddenly stop or slow down, you would be likely to collide with or “rear-end” that vehicle. A tailgating citation will cost you a fine and add points to your driving record that will certainly raise your insurance rates.

Because it is a matter of the officer’s opinion on how close you were and how safe or unsafe it was, it is often possible for your criminal defense attorney to argue the case in your favor as it is up to the officer to prove his case. If he cannot, then the judge will most likely dismiss the charges.

Moving Violation Cases in Tampa

Moving violations can cause significant negative impact to your life. You could face a suspended/revoked license, raised insurance premiums, or even possible unemployment if your employer has accessed your driving record and decides to punish you for your infractions. You are highly advised to hire a competent Tampa moving violations attorney who can help you avoid these consequences and possibly get your ticket eliminated. Taracks & Associates have considerable experience in fighting moving violation tickets for individuals, and we can provide the same assistance to you in your case. We will fully examine the charges against you to determine if your rights were violated at any point, and expose any violations found to your possible substantial benefit.