Is a Speeding Ticket a Misdemeanor?
The Original California Ticket Dismissal Team Is Here To Help You Beat Your Traffic Ticket!
In most states, speeding tickets are deemed infractions. What this means is that out of all of the legal offenses someone can commit, they are the least severe. If someone does a criminal background check, these sorts of offenses are not likely to show up. Unless you are a serial offender or your speeding offense was incredibly heinous, the odds are pretty high that your ticket is a simple infraction and so it is not going to impact your future profession. However, it will usually go on your driving record for a few years, and this can cause your insurance rates to increase.
Misdemeanor offenses come next in terms of seriousness. There are not a lot of speeding tickets that are going to end up reaching this level. However, to give you an example, in most states, street racing is deemed a misdemeanor criminal offense. Misdemeanors are typically punishable by up to 12 months in jail, as well as a fine.
The most severe offenses are known as felonies. A speeding ticket on its own is unlikely to ever result in a felony charge. However, there are some states and instances whereby you may be charged with a felony if your speeding has caused the death or a significant injury of an innocent third party. Felonies are punishable with a minimum of one year in jail, as well as a fine in most cases.
Most speeding tickets are infractions, which means they are non-criminal but they can still be costly
You may assume that if your speeding ticket is not a criminal offense, you do not have anything to fret about. With regards to a criminal record, this may be true, as infractions will only go on your driving record. However, this does not mean that traffic infractions do not have any consequences. They can result in points on your license, as well as fines and you are pretty much sure to receive a big hike in your yearly insurance costs.
There are some serious speeding offenses that can end up being misdemeanors
If you are to go around 35 mph in a 25 mph zone, this is not likely to end up being a misdemeanor offense in most states. However, if you were to go faster, you could end up getting a reckless driving charge, so it is really not worth the risk.
There are other cases whereby you may end up getting misdemeanor criminal charges for the speeding offense in question, for example, if you have been speeding as part of a street or drag race, considerably property damages have happened due to your speeding, or you have been speeding and it has resulted in an injury.
As a consequence, the best thing for you to do is get in touch with an experienced and reputable attorney who will be able to assess the ticket or offense you have received and they will help you to understand your options carefully. They will be able to determine whether or not the outcome is fair and if there is anything you can do to challenge it.
No one wants an infraction, misdemeanor, or felony on their record
It does not matter what the outcome may be, one thing you do not want is for your speeding incident to be included in your criminal record. You also do not want it to be placed on your driving record if at all possible. After all, this will result in higher insurance premiums, and it could eventually result in a license suspension or a safety assessment fee, should you end up with enough infractions.
If your speeding ticket is a felony or a misdemeanor, you need to make sure you get serious about dealing with it as quickly as possible. A criminal offense will follow you for the remainder of your life, even if you get them expunged at a later date. When you make a job application, there is a good chance that your criminal convictions are going to show.
Should you apply for a professional license, for example, a nursing license or a bar license, you will have to disclose these criminal convictions, which can be embarrassing at a minimum and can stop you from getting your professional license altogether.
Rather than burying your head in the sand and hoping it will all go away – it won’t, you need to seek professional help and get the assistance you require as soon as possible so that you can make this incident old news.
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We Help With Many Traffic Ticket Types
TicketBust produces results in fighting all kinds of tickets. Unfortunately, this list does not include exhibition of speed citations. Your best bet in fighting one of these infractions, is to contact an attorney. An attorney can negotiate on your behalf to try and reduce fines, or even to reduce the charges to a lesser infraction which could possibly qualify for traffic school.
We do however, contest infractions revolving around speeding, red lights, red light cameras, cell phones, signs (primarily stop signs), carpool violations, U-turns, out of lane violations, and commercial violations. If you receive a citation and have questions, contact us today.
