A Proven Criminal Defense Team

Are you reeling from your traffic ticket or nonchalant about it?

On Behalf of | May 12, 2020 | Traffic Violations |

Many Colorado drivers don’t view getting a citation for a behind-the-wheel offense with any real sense of alarm.

Candidly, what seasoned motorist with years of driving experience hasn’t been stopped and ticketed on at least one occasion? Many people hearing that a family member or friend was stopped and cited for some infraction respond in a “welcome to the club” vein. Some state residents might even regard a traffic ticket as a rite of passage for Colorado drivers.

Certainly, though, it is preferable to figuratively and literally steer clear of any driving behavior that will get those red lights flashing in the rear-view window.

Here’s why: The result is often marked by downsides that far exceed what most motorists contemplate. And, often, drivers are stopped for alleged offenses that catch them completely off guard.

Colorado driving offenses: a lengthy and varied list

A state driver asked to quickly name a ticketable behind-the-wheel offense might promptly point to something like speeding or running through a stop sign or red light.

Fair enough. Those are common infractions and driving lapses that don’t often breed complaints from offenders.

What about being stopped for allegedly making an improper lane change, though, or for failure to signal a turn? Indeed, any list of driving taboos is long and differentiated, and centrally includes entrants like these:

  • Tailgating
  • Texting while driving
  • License issues (e.g., revocation or suspension)
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Reckless/careless driving
  • Insurance problems
  • Hit-and-run
  • Failure to report a crash or stay at an accident scene

Those bullet points are extensive, but spell only a fraction of the criminal charges that routinely challenge Colorado motorists.

And virtually every one of them – singly or in tandem with others – can carry a punitive sting far beyond what many drivers reasonably anticipate.

A representative list of Colorado traffic ticket penalties

If you are a Colorado motorist stopped for an alleged driving infraction, you might of course suffer only a momentary lecture and a subsequent warning to drive more carefully in the future. Alternatively, you could be slapped with one or more of the following penalties:

  • Jail time and/or possibly probation
  • Court costs/fees, coupled with a heavy fine
  • License suspension or revocation
  • Materially spiked insurance outlays
  • Imposed public service
  • Mandatory drug/alcohol classes

Although assuming a passive posture following a traffic ticket might not prove to be much of a big deal in some cases, legions of drivers across Colorado routinely find out otherwise.

Engaging in proactive and timely action far more often yields outcomes that materially mitigate – and sometimes erase – the potential downsides of a ticketed offense. A proven legal defense team can provide further information.

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