There is no such thing as a traffic ticket for a moving violation being issued as “no points, no school”. Unfortunately, cops on the road seem to be telling people that they can get no points by paying a citation. That is not true. (They give other misadvice too, see my blog on Bradford County Traffic Tickets). Paying a citation without talking to a lawyer first is the worst thing that you can do. This is because it is a plea of guilty, an admission to the offense, points will be assessed to your license, your insurance may increase and your guilty plea could be used against you later even if your guilty plea cannot be entered into evidence in another court proceeding. Entering a guilty plea by paying an infraction can be disastrous if you are accused of driving on a suspended license.
When a citation is issued, you have three choices (1) pay it (2) school it and pay it (3) have a hearing in court. If it is paid without a hearing, then you get points. You can choose to go to school for four (4) hours to avoid points, but you still have to pay the citation, pay for the school and spend four (4) hours of your time. You can only choose school to avoid points five (5) times in your life and once every twelve (12) months. If you choose a hearing, then there is a chance the citation can be dismissed or depending on the officer and the county judge possibly reduced. Ultimately the sentence is up to the judge if the ticket is not dismissed. The judge can order school but that does not count as an election.
The ONLY way to get no points and no school on your citation is to elect a hearing and go to court. The Court has to order no points and no school; therefore you cannot get no points and no school without going to court. Sometimes people will ask “do I need a lawyer because it is just a ticket”. The answer is that you can represent yourself just like I could rebuild my own transmission or operate on my own shoulder. If you prefer not to be your own lawyer then please click, call or fill out the form to hire a lawyer and elect a hearing today.
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