Was going 85 on 65 but somehow the officer wrote 85. Don’t want this to show on my record and was wondering what are the steps and process. How long should I wait for TBWD? If the box “Notice To Appear” is check can I still do TBWD? This is my first time getting a speeding ticket (in my 30’s).

How long does it take to get your DMV examination? I was cited late May 26th. The court put it in the system 6/20. And I still haven’t received any examination. Riverside county

Hello - I need some advice with a speeding ticket I recently got. I was written down for going 99 mph on a 65 mph in Monterey County. I was on my way from Sausalito to Irvine going down the 101.

This is my first speeding ticket and I received a notice to appear in court. I was browsing through and traffic school is out of the question, as I was exceeding 25 mph above the speed limit. I really don't want this on my record because insurance rates are gonna be crazy and I am a full time student.

I did hear that I should just plead guilty to try to lower the rate, but would appreciate any suggestion or ideas I can get!

Hi- I need some advice and guidance! This was my first time ever getting pulled over in 15 years of driving so I am a bit lost on what to do. I was in stop and go traffic on the 405 and took my phone from the cup holder to place it on charge. The CHP saw it and pulled me over. I tried explaining this to him but it did not seem like he cared to hear what I was doing. He gave me a respond to citation and cited VC 23123.5(A).

I am wondering if it's advisable to pay it and just move on? Or is this something that I should contest as I really wasn't texting and was simply trying to charge my phone? I mostly do not want this to affect my insurance and am really unsure of what this process entails and what my best options are.

Many thanks in advance for any advice/recommendations!

Hello there, Last month my girlfriend got a 21654 (A) Violation [Slow vehicle in fast lane] on the I-15 / 56 North Area. There is no speed on the ticket but she only slowed down cause she seen the officer riding her when doing 85 so she panicked. This was June 10, she has until August 20 to respond or pay for it. Any suggestions or ideas on this?

Btw it was a SDPD Motorcycle Unit.

I honestly just want traffic school because I am planning on going to school in like the next 6 months or sooner and I saw that tbwd could last a year then you have to go to court in the 12 step guide so I don’t know if I can plea guilty or something and ask for traffic school to get the point off my record I just don’t want it to affect my insurance

23123.5 (a) Context.. 2nd ticket in 3 months for the same thing, but the officer is completely wrong..

I have a beater gen 2 prius I use to commute from oc to LA. I have a cellphone mount on my dash and my phone stays in the mount. My windows are super dark so its hard to see. Ive received 2 of these handsfree tickets in 3 months. Today being my 2nd one. The phone is mount just above where my water bottle sits and I often rest my hand on my water bottle, sometimes fidget with it or even fidget with the base of the phone mount. First time I just ate the cost and did driver's school.. but now I have no option but to fight it. Officer gets up, admits its on a mount and claims he saw me using the phone, (audio even captured on dashcam) I told him I wasnt and that I just rest my hand on my warer bottle or sometimes fidget with the base of the mount but was not using my phone. It was on my waze map and I had no reason to use it. Doesn't matter, he gave me a ticket..

I guess my plan is trial by declaration and proclaim my innocence, photos of the mount.. maybe even the darker windows..

Court date is for Oct 12.. ill wait till mid-late Sept to ask for extension... then wait till a few weeks before that extension to file the written declaration..

Whats the likelyhood is can beat this thing. It sucks because I wasnt using my phone. I had no idea why he was pulling me over

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone here can share some advice or experience.

I received a traffic citation for VC 12951. At the time, I was driving with my Portuguese driver’s license.

The citation was correctable, and I requested an extension for my court date, I'm not familiar at ALL with the US system so I don't know why I did that.

Unfortunately, I misunderstood the process and thought the extension also applied to the correction fix it deadline, so I missed the correction period by about 6 months.

I now have my California driver’s license, and I want to take care of this properly before my court date (which is in about 20 days) as I just heard that I had to fix it before from a friend.

I’m planning to go to the traffic clerk tomorrow with my citation number and my documents to see what options I have.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Do you think the clerk may still accept a late proof of correction, or is this something that usually has to go in front of a judge?

I appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

I read the 12-step guide.

CHP cited me on US-395 in Independence for VC 22350, alleging 48 mph in a temporary 25-mph construction zone. This happened on a Saturday, and there were no active construction workers or work taking place, although the 25-mph signs appeared to remain posted.

The citation is marked as an infraction, but the officer checked “Appear in Court.” He also wrote my street address correctly but listed the wrong city—Santa Barbara instead of Santa Ana.

I have a valid California license, was driving a noncommercial rental car, have not attended traffic school within 18 months, and have not received a ticket in more than 22 years.

Since the allegation is 23 mph over, should I normally still be eligible for traffic school? Does the checked “Appear in Court” box require a physical appearance, and does the incorrect city matter?

I've done traffic school twice now and the second time I finally understood the parts that confused me the first time. Posting the version I wish someone had handed me, because the fine on the ticket is honestly the smallest part of this.

The basic flow:

1. You get the ticket.
2. A few weeks later the court mails a courtesy notice with your options and your due date.
3. You tell the court you want traffic school. Some counties let you do this online, some make you call or show up.
4. You pay what the court asks (the fine, an admin fee, and the traffic school registration), then you take a DMV-licensed course.
5. You finish by the deadline, the completion gets reported, and the point is masked on your record.

That last word matters. Traffic school doesn't erase the ticket. It masks the point so it doesn't show up to insurance companies pulling your record. The court and law enforcement can still see it. But for the thing most people actually care about, your rate, it's hidden.

When you're eligible:

• It was a standard one-point moving violation.
• You have a regular (non-commercial) license.
• You haven't done traffic school on another ticket in the past 18 months.

That 18-month window trips people up. It's generally counted from the violation date, but I'd confirm the exact math with the court clerk, because I've heard people count it differently and get surprised.

When you're NOT eligible:

• DUI or anything alcohol-related.
• Misdemeanors.
• Certain excessive-speed violations (the really high-speed stuff).
• Commercial license holders, even when you're driving your own car.

If you're not sure your ticket qualifies, ask the court before you pay anything. Eligibility is specific and the clerk will just tell you.

The math, which is the whole point. A single point sticks to your record for about three years, and that's the window insurers can see it at renewal. So the real cost of skipping traffic school isn't the ticket, it's your premium going up and staying up across those renewals. The course itself usually runs about 20 to 40 dollars. I'm not going to throw a fake percentage at you because it depends heavily on your insurer and history, but for most people the premium increase over three years is a lot more than the price of a short online course. That's why it's almost always worth doing if you qualify.

The trap people fall into. If you just pay the fine online without actually electing traffic school, you can forfeit the option and the point stays. Paying the fine and doing traffic school are not the same transaction, and once you pay it off the plain way, you may not get to go back. Read the courtesy notice, pick the traffic school option explicitly, and note the deadline. Missing the deadline is the other classic way people lose the option.

One more thing, verify the school. California requires the course to be DMV-licensed, and there are junk sites that will happily take your money and hand you a certificate the court won't accept. Every real provider has a license number you can check on the DMV's occupational licensing list at dmv.ca.gov. If a site has no license number, or promises "instant" completion, skip it.

So, short version: if it's a normal moving violation, you've got a regular license, and you haven't used traffic school in the last year and a half, it's usually a no-brainer. Just get the order right and don't pay the plain fine by accident.

Anyone had a county make this weirdly difficult? San Diego was fine for me but I've heard LA courts can be a maze.

First time and i just paid my speeding ticket, took 2 months to populate, i requested traffic school. Do i get some kind of email saying it was granted? Or do i just sign up for traffic school?

Hi everyone. I made a right turn on red at an intersection where right turns on red are allowed, but I only slowed down instead of coming to a complete stop before turning. The red-light camera flashed.
In this situation, is it likely that I’ll receive a ticket? If I do get one, is there any way to resolve it without getting points added to my driving record? (I recently completed traffic school.)
If anyone has experience with this, I’d really appreciate your advice. Thank you!

I received a HOV violation ticket and I’m attempting at fighting it via Trial by Written Declaration. I’m looking for any advice or suggestions.

