Traffic infractions are the lesser violations that typically result in a simple traffic ticket. Traffic infractions include speeding (traveling less than 20 mph over the posted speed limit) and failure to stop for a red light or stop sign.  Traffic infractions can negatively impact your driver’s license and your car insurance; especially if you have prior offenses on your driving history. 

Traffic offenses can carry much more severe penalties, including heavy fines, significant amounts of community service and jail time.  Misdemeanor traffic offenses include:

• Hit and run
• Reckless driving
• Careless driving
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Eluding a police officer
• Street racing
• Speeding more than 20 mph over the speed limit
• Driving Under Restraint (“DUR”)
• Driving Under Suspension (“DUS”)

A Driving Under Restraint charge (where the license was restrained for a prior alcohol offense), for instance, can carry up to one year in jail; and, thirty days is the minimum mandatory amount of jail time that will be imposed by the Court.  In addition to criminal penalties, a conviction or guilty plea can result in suspension of your driving privileges or a steep increase in your car insurance rates. The impact of a traffic offense can be even more severe for truckers and professional drivers, as a commercial driver's license (“CDL”) suspension may mean the loss of one's livelihood.