Traffic Ticket Blog

Wishing You Happy And Safe Holidays

Be safe on the roads this 2011 holiday season. There were 1,017 alcohol related motor vehicle accidents in North Carolina during the 2010 holiday season. Officers charged over 3,800 people with driving while impaired during last year's "Booze It & Lose It" campaign. Officers are out in force this year as well.

Drive safely, don't drive impaired and enjoy the holidays!

Eric

____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

School Zone Speeding Fines Skyrocket

Effective August 25, 2011, the fine for speeding in a school zone increases from $25 to $250. After you add court costs, a ticket for speeding in a school zone will cost you a small fortune at the courthouse. And then it's going to effect your insurance.

My advice is DON'T speed in school zones and, if you're charged with speeding in a school zone, consult with an attorney.

Thanks for reading,

Eric

____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

Welcome To Your Courthouse - Leave Your Weapons In The Car

There may be a state or two where if you walk into the courthouse without heat, they'll issue a temporary weapon to use while you're on the premises. North Carolina, however, is NOT one of those states.

The Cumberland County Courthouse used to have a sign on the doors that said no guns. Now there are signs with lists of weapons. Among the prohibited weapsons are knives, swords, and maces. You wouldn't think the signs would have to be that specific, but according the deputies, folks try to walk in with a sword or mace pretty regularly.

Among the less obvious prohibited items are nail files and hair picks. When folks bring these things with them it becomes frustrating for them when they have to walk back to their car and slows things down for everyone else who's trying to get in.

Please consider what personal items you're attempting to bring in the courthouse. If it's a weapon or a personal item that could easily be used as a weapon, please leave it in the car.

Thanks for reading,
Eric
____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

Safety Tips For When Traffic Signals Are Out

Yesterday's tornadoes left a wake of traffic lights that are out because of power outages. North Carolinians aren't strangers to weather related power outages and we know that the best thing is to just not drive where traffic lights are out. Not driving in those areas will keep you safe and will free emergency resources from having to deal with traffic so that they can deal with the emergency.

Of course there are going to be times when you have to drive through intersections when the traffic signals are out and the North Carolina Department of Transportation recommends you follow these right of way rules:

1) The first vehicle to the intersection has the right of way;
2) When two or more vehicles reach an intersection at the same time, the vehicle to the right has the right of way;
3) The vehicle with the right of way may move straight ahead or, if legal, may turn right or left after signaling;
4) When two facing vehicles approach an intersection at the same time, both drivers can move straight ahead or turn right. If one driver is going straight while the other wants to turn left, the driver who wants to turn left must wait. The driver who is traveling straight ahead has the right of way; and
5) Even with the right of way, remember to use the appropriate turn signals and be careful to avoid hitting other vehicles and pedestrians.

An additional resource that NCDOT makes available to drivers are regular updates through Twitter. Fayetteville drivers can follow NCDOT Fayetteville @NCDOT_Fayville

Drive safely and thanks for reading,
Eric
____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

Fayetteville Police Training Aimed At Reducing Racial Profiling Open To Public

As reported on FayObserver.com in the post "Public Invited To Police Traffic Stop Training Sessions," the Fayetteville Police Department will have two training sessions this month led by the U.S. Department of Justice. The training sessions will be open to the public. The purposes of these training sessions are to improve public relations between the police and the community and to instruct police officers on how to interact with drivers during traffic stops and to avoid racially profiling drivers.

The training sessions will be on: April 19, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Heal the Land Ministries Church, 414 Hall St.; and April 20, 2011, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Lyons Science Annex at Fayetteville State University.

For more information please see the above Fayetteville Observer post.

Thank you for reading,

Eric
____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

North Carolina Cracks Down On License Plate Frames

On December 1, 2010, a law regarding license plate frames takes effect.  The law prohibits the use of license plate frames that make any part of the plate unreadable.

North Carolina just gave you one more reason to retire that "Where's The Beef" license plate frame you've used on every car since the 1984 presidential campaign. 

Joking aside, the law will impose a $100 fine plus court costs, so if you have a license plate frame, it would be a good idea to make sure the frame doesn't make any part of the plate or registration-sticker month number unreadable.

Thanks for reading,
Eric
____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

What Happens If I Don't Do Anything About My North Carolina Speeding Ticket?

I'm a North Carolina driver, what happens if I don't do anything about my North Carolina Speeding Ticket?  If you don't just pay the ticket and, as I wrote in my post North Carolina Traffic Tickets And The Hidden Cost, I don't recommend you just pay it and, if you don't go to court, what's likely to happen is that the court will report to the DMV that you didn't attend your court date and the DMV will send you a letter saying that you've got a certain amount of time to take care of the ticket or your license will be suspended.

Of course, what commonly happens in an area like Fayetteville where people are in transition and are moving a lot is that the DMV doesn't have a current address and you never get the letter.  The DMV then revokes your license and what often happens next is that you are pulled over for some minor thing and end up getting ticketed for driving while your license was revoked.

It's important to do something about a traffic violation as soon as you get it.  If you have a traffic violation in Cumberland County, give me a call.  It's also important to keep make sure the DMV has your up-to-date address.  While I don't recommend paying a traffic ticket online, I do recommend updating your address with the DMV online.  You can order a duplicate license and change your address online at NC DMV Services.

Thanks for reading,
Eric
____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

I'm An Out-Of-State Driver; Is NC Going To Forget About My Speeding Ticket?

I'm an out-of-state driver; is North Carolina going to forget about that speeding citation?  Probably not.  North Carolina is a member of the Driver License Compact, an agreement between 46 states that allows those states to inform each other of convictions and violations.

A common scenario among soldiers formerly stationed at Fort Bragg is that he or she had a ticket years ago in North Carolina and, for whatever reason, they never took care of it; they may not have even known about it.  They go to their home-state DMV to renew their drivers' license only to be informed that they're going to have to take care of the North Carolina violation before their license can be renewed.

If this has happened to you, it may seem like a huge problem, but very often it can be resoved quickly.  Give me a call if your home-state DMV is telling you that they won't renew your drivers' license because of a Cumberland County traffic ticket.

Thanks for reading,
Eric
____________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

Fayetteville NC Cracks Down On Speeding

As reported on FayObserver.com in the post 133 tickets issued on first day of speeding crackdown in Fayetteville, the Fayetteville City Police have launched Operation Aggression Suppression in an effort to get tough on speeding drivers.  The Fayetteville Police gave out 133 citations on the first day.

So keep the speed down.  Following the speed limit may save your life and, at the very least, as I wrote in my post North Carolina Traffic Tickets The Hidden Cost, following the speed limit will certainly save you money on insurance.  If you get a traffic citation in Cumberland County, give me a call.

Thanks for reading,
Eric
____________________________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com

North Carolina Traffic Tickets And The Hidden Cost

North Carolina will make it easy to pay your speeding ticket.  All you have to do is go to payNCticket and they'll happily take your money.  That being said, I recommend that you NEVER pay a traffic ticket online without consulting a lawyer first.

By paying the fine for your traffic citation online, you're pleading guilty and, depending on the offense, you may accrue insurance points.  Only two insurance points could increase your insurance by 45%.

If you're charged with a traffic violation in Cumberland County, give me a call.

T'hanks for reading,
Eric
____________________________________________
Eric L. Johnson
Attorney at Law
914 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28305
Tel: (910) 691-8600
Fax: (910) 222-3059
Email: elj@eljlaw.com
Web: http://www.eljlaw.com