What does a Nolo Contendere or No Contest Plea Do For You in a Georgia Traffic Case
I handle a lot of consultations for Atlanta traffic citations where people ask me “what if I just plead No Contest to keep it off my license?” A nolo contendere or no contest plea is a very unique plea for Georgia traffic violations. It can help you in three ways, but before we discuss how it can help it is important to know that a no contest plea does not keep the traffic violations off your driving history. Nolo contendere pleas are still reported on your driving history and it is your driving history along with claim history that insurance looks at when setting premium rates. But a no contest plea can help you in the following three ways.
Pleading no contest can prevent the points from being assessed on your drivers license. You are eligible to plead no contest once every five years on a moving violation and the points will not go on your drivers license. Georgia is a points state and if you accumulate 15 points or more in any two year period your license will be suspended. If your license is suspended for a points violation there are no limited permits. You must be 21 to use a no contest plea for a moving violation.
Pleading no contest to certain offenses that will suspend your drivers license such as driving while license suspended, failure to maintain insurance, and driving on a suspended registration will prevent that suspension from going in to place. Much like with the moving violations you can only plead no contest once every five years to prevent that license suspension.
Finally, a no contest plea may be of benefit to you in a traffic accident case. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt and pleading no contest in a situation where there is property damage or injuries prevents the citation itself from being used as evidence of negligence in a civil claim. It is important to know you can still be found negligent for causing the accident if you plead no contest but the citation itself cannot be used against you.
My clients’ goals are to typical to maintain a clean driving history and prevent increases to insurance rates. A no contest plea to an Atlanta traffic ticket will generally not achieve those goals. But there may be other ways to achieve them. Call or text 678-753-6431 today for a free consultation or to discuss your legal matter.
