A ticket for Failure to Obey a Highway Sign is a traffic infraction and charged under Virginia Code §46.2-830. It is not a criminal offense. However, a conviction for the violation is reported to the Division of Motor Vehicles and carries a three point demerit on the driving record. The points fall off after two years and the conviction falls off the driving record after three years.
Failure to Obey a Highway Sign is most commonly charged when a driver runs through a stop sign, exceeds the speed limit, ignores a yield to traffic sign, or commits a U-Turn on a roadway where it is prohibited.
Many people charged with this offense prefer to avoid a conviction reported to the DMV. A clean record helps a client avoid insurance rate hikes and problems with their employment (if they drive for a living). For this reason, Attorney Yeargan represents clients charged with this offense and tries to get the ticket dismissed or reduced to much lesser charges.
Attorney Yeargan has helped many people given a Failure to Obey a Highway Sign ticket who were already "given a break at the scene." The officer wrote them up for this charge instead of a more serious offense like Speeding 15 or more over the limit. The law office does not advise clients to prepay a ticket when charged in this situation. It is bad advice, especially if the client has a clean record.
The reason for this is twofold: First, if the charge is written in counties such as Prince William County, a good traffic lawyer can help get the traffic charge deferred for dismissal with completion of a driver improvement course and payment of court costs. This type of agreement is made directly with the prosecutor and entered with the judge. This arrangement helps the client avoid any conviction being reported to the DMV.
Second, if the charge cannot be deferred for dismissal with completion of a course, it may still be amended to a lesser charge such as Defective Equipment. This traffic infraction carries no points and is a non-moving violation. It usually does not affect insurance rates. Or it may be reduced to a county code violation such as Failure to Pay Full Time and Attention. This offense does not go on the driving record at all.
Prosecutors may also agree to amend it to Virginia Code §46.2-830.1. This is called "Failure to Obey a Highway Sign Where Driver Sleeping or Resting." It is a no points offense and is a major reduction from the standard Failure to Obey a Highway Sign charge. It is commonly referred to by prosecutors as Sleeping on the Shoulder. A conviction for this does go on the driving record but carries no demerit points. The law office has successfully reduced charges to this code section many times.
The law office rarely advises folks to "just prepay the ticket." If you pay the ticket, you lose the opportunity to obtain a better result in court and protect your driving record. An attorney can appear in court on your behalf for this type of ticket so you do not need to take time off work. Call an experienced attorney for advice on how to proceed with your traffic ticket for Failure to Obey a Highway Sign.
Contact a Fairfax County and Prince William County Traffic Defense Lawyer Today - Hire An Experienced Attorney With Excellent Reviews and Skills
It is important to have competent counsel to help achieve your objectives in court. Feel free to call the law office to schedule a free, initial appointment by calling 703-352-9044 or sending an online message to discuss the impact of your pending charge in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He regularly appears in traffic and criminal courts throughout the state, including Fairfax County (Herndon, Vienna, Falls Church, City of Fairfax), Loudoun County, Prince William County (including Dumfries, Quantico, Occoquan, Haymarket, Woodbridge, Manassas), the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Warren County, Stafford County, Shenandoah County, Greensville County, Caroline County, the Northern Neck areas of Westmoreland and King George, Dinwiddie, New Kent County, Henrico County, the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, and other areas.
Attorney Yeargan can often appear in court on behalf of a client so that they do not need to take off work. His goal in handling traffic charges is to get the ticket dismissed or significantly reduced to a lesser offense. This helps the client avoid serious traffic convictions, points on the driving record, and increased insurance rates.