How Do I Keep a Georgia Traffic Citation Off My Driving History?
Most calls I receive for traffic citation consultations involve Georgians concerned with keeping their Georgia traffic ticket off their driving history. Before paying a traffic violation to avoid a court appearance, it is important to understand the type of Georgia traffic citation you received and whether it is something that may impact your Georgia driving history.
Step 1: Is the Georgia traffic violation going to be reported on my driving history?
Not every traffic citation is a citation that gets reported on your Georgia driving history. Violations like expired tag, window tint violations, and headlight violations do not get reported on your driving history. But almost every moving violation will get reported on your driving history and put points on your Georgia drivers license. There are also other violations like DUI, Driving without or on a suspended license, Failure to maintain insurance, Driving on a Suspended Registration, and other non-points violations that will still report on your driving history. Know you citations and if it reports. You can view the traffic court reference manual at this site https://dds.georgia.gov/dds-forms-and-manuals/manuals to verify whether your citation will get reported on your Georgia Driving history.
Step 2: Do I have a Georgia commercial drivers license (CDL)?
Some violations will only get reported for CDL holders if they are in their commercial vehicle at the time of the citation. Other citations will be reported even if you are not in your commercial vehicle at the time of the citation. Commercial drivers license holders are held to a higher standard that Class C license holders.
Step 3: How do I get my Georgia traffic citation reduced?
To get your Georgia traffic citation reduced, you are going to have to appear in court and speak with the Court’s solicitor to discuss your citation. Just paying your citation prior to the court date is pleading guilty to the citation as written along with any consequences related to pleading guilty to that citation. You need to either hire an attorney to negotiate your case or negotiate your case yourself with the city/county’s solicitor to try and get an outcome that prevents the citation from reporting on your driving history. That negotiation may require completion of a Georgia DDS certified driver improvement course, fines, probation, community service, or other requirements depending on the severity of the traffic violation.
Not every citation can and will be reduced. Reduction of traffic citations depends on the severity of the citation, your driving history, and where the violation occurred. If you’d like to discuss a traffic citation and how to keep that citation off your driving history, call or text 678-753-6431 for a free consultation.