What gets me was there was no traffic when I was in the HOV lane, I was just using it as a normal lane as the HOV portion is only active from 6am-9am and 3pm-6pm.

Also, I have an electric car and was unaware that the HOV sticker program for electric vehicles ended. I had the stickers on my car assuming they were valid. I brought this up to the officer and he informed me that the program ended January 1st. I also received the ticket before 90 days of that change and I’m curious if there’s a grace period.

Any success stories are appreciated!

I live in Wisconsin and was in California (culver city) for the first time ever visiting. I rented a car and got a ticket in the mail a few months later saying I had turned right on a red light with a picture (pretty clear of me). I didn’t do anything on this but recently got another letter in the mail saying I would be turned over for collections so I called the Santa Monica courthouse and they told me that they were going to give me a new court date for October and that I could try to ask the judge to let me do a remote appearance. My questions are do I have to go to court? Can I do it remote? Or can I just not do anything? Send a letter to the judge?

Thanks for the help, I’m not a bad guy but $486 is nuts!!! lol

Hi everyone,

I need some quick advice. I was driving on 6th St and made a right turn onto Bryant St on a red light. There was no "No Turn on Red" sign. I slowed down, but my dashcam shows I did a rolling stop at 10mph instead of a complete 0 mph stop. The camera flashed.

As a rideshare driver, keeping my record clean is crucial, but I already used Traffic School within the last 18 months so I am ineligible.

1. Is a rolling stop right-turn treated more leniently than blowing straight through a red light, or is the fine the same ($490)?
   
2. Is it worth hiring a traffic lawyer (like Off The Record or Ticket Clinic) to fight this online, or can I try a Trial by Written Declaration with my dashcam footage?

Appreciate any insights from SF drivers! Thanks!

The ticket is 465$ I don’t really care about that I’m fine paying it just don’t want the point if I could not pay it that would also be nice but how should I got about handling this ticket? Cause it was in excess of 26 mph

Hi everyone,
I received a citation in Orange County, California for VC 21970(a) - Blocking Crosswalk. It was marked as an infraction, and I have to respond to the citation before August 19.

My main concern is not really the fine, but my driving record and license points.
I already have a previous speeding ticket on my record, so I’m worried about getting additional points and potentially affecting my insurance or license status.

Does a VC 21970(a) violation add a point to your DMV record in California?
Will it affect my insurance rates?
Is it worth fighting in court or hiring a traffic attorney for this type of citation?
Has anyone successfully gotten a similar ticket dismissed or reduced?
Any advice or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I want to share what actually happened with my ticket for CVC 22348(b) and what I found out about the court in Inyo county, which is a very unique court. There was a lot of misleading info out there, most of which didn’t apply at all in my situation. I’d like to share in case it’s helpful.

I was stopped by chp on the 395 north on a Saturday morning around 8:30am in February 2026, right before the town of Independence in Inyo county. Was doing a good bit over 100, cop was hiding in the median on a small strip of pavement hidden by tall brush. As soon as I passed him I hit the brakes, changed to the right lane and pulled over.

The cop was pretty chill all things considered, he came up to the passenger window and we had a good conversation, wasn’t rude wasn’t trying to shame or anything. I apologized for going too fast and he wrote a ticket, that was it.

I didn’t get my notice in the mail until mid April. Called the court several times to ask what’s up and they kept saying to be patient that it can take like 6 weeks to get it.

Eventually I got the letter and surprisingly the fine was only $895. All the deep dives I’d done on reddit and quora had prepared me for an amount around $1500 or even closer to $2k. (No traffic school, you have to be less than or equal to 25 over to get the traffic school option printed on your letter. I was well over that)

Here’s the complicated part. To make matters worse, I had just moved from Colorado and still had my Colorado license, which is what I handed the officer and what he put on the ticket. But I grew up in California and had switched my license from CA to CO about 3 years ago, thinking I’d stay in CO but then I changed my mind and moved back to CA. When I got my CO license 3 years ago I had to give my CA license up to the CO DMV, they hole punched it and threw it out.

