Stop Sign Tickets

Intersections can be dangerous when someone blows through a stop sign; however, most stop sign violations we see are the result of someone either stopping at the wrong place or failing to come to a full stop. Where you have to stop when facing a stop sign depends on how the intersection is marked. If there is a crosswalk, you must stop before entering the crosswalk. In the absence of a crosswalk, you must stop at a stop line (a solid white line). If there is not a crosswalk or a stop line, you must stop nearest the intersecting roadway where the operator has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting road. The law requires that you come to a full stop at a stop sign; however, there is no required period that you must remain stopped. After stopping, you must yield to any vehicle already in the intersection or a vehicle approaching the intersection that does not have a stop sign before proceeding.

If an officer believes you failed to stop at the appropriate place, failed to come to a complete stop, or failed to yield the right of way, the officer will issue a stop sign violation. Penalties for a stop sign ticket are discussed below.

Red Light Tickets

Red light tickets are not always as easy to decipher as a stop sign violation. When you approach a green light at an intersection, you may go straight through the intersection or turn left or right unless a sign prohibits a turn. If making a left turn on a standard green, you must yield to any vehicles approaching from the opposite direction; this is not required if you have a green arrow.

If the light is red and there is a crosswalk, you must stop before entering the crosswalk. In the absence of a crosswalk, you must stop at a stop line (a solid white line). After coming to a full stop, you can make a right turn, unless a sign prohibits the turn, by yielding to any traffic in the intersection. You can also make a left turn if both the road you are on and the road you turning onto are one-way-roads unless prohibited by a sign. Again, you must come to a full stop and yield to any traffic in the intersection. In all cases, you have to yield to any pedestrians that are lawfully in a crosswalk.

If an officer believes you entered the intersection when the light was red, failed to yield when making a left turn absent a green arrow, failed to stop when facing a solid red prior to making a right turn or failed to yield to pedestrians lawfully in an adjacent crosswalk, the officer will issue a stop sign violation. Penalties for a red light ticket are discussed below.

Penalties for a Stop Sign and Red Light Tickets

Stop sign and red light citations are fine only offenses, meaning you cannot be sentenced to jail as a part of your punishment. The fine for a stop sign ticket or red light ticket can go as high as $200.

Stop sign and Red light tickets are moving violations. Convictions of too many moving violations can result in a license suspension. Convictions can also be used by your insurance company to increase your premiums, which can be as high as $586 per year. Finally, if you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or you drive for a living, a stop sign or red light ticket may put your job in jeopardy. These “hidden costs” of a stop sign and red light tickets can cost you thousands of dollars and affect you for years. As you can see, a single speeding citation can cost you thousands. If you just pay your ticket, you may face higher insurance premiums, points, surcharges, a license suspension and may even put your job in jeopardy!

How a Traffic Ticket Attorney Can Help with a Stop Sign or Red Light Ticket

As you can see from the penalties, red light and stop sign violations can become VERY expensive. The experienced traffic ticket attorneys at Hawkins & Walker, PC, have handled thousands of these types of tickets, and we have solutions to either get a red light or stop sign ticket dismissed outright or reduce or eliminate the penalties above. In most cases, we can appear on your behalf so you will not need to appear in court. Of course, if you do need to appear in court, one of our experienced traffic ticket attorneys will be with you, so you do not have to face the court alone. We will be there every step of the way.

In some cases, we can get the ticket dismissed outright. If we cannot get the violation dismissed outright, our traffic ticket attorneys can usually get a stop sign or red light ticket dismissed through a deferred disposition offer, often with a reduced fine. In most cases, our traffic ticket attorneys can handle your stop sign or red light citation without you having to come to our office or appear in court.

When you consider the value of your time and the potential savings in both a fine reduction and avoiding the “hidden costs” of a stops sign or red light ticket, the traffic ticket attorneys at Hawkins & Walker typically pay for themselves many times over.

Considering the harm that can result from a conviction, you should never just pay a speeding ticket. We can help keep this ticket from hurting your record and your pocketbook even if you believe you were speeding, and the ticket was justified.

Speeding with a Commercial Driver’s License

If you have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), you are not eligible for deferred disposition to have your stop sign or red light ticket dismissed. Still, we may have other ways to reduce CSA points or get the ticket dismissed depending on the jurisdiction. This includes pre-trial diversion programs and citations swaps. We cannot keep all stop sign or red light tickets off of your record if you have a CDL, but we do have a good success rate depending on where the ticket was issued and whether you were driving a commercial vehicle.