California Driving Violations and Driver’s License Issues
It’s all over the papers – the news about pop idol Britney Spears rejecting a plea offer in her misdemeanor driver’s license case, that would have placed her on probation with a penalty of $ 150 fine.
According to an Associated Press report, Spear’s attorney announced that they will try “to reduce the charge to an infraction” wherein the celebrity would only be required to pay a $ 10 fine. The lawyer also said they would appeal any conviction on the case.
This is the latest and the remaining charge in a criminal case involving Spears after she figured in a collision accident in August 2007 where she left the accident scene without notifying the car owner.
Leaving the scene of an accident, especially in a hit and run incident, is considered a major traffic violation in California and penalized by revocation or suspension of driving license. (California Vehicle Code Sections 20000 – 20018)
Under the law, the state has power to suspend or revoke a driver’s license of those who behave irresponsibly on the road. In most states, one’s driving privileges may be suspended due to the following reasons:
- Reckless driving
- Using a mobile phone while driving
- Failure to pass the required tests
- Caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- driving without liability insurance
- refusing to take a blood-alcohol test
- speeding
- leaving the scene of an injury accident
- failure to pay a driving-related fine
- failure to answer a traffic summons
- failure to file an accident report
Other states apply a type of “point” system to keep track of driver’s violation. In this way, each violation is assigned a certain number of points. A driver who accumulates too many points over a period of time may face license suspension from the Department of Motor Vehicle.
On the other hand, the state often revokes licenses of erring drivers who have too many serious problems while a few states also revoke or refuse to renew drivers' licenses of parents who owe back child support.
Here are some of the most common traffic offenses in California and the corresponding laws that apply to them:
- Drinking & Driving Violations (California Vehicle Code Sections 23152 - 23229.1)
- Driving Without a License / With a Suspended License, Violation of License Provisions (California Vehicle Code Sections 14600 - 14611)
- Driving Without Insurance / With Insufficient Insurance Division 7 - Financial Responsibility Laws (California Vehicle Code)
- Driving Without Registration / With Expired Registration Division 3 - Registration of Vehicles and Certificates of Title (California Vehicle Code)
- Illegal U-Turn Turning and Stopping and Turning Signals (California Vehicle Code Sections 22100 - 22113)
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident / Hit & Run Accidents and Accident Reports (California Vehicle Code Sections 20000 - 20018)
- Mechanical Violations Division 12 - Equipment of Vehicles (California Vehicle Code)
- Reckless Driving (California Vehicle Code Section 23103)
- Reckless Driving: Bodily Injury (California Vehicle Code Section 23104)
- Running a Red Light / Stop Sign Offenses Relating to Traffic Devices (California Vehicle Code Sections 21450 - 21468)
- Seat Belt / Child Restraint Violations Safety Belts and Inflatable Restraint Systems (California Vehicle Code Sections 27302 - 27317)
- Child Safety Belt and Passenger Restraint Requirements (California Vehicle Code Sections 27360 - 27368)
- Speeding (California Vehicle Code Sections 22348 - 22366)
- Other Speed Laws (California Vehicle Code Sections 22400 - 22413)
- Unlawful Vehicle Modifications, Division 12 - Equipment of Vehicles (California Vehicle Code)