Asked 7/14/17 – Dallas, TX

I got a ticket in California for driving 100mph on 70 mph speed zone. I received a speeding ticket for the amount of $489 from Los Banos superior court. The lawyers in California want to charge me $600 to represent me. According to the court I’m required to attend a hearing for my case. I spoke to the court clerk and she said to write a letter stating I’m from Texas and I’m the sole provider for my family and I cannot take time off from my work to attend the hearing. I requested her to give me an extension of the due date from August 8th to September 8th, 2017. My question is if I pay the fine as I cannot afford the lawyers fee, will it affect my driving records here in Texas? Will it add 2 points for excessive speeding and how long will it stay on my records. I took a defensive driving course last September, 2016. Will it help to reduce the cost of the fine? Please advise what my options are. Thanks.

Answer

If you pay the fine on the California citation, it will be reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety and a conviction will appear on your driving record.. The conviction will remain forever, but the points assigned due to the conviction will be pending for a couple of years. A defensive driving course taken in Texas will have no bearing on the fine assessed by a California court. Your options are to contest the citation or pay the fine. Contesting the citation will require you to retain local counsel due to the distance involved. Good luck.