Non Moving Violations And Moving Violations, What Are The Differences?
There are two main differences between traffic violations. Knowing which kind you have can be very important when determining how to handle your particular situation.
If you receive a minor citation that doesn’t result in points to your license you may be better off just paying it instead of fighting it in traffic court.
The two main types of traffic tickets are either moving or non moving violations. Non moving violations usually involve smaller fines and can be a parking ticket or some kind of fix it ticket.
These can be a nuisance but at least they wont go on your driving history or be reported to your auto insurance.
Common non moving violations can include failure to use your seatbelt, improper registration, no license plate or lamps, improper parking, and a broken or non working taillight.
The fines for non moving violations are normally small, like around $50 or less. So its usually better, just from a hassle stand point, to pay these types of violations and not waste hours in traffic court.
However, if you feel you were unjustly ticketed for any reason, you should always make an attempt to try and resolve the matter in some way. For instance, a broken tail light ticket can usually be beat by showing a recent receipt that you have fixed the tail light.
On the other hand, a moving violation is any law broken by the automobile driver while the vehicle is in motion. This type of violation is distinguished by the term ‘motion’. While a non moving violation is charged against the vehicle, a moving violations are charged against the driver of a vehicle. While usually only classifies as infractions or misdemeanors, serious violations can be felonies.
In most places, moving violations involve fines which must be paid as well as punitive points assessed to the license of the driver. As a driver accumulates points, he or she may be required to attend defensive driving lessons, re-take his or her driving test or even surrender his or her license.
You may think we have it bad in the US, and we do, because traffic fines can go all the way up to $500 and more. But in some countries around the world, traffic can be set according to an individuals income, and in some rare cases be more than $100,000!
Common moving violations include: speeding (by far the most common violation) , running a stop sign or red traffic light, failure to yield to someone with the right of way, failing to maintain a single lane, not stopping for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, crossing the gore (striped area), failure to secure a load to a truck, driving in a car pool lane illegally, or driving too slow for road conditions, particularly in a left-hand lane
More serious moving violations include: racing on a public street, road rage, drunk driving, and vehicular homicide
Also, traffic violations can either be criminal or civil. They both come with fines and points on your record, but a criminal violation is the only one that can get you jail time.
Sentences handed down in criminal violations are obligations to the state for acts committed. The term ‘state’ can be a city, town, state or federal government or any other kind of m municipality. These are moving violations to avoid at all costs, obviously.
Learn more about different moving violations. Stop by Steven Swihart’s site where you can find out all about fighting traffic tickets for your individual needs. This article, Non Moving Violations And Moving Violations, What Are The Differences? is released under a creative commons attribution licence.
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