California’s high cost of living is usually justified as being the price one pays to live and work in such beautiful climate pretty much all year round but when we put a spotlight to the cost of traffic tickets it just doesn’t add up. Most easily seen is the high cost of traffic ticket fines that are immediately compounded by court fees and when you add the burden of missed work for a suspended license, this can put enormous pressure on those that are struggling to make ends meet to begin with.
Back in January of 2021, some bay area residents won a 2016 lawsuit against the DMV when an appeals court made a favorable ruling that California was illegally penalizing those that were unable to pay such costly traffic ticket fees and so choose not to appear in court. This ruling reinstated over 400,000 drivers licenses and helped put forth the message that legal advocacy organizations have been pushing around for some time – California traffic fines and court fees disproportionately impact low-income residents and communities of color.
Yearly in California, more than 3 million traffic infractions are cited with fines averaging between $600 to $700. With add-on state and county fees, California has some of the highest traffic ticket penalties across the country. A $100 ticket for running a red light provides a good example as it becomes a $500 fine when state and local fees are tacked on and if the individual should choose not to appear or pay by the deadline, that $100 ticket could easily become an $800 expense, or more.
Appellate court rulings like the one mentioned are hard won but should you find yourself the unlucky recipient of a traffic citation, please don’t hesitate to contact Ticket Dismissers first. We have a 90% success rate and we’re here for you!