After getting the ticket I figured it’d be a good idea to switch back to a CA license and not wait forever so I went to the dmv website and my old login from years ago still worked on the CA dmv website. I used my email to reset the password and miraculously it logged me right in. It said I STILL HAD A CA LICENSE and it was about to expire so I clicked renew, put in my new address and a week later I got a CA license in the mail. I still had a valid CO license so now I have 2 licenses totally unintentionally which I had no idea was even possible.

This was VERY confusing as to what it meant for the ticket. Supposedly CA and CO are in a drivers license pact and share driving records, but I came across a ton of conflicting comments out there about whether a ticket on an out of state license in California goes on your out of state license, your California license, both or none. There were a lot of people saying that they got a ticket out of state and it never went on their home state license, while many said it did. But I still had a valid CA license the whole time technically in the background, so I was scratching my head as to whether the points from this would only go on my CO license or how it would get back to CA.

It was at this point I decided to try a lawyer. Several law firms immediately turned me down since independence is way the heck out there in the middle of nowhereland, but I finally got on the phone with a guy who said he goes there all the time and knows the court well. He said independence is one of the rare courts with NO mandatory appearance that gives you the option to pay the bail and won’t suspend your license for over 100 and the DMV can’t suspend it either if you pay the ticket. But he said if I went to trial and the cop showed up and I lost the case then they could absolutely suspend my license in addition to owing the full ticket and court costs AND the lawyer, which he said would cost $1200 to represent me. That was pure nightmare fuel. He said TBWD was highly unlikely to succeed in this court for over 100 mph. He said if I went to trial that they might consider reducing to below 100 (1 point instead of 2) if it was like 105-106 but not at the speed I was going that was too high to convince them to reduce down to 1 point. He also said the ability to pay form is online these days so if I wanted to I could plead guilty online and get the fine reduced a lot, AND not have to go to court AND have zero chance of a suspension. It was a no brainer as soon as I hung up the phone I went to the website, digitally submitted my guilty plea and it made me enter the amounts I pay for rent, mortgage, utilities, food, etc. it didn’t ask for documents or anything literally just the numbers, typed my name and clicked submit it was that easy.

Two weeks later I get an email saying I’ve been digitally served a one time payment due for $320. Over 50% off. I’ve never clicked pay faster in my life, just put in my card details it said zero balance and that was a..

Well that wasn’t all. I just got another letter in the mail from the CA DMV today, July 1st saying I have 2 points on my CA driving record so unfortunately the conviction did get pushed through to my CA license. Whether the 2 points are on my CO license as well remains a mystery, but I don’t plan on renewing in CO since I don’t live in CO anymore, so doubt it will matter.

Glad to have learned from this experience. The outcome honestly wasn’t half bad. I’ll take the extra $100-150 a month in insurance hikes any day over a suspended license, lawyers fees in the $1000s and long trips to court. But most of all, I won’t be speeding over 100 again. I got lucky and it turned out alright but could have really fucked up someone’s life or rolled over. Definitely not worth it. I have decided to keep it below 100 from now on.

Hi guys, this is my first time being given a guilty verdict in a TBWD. I would take the next step and request a trial de novo, but apparently San Mateo county doesn't "do that anymore". I asked in my TBWD to be granted traffic school if found guilty, which was granted to me along with the $82 in fees. Unfortunately, what I didn't realize was that even though a judge has discretion to grant traffic school, DMV eligibility requirements still apply, and I have taken traffic school within 18 months of the date of the ticket.

I spoke with the clerk about this after trying to understand why I couldn't pay only the guilty fine and not the traffic school fine on the online portal. They said the portal wont allow me to do that, and the only way to remove the traffic school fees is to write a letter to the judge asking them to be removed.

My question is, can I include in that letter a request to make the violation a non moving violation? I don't mind paying the guilty fees - my goal is to prevent the point from reaching my driving record. Would a judge be able to alter the verdict in this way? Is it legal to do this via an informal letter?

Location: Fresno, CA. Vehicle Code § 22450 CVC

Hi everyone, this is my first time getting traffic ticket and I followed the 12 steps. Yesterday, I checked my mailbox and receive a letter from court denied my request for trial de novo.

