Almost all moving violations in South Carolina have much more of an impact on your life than your just having to pay a fine. All of these violations can impact the status of your driver’s license and possibly the cost of your car insurance.
There are several points you should know about traffic tickets in South Carolina. Here are some points that you might find interesting:
Reckless driving
Reckless driving doesn’t require you to break the law. You can still get a ticket, even if you obeyed all laws. Reckless driving means that you willfully drove in a negligent manner. One glaring example is when a driver who is sleepy gets behind the wheel. If the driver isn’t able to drive safely, a law enforcement officer might choose to cite the driver for reckless driving. This is one citation that you might decide to fight in court since it could be difficult for a prosecutor to prove that you were acting with willful disregard to basic safety practices.
Citations in parking lots
The law in South Carolina allows police officers to enforce laws, including traffic laws, in parking lots that are privately owned as long as the parking lot is open to the public for use. One interesting point is that there must be signage that makes it clear that the parking lot is under police jurisdiction. The absence of this signage might be a point to consider using in your defense.
Driving with a suspended driver’s license
It is possible that a driver can have his or her driver’s license suspended. This is often the result of a drunk driving incident or a combination of too many points on the person’s driving record. This is a violation that can come with time in jail. The amount of time in jail can be 10 to 30 days in some cases. However, it is also possible to face a 90-day to six-month period in jail. The amount of time behind bars depends on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In all of these cases, you have the option to plead guilty and take the penalties. Minor traffic tickets might not even require you to show up in court, but you should know that paying the ticket means you admit to committing the violation. You also have the option of fighting the ticket in court. This might be preferable if you don’t agree to the ticket or aren’t willing to have points placed on your license without trying to fight it.