WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR MISSOURI SPEEDING TICKET
CAN YOU AVOID A CONVICTION FOR A MISSOURI SPEEDING TICKET?
Yes. If you haven’t had a speeding conviction within the previous three (3) years AND the speed was not excessive, then it is likely that your Missouri speeding ticket will receive an outcome that avoids a conviction and points against your driver’s license.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES?
Several outcomes keep you from having a Missouri speeding conviction.
- Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS) and probation. This means that you will be placed on a certain period of probation, and, if you complete the probation, you will not have a Speeding conviction on your record. Probation can be bench probation or supervised probation. The main differences between the two are that bench probation is unsupervised, while supervised probation requires a person to report to their probation officer and pay fees for this service.
- Amendment to a non-moving violation. This means that your speeding ticket has been changed to a ticket that will not cause you to have points assessed against your driving record. A typical amendment is to a parking violation or defective equipment (i.e., bad muffler).
- Dismissal. If your case gets dismissed then it will be as if it never happened. You will not be penalized in any way. There will pay no fines or court costs.
- Win at trial. Many times, your case can be won at trial.
PENALTIES
You will receive points against your driving privileges for speeding convictions. Too many points can lead to a suspension of your driving privileges; therefore, it is important to attempt to obtain an outcome that will avoid this situation.
A Missouri speeding ticket conviction will cause you to receive two (2) points assessed against your license in Municipal Court and three (3) points assessed against your license in State Court. If you accumulate a certain amount of points within a set number of months, your license could be suspended.
If you accumulate a total of 4 points in 12 months, the Department of Revenue will send you a point accumulation advisory letter.
If you accumulate a total of 8 or more points in 18 months, the Department of Revenue will suspend your driving privilege.
1st suspension – 30 days
2nd suspension – 60 days
3rd or more suspensions – 90 days
The Department of Revenue will revoke your driving privilege for one year if you accumulate:
12 or more points in 12 months
18 or more points in 24 months
24 or more points in 36 months
When your driving privilege is reinstated following a Point Suspension or Revocation, the Department of Revenue reduces your total points to 4.
Every year you drive without getting new points on your record, the points will be reduced.
1 year – total remaining points reduced by one-third
2 years – remaining points reduced by one-half
3 years – points reduced to zero
Although your points may be reduced to zero, certain types of convictions must remain listed permanently on your Missouri driver record.
CONCLUSION
There are possible outcomes that will keep you from having a conviction for speeding. Speeding convictions will cause you to have points assessed against your driving privileges. An accumulation of a certain amount of points within a certain amount of time will cause your driver’s license to be suspended. Contact an attorney that is experienced in traffic matters. Call Bond Law Firm, LLC at (573)769-6155 for a free case evaluation.