Out of state ticket -should I attend traffic school?

[askjeeves]

as the title says, i received a ticket while out of my home state. I live in FL, and received a ticket in California. The ticket is for speeding 5mph over the limit on a highway.

i have the option to do traffic school for the ticket. is this necessary since the ticket is not from Florida? Will any points from california affect my insurance?

[NemesisX]

Was it actually 5 MPH over the limit, or were you in fact going faster and the cop just gave you a break (no points) by citing you for 5 over?

[askjeeves]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

Was it actually 5 MPH over the limit, or were you in fact going faster and the cop just gave you a break (no points) by citing you for 5 over?

was going faster, but the officer cut me a break. does a ticket for 5mph over have no points in ca? from what i've read, i thought it would be a 1 point violation.

from what i read, both fl and ca are part of some data sharing program.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by askjeeves

was going faster, but the officer cut me a break. does a ticket for 5mph over have no points in ca? from what i've read, i thought it would be a 1 point violation.

from what i read, both fl and ca are part of some data sharing program.

Oh I guess California is different from Texas. In Texas, when an officer cuts you a break by saying you only went 5 over the limit, he really just wants the money but a 5 over citation won't add any points to your record.

[Kong Sheng Han]

I like Texas. You can go 10-15 over and the police still won't pull you over...unless it's getting towards the end of the month.

[KingOfJericho]

Just pay it. It's unlikely that FL or your insurance company will find out.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by Kong Sheng Han

I like Texas. You can go 10-15 over and the police still won't pull you over...unless it's getting towards the end of the month.

He already stated that he was going faster than that but the cop cut him a break.

[Rodzilla]

Nah, no need for school. Got a ticket in cali and just paid it off. No points off my license.

[Kong Sheng Han]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

He already stated that he was going faster than that but the cop cut him a break.

He only said that he went more than 5 over. I'm just saying that you usually don't get pulled over for going 10-15 mph over the limit here.

[askjeeves]

Thanks for the answers.

I'm not complaining about the ticket. The cop was very lenient in giving just 5 over. It was a long straight stretch approaching the border of Arizona so I was booking it. Surprisingly the cop was driving the opposite direction and still managed to catch up. He must have been hauling ass. I think he appreciated that I honestly answered how fast I was going.

[WreckerX5d]

It'll show up if it gave you points, which I really doubt. I have a VA license, and got a 6pt ticket in NY. It showed on my license shortly after, and VA is a pretty stupid/slow state as it is.

[Titanium3er]

Originally Posted by Dashman

VA is also a stone's throw away from NY. Neighbooring states seem to better at complying with reciprocity. But in the OP's case clear across the country, doubt it.

You'd have to have quite an arm to throw a stone from NY to VA.

OP, unfortunately I think people are giving you misleading advice. In general, if you get a ticket out of state that would be considered a point violation in your home state, you will be assessed the points if they find out. This is due to the Interstate Drivers License pact.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver_License_Compact

The only states that are not party to this agreement are Georgia, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Tennessee.

From FL gov website:

If I get a ticket in another state, will I receive points on my Florida driving record?

Yes, if the violation is an offense that earns points in Florida. For example, if you get a speeding ticket for going 14 miles above the speed limit outside Florida, you will earn 3 points on your Florida record. It does not matter how many points the other states would assess against their drivers-Florida treats this as though the ticket was received in Florida.

As far as how many points, it looks like it could be up to 3:

http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/teendriv.html#points

I had this happen for a FL ticket while living in NJ. It took awhile, but they found out. You may want to reconsider how to proceed.

[NemesisX]

Yeah just do traffic school since that's an option available to you.

12 points in 18 months will result in a suspension. Looks like this violation is worth 3 points.

http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/point-system.php

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by Titanium3er

You'd have to have quite an arm to throw a stone from NY to VA.

OP, unfortunately I think people are giving you misleading advice. In general, if you get a ticket out of state that would be considered a point violation in your home state, you will be assessed the points if they find out. This is due to the Interstate Drivers License pact.

Agreed. I've had licenses in 4 different states and received tickets in many more.

Things have changed a lot over the last 10-20 years. 15 years ago OH didn't notify other states if you paid the ticket. That one never showed up on my driving record but it made it onto my ins when it got renewed 6 mo later. Same happened in PA. More recently an OH ticket bit my sister on her NY license.

Also, what gets you out of a ticket in one state may not apply the same way in your home state.

If the traffic school makes it go away and FL recognizes that, then I'd do it. If FL doesn't recognize it, get a lawyer in CA to make it go away.

[Endless619]

Originally Posted by askjeeves

as the title says, i received a ticket while out of my home state. I live in FL, and received a ticket in California. The ticket is for speeding 5mph over the limit on a highway.

i have the option to do traffic school for the ticket. is this necessary since the ticket is not from Florida? Will any points from california affect my insurance?

Depends on your state.

I got a ticket in Arkansas for going 2 over the speed limit on the freeway (I have a California DL and resident there). The cop told me to just mail it in to the court. It was like $72. I then asked if this would go on my driving record back home in California and he said it would not because they do not have a system like California or one that can report it. So I paid the fine and drove off. Never went back to the state. I looked at my driving record years later and nothing from Arkansas on it AND California DMV told me they have no record ever of a speeding ticket from Arkansas.

We also just had last December Maine State Police come visit and I asked a similar question if someone got caught speeding and say they were from California what would happen. State trooper said you would pay the fine or appear in court and explain why you were speeding but it WOULD NOT be reported to California DMV.

So I have two clear cases where they couldn't or wont bother to report it to California.

Other folks here say they could. I believe they could.