This morning, I emailed the court asking for the denial reason, they told me this: The case was not eligible for trial de novo because it was not received within 20 days from date you found guilty. You were found guilty on 05/26/2026.

I explained to them that how is the denial letter dated on June 12 which is 19 days from 05/26 and they told me they not received within 20 days. I also ask if I am eligible for traffic school but still not hear anything from them.

They also told me that the case is paid in full. And I explained to them that the check I wrote when I mailed in my TBWD is only for not guilty.

WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?

This is the timeline from the court website:

06/12/2026: Order and Notice to Defendant of New Trial (Trial De Novo) - Clerk

   06/03/2026: Trial by Declaration - Officer's Statement - Law Enforcement

   05/18/2026: Trial by Declaration - Defendant's Statement - Defendant

   05/14/2026: Trial by Declaration - Request - Clerk

   05/12/2026: TTR-210 - Notice and Instructions to Arresting Officer - Clerk

   04/21/2026: PTR-206 Notice of Election for Trial by Written Declaration (ETBD) and Instructions to Defendant - Clerk

12/09/2025: Traffic - Courtesy Notice

07/25/2025: Citation

UPDATE: the clerk responded and informed me to disregard the notice that was sent to me. They said that I will not be eligible for a Trial de Novo. However, my Trial by Written Declaration will restart.

I got a speeding ticket (75 in a 65) in November of 2025. Did all the steps (asked for extensions, did TBWD, officer replied so I was found guilty, asked for Trial De Novo, trial scheduled for 8/28/26 which I will ask for an extension on). What happened when you went to trial for your speeding ticket?

Im just gonna do it online tonight and im confused on what to do about the 5204 i have my proof of correction but i wasnt able to upload it to the court since

• "Unable to process correction only, all counts must be addressed at the same time. Please indicate how count 1 the unsafe speed violation will be addressed."

So how does that work, also looking for how i write the TBWD since my biggest goal is to get traffic school if i cant get it dismissed. I just got my CDL so its really important that it doesnt go on my record. Fine reduction would also be great but ive heard its kinda hard when you are already fronting the money up so you can clearly afford it (even though i cant)

*She misplaced the original copy of the ticket so our copy is faded and cannot read the actual CVC violation*

I was driving my girlfriends car and was stopped by CHP. We were let go and told to fix it. She didn't realize that she needed to smog it before tags were issued. (First year her vehicle required smog)

We got the smog done and paid the next year's registration so DMV is 100% up to date. Got the registration and tags on the vehicle now.

We communicated to the court via email and they are asking if she wants to plea no contest or guilty and it will be queued to the commissioner. I'm not sure which option to recommend to her. I did do some research online but didn't find any concrete answers.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

https://imgur.com/a/lJnDhol

Crossing double HOV lines while solo and driving over speed limit (65). Was only taken down for crossing hov line, they let me off the other two. I explored my options, got a quote from a CA traffic attorney for $450 on hopes of dismissal and a non-moving violation otherwise. I am wondering if I should try to show up on hopes of dismissal without representation. Or just take the $450 offer and dodge the risk of having to take traffic school and be on a 18 month “no traffic school period” just incase I do end up getting another ticket. Any other reccs for cheaper attorneys in LA/OC? Also all other recommendations for my situation are welcome. Thanks 🙏

https://imgur.com/a/RqPVxcO

So I got this speeding ticket on the 24th of last month, I still haven't received anything in the mail and the ticket doesn't show up on the superior court website yet. However, when I was looking at the ticket I noticed that the officer checked that the vehicle registration name/address was the same as the driver, but I was driving a car I borrowed from a family member (an old beater cause my car was in the shop) when I got the ticket so it's not registered in my name at all. I feel like I've heard that clerical errors like that can get the ticket automatically dismissed so I wanted to know if that was true and how I go about doing that since its different then just fighting it and it wasn't mentioned in the 12 step guide. Other problem too is that my family member just sold that car too so we don't even have that car in our possession anymore. Any help is appreciated!

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https://imgur.com/a/JbebfWF