California speed limits are just a recommendation, right? Who actually follows them? You've got places to go, people to see, and you need to get where you are going now! Unfortunately for you, the state of California takes speeding seriously. If you are caught speeding in California, you'll not only have to deal with the police and the court system, you can also expect to pay a lot of money in fines. In fact, getting a California speeding ticket is kind of like the reverse of winning the lottery!

Dangers of speeding

Why are California speed limits so strictly enforced? Sure, it may seem like the state is just trying to siphon money out of your wallet, but the reason that the speed limits are there and that the fines are so high is to keep California drivers safe. Speeding is dangerous! According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, fatal crashes caused by speeding kill 1,000 Americans every month! Read more...

Dealing with a California speeding ticket

If you've been stopped for speeding in California, the officer will give you a copy of the citation. The citation will have the name and contact information for the court that will handle your case, as well as the court date. You then have a number of different options to deal with the ticket: Read more...

How California Police determine speeding

How do the police know how fast you are going, anyway? California police officers have several different types of technology at their disposal to enable them to catch speeders. Radar is the most common. Radar devices can be either mounted in a police car or portable "radar guns." The police do not have to aim the radar at a specific vehicle to get a reading-the radar will pick up all the vehicles on a given stretch of road. Basically, radar devices send out an electromagnetic signal that bounces off of your car. Read more...

How to beat a California speeding ticket

In California, the only way to beat the financial implications of a ticket is to be found not guilty. Even if you take traffic school to keep the ticket off of your record, you still have to pay the fines. There are legal strategies that you can use to argue your case in court if you believe that the speed you were going when you were stopped was "reasonable and prudent," but if you go to trial you should consider hiring an experienced traffic attorney. This can be expensive, but you are much more likely to have a successful outcome, not have to pay the fines, and keep the ticket off of your record. Read more...

Speeding ticket fines

In California, suggested fines and penalties for infractions such as speeding are set at the state level, and are published in the state's Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules. One of the interesting quirks of the state's judicial system is the fact that the actual fine amount for the California speeding ticket is only the beginning of what you'll have to pay. The state applies penalties to each fine that's assessed, and these penalties can double or triple the amount you actually owe the court. For example, take a look at this table of suggested fines and penalties from the Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules. Read more...

California defensive driving/traffic schools

In California, you can use traffic violator school to remove one ticket every 18 months from your driving record. As long as you were not going more than 25 miles per hour over the speed limit and do not have a commercial driver's license, you should be able to take traffic school to get your violation dismissed. You do have to request this option from the court, however. Read more...

California speed limits

California's speed laws can be found in the state Vehicle Code. Section 22350 is the Basic Speed Law, which states that California drivers may not drive faster than is "reasonable and prudent and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property."  How do you know what speed is "reasonable and prudent?" Sections 22348 through 22413 of the Vehicle Code establish "reasonable and prudent" speed limits for various types of roads. Read more...

What to do if you got a California speeding ticket

If you get a speeding ticket in California, the first thing to do is to look carefully at the citation to see what court will be handling the ticket and when your court date is. Step 2 is to look in your piggy bank to see how much you have saved up. Even if you choose to fight the ticket and request a trial, you will still have to pay the fine by your original court date. Read more...