Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
A Jacksonville police officer will appear before an internal police review board to face possible discipline for running a stop sign and causing an accident that injured three people. The officer also suffered minor injuries, but was not hospitalized following the crash last week, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The injuries to the three people were not thought to be life-threatening, the newspaper reported. The officer was in his patrol car and on-duty, but not responding to a call at the time, and would be considered at-fault for running the stop sign, according to the newspaper report. Not only will the officer face work-related discipline, he or she could also be exposed to a traffic ticket for running the stop sign, perhaps even a careless or reckless driving ticket in Jacksonville.
Traffic violations can quickly get very costly and drive up other costs, including auto insurance rates. And by simply paying the ticket and moving on from a Jacksonville Traffic Case, a person is admitting guilt and accepting the penalties. Just a few tickets in a short period of time can result in a person having their license suspended and driving privileges taken away. Duval County Traffic violations are scored on a point system, depending on the ticket that is issued. Speeding tickets have a wide range of points, based on how far over the speed limit the ticket is written for. A reckless driving ticket will assess you four points, while leaving the scene of an accident can cost a driver six points. As the points accumulate, they can add up to big trouble, including:
12 points in a year: 30-day license suspension 18 points in 18 months: 3-month suspension 24 points in three years: 1-year suspension
When penalties ratchet up as quickly as they do in traffic cases, saving yourself a few points here and there can be the difference in keeping your license or having it suspended. Just like in a Jacksonville Criminal Defense case, having a Jacksonville Traffic Attorney can in some cases help minimize some of the potential damage to your driving record and your bank account. In a city as large and spread out as Jacksonville, the inability to drive can affect one’s ability to make it to and from work, which can then really hit someone’s finances. In some cases, people will end up driving anyway on a suspended license, which will escalate problems even further if the driver is caught. Driving when your license has been suspended or revoked is a criminal charge, which then exposes people to time in the county jail.
If you or a loved one needs a Jacksonville Traffic Attorney in Duval County or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Duval County Traffic Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.