Speeding ticket near San Franciso + 25MPH

[daddyinsf]

My son received a speeding ticket going 25 miles per hour above the speed limit on 101, south of San Francisco. I could go to court with him to fight it or settle it or hire a lawyer, which will be very expensive. I don't know if it is worth it. I also don't know how serious this speeding ticket is and if just going to court to possibly settle it will have an impact on insurance too. Is there any place that might explain this or someone who can help me understand it? Sonny boy didn't want to say too much so this is all I know from second hand information. I am preparing myself for "the talk".

 

[CdwJava]

My son received a speeding ticket going 25 miles per hour above the speed limit on 101, south of San Francisco.

What code section was cited?

I could go to court with him to fight it or settle it or hire a lawyer, which will be very expensive. I don't know if it is worth it.

Is your son under age 18? If he is, then you may be required to attend court with him, anyway.

In no instance will you be permitted to speak for him or in his stead. If you wish for someone to speak on his behalf, you will have to pay for an attorney to represent him. This may be many times more costly than any fines. However, in the Bay Area there are a number of relatively low cost firms that represent people in traffic matters. That doesn't mean they will WIN, but they will appear in his stead and may well negotiate a plea to minimize the impact if possible.

At 25 over the limit, traffic school will not be an option absent the approval of the court. But, a judge can permit traffic school even if the clerk cannot.

I also don't know how serious this speeding ticket is and if just going to court to possibly settle it will have an impact on insurance too.

You can count on this bumping your insurance if it results in a point or more on his license and your insurer pulls his DL info. That's why he might want to see about taking traffic school and this would require either attending court himself and asking, or hiring an attorney to do so.

Is there any place that might explain this or someone who can help me understand it? Sonny boy didn't want to say too much so this is all I know from second hand information. I am preparing myself for "the talk".

If it is VC 22349, VC 22350 or VC 22356 these are fines only and a point on his driver's license if convicted.

 

[mightymoose]

Also.. I believe 20+ over the limit is handled as a misdemeanor, not an infraction. At minimum you will want to make sure the matter is reduced to an infraction and does not result in a criminal conviction.

 

[CdwJava]

Also.. I believe 20+ over the limit is handled as a misdemeanor, not an infraction. At minimum you will want to make sure the matter is reduced to an infraction and does not result in a criminal conviction.

I have never heard of 22349, 22350 or 22356 ever being filed as a misdemeanor. In fact, I do not believe it is even legally possible. By definition, they are infractions:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=39001-40000&file=40000.1-40008

 

[mightymoose]

I might be confused with one of the other states I lived in. I looked over my cheat sheet and can't find what I was thinking of.
I had it in my head that 20+ can result in a reckless.

 

[CdwJava]

You might also have been thinking of the 25+ not being eligible for traffic school by the clerk of the court. I know that in some states a speed of X miles an hour over the limit can be considered "reckless" as well (not in CA, though), and that could be a more serious crime.