San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyer
Traffic Tickets
Speeding Ticket in San Diego Traffic Court
There are several different speeding tickets you can receive in San Diego Traffic Court. There are basic speed law violations under VC 22350 which is typically for speeding tickets on streets. There are speeding violations for exceeding set speed limits like speeding over 55 mph, speeding over 65 mph, and some locations in San Diego County have speed limits of 70 mph. There is also speeding over 100 mph which is the most serious speeding violation under vehicle code section 22348(b).
Vehicle Code 22350 - California Basic Speed Law
Vehicle Code 22350 VC is California's basic speed law. The section makes it illegal for a motorist to drive faster than is safe for the given driving conditions and circumstances. A violation is an infraction with fines ranging from $35.00 to more than $500.00, plus court assessments.
22350 VC reads that "no person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property
There are five key things to know about traffic tickets under this section:
- The fine for a violation can range from $35.00 to more than $500.00, plus court costs and assessments.
- A person cited for speeding under VC 22350 can (a) pay the fine, (b) do traffic school (once every 18 months) or (c) fight the ticket in court.
- If you complete traffic school or fight the ticket successfully, you will avoid getting points on your DMV record. Otherwise this is a "one point" violation. You risk getting a negligent operator license suspension if you get 4 points in 12 months, 6 points in 24 months or 8 points in 36 months.
- An attorney can be hired to handle the case in court. If so, the client does not need to be present in court.
- Ignoring the ticket (neither paying the fine nor going to court) will likely result in being charged with failure to appear per failure to appear per Vehicle Code 40508. Although speeding is just an infraction, failure to appear can be charged as a misdemeanor crime.
Fines and Punishments for Speeding Tickets
The fines for speeding tickets are determined by how many miles per hour you are over the speed limi
1-15 mph Over the Limit: If you were cited for going 1-15 mph over the posted speed limit your fine would be in the lowest fine bracket, which is a fine of $239.
16-25 mph: If you are cited for between 16-25 mph over the speed limit you are in the middle fine bracket and the fine is $367.
More than 25 mph Over: If you were going more than 25 mph over the limit, then the fine is $490.
Speeding Over 100 mph (VC 22348(b)): The punishment for speeding over 100 mph is the most severe punishment on a speeding ticket and includes a fine of $1,310, it would be two points on your driving record, a 30 day license suspension, and depending on which court your ticket is in you may also have to do an in person 16 hour traffic school which does not hide the points.
If you have prior tickets on your record, the court also increases the fines for having priors, so these numbers would be a little higher.
Traffic School Fee: The court will also add a $52 administrative fee on all tickets for the ability to attend traffic school. If you have received a courtesy notice from the court you will see a listing for "Total Bail" and one for "Traffic School" below it. The Total Bail is the fine amount for the ticket. The amount next to Traffic School is the total amount on the ticket which is the fine amount plus the $52 added to it. You do not pay both amounts, just the amount next to Traffic School.