Depending on the severity of the traffic offense, most individuals who are pulled over and ticketed receive demerits on their license. While these points might not seem like a big deal at first, the excessive accumulation of points could have serious consequences for a person, including potential license suspension. If an individual wants to know more about the penalties of excessive traffic demerit points in Ft. Lauderdale, they should work with a knowledgeable attorney that could answer their questions.
Suspension of a Driver’s License
In a situation where the court is put in a position to decide what a penalty should be for an offense that was issued by an individual and if it is a situation where the ticket could not be dismissed or was not thrown out, a county court judge or a traffic magistrate has to make a decision as to what the penalties should be. In standard civil traffic infractions, the judges and magistrates can only impose civil penalties. That means fines, court costs, driving school, and potential suspension of an individual’s driver’s license.
The judge or traffic magistrate, in certain circumstances and as part of the penalty in a case, can order a suspension of an individual’s driver’s license. They can even suggest ordering a re-examination or a re-test. Points generally are a way to gauge somebody’s past driving behavior. It goes without saying, but the worse a person’s record is the more of an indication that whatever it is they are currently being accused of is an issue. For example, if an individual presents themselves in front of a traffic magistrate or a county court judge with a speeding violation and there have been violations in the past, with or without points, those prior cases are going to be used to justify a harsher penalty as compared to somebody who has had no other entries on their driver’s license record.
Fighting Penalties
When faced with penalties of excessive traffic demerit points in Ft. Lauderdale, it can be difficult to figure out what the next step should be. In certain circumstances, a person who receives a traffic violation can choose not to fight their citation which is not recommended. An individual can guarantee no points on their record by exercising one of their traffic school elections. Once a year and only over a certain amount of time in the individual’s lifetime, a person can elect to go to traffic school and not receive the points on their record. The downside is that an individual would have to accept some type of penalty if they elect to do that.
Prior Driver’s History
When attorneys see a record where an individual has prior violations and points, it is either because the prior record even before that mandated the issuance of points or the facts of that particular case where the points were assessed were so bad that whoever was making a decision, in that case, decided that part of the sanction or part of the punishment is going to be points. As an indicator, an individual’s past driving history or past driving behavior could greatly affect what type of penalty an individual would receive on any current offense that is being presented before the court. Prior points could have a devastating effect on current or future sentencing or punishment.
Employment Opportunities
A lot of employers when considering an individual for employment will not only do standard background checks but are now are pulling driver’s license records. A driver’s license history or a driver’s license record is a good indicator of an individual’s judgment, their ability to follow the law, and whether or not a person is responsible.
With potential employment situations that involve driving, the prospective employer would pull the driver’s license records, but it is happening more and more even for potential employment that does not involve driving. A driver’s license record is a good window into the responsibility of a prospective employee, so having a bad driver’s license record and one that has a lot of points on it could negatively affect an individual’s opportunity to secure gainful employment. Despite not being penalties of excessive traffic demerit points in Ft. Lauderdale, the impact it could have on an individual’s future can be just as important.
