What is a criminal traffic offense?

Whether you are a South Carolina native or tourist, you may get a traffic ticket for a litany of reasons. When this occurs, you can pay it online, or you can find a traffic offense attorney who will fight for your case.

Some traffic offenses are more serious than others. You may not have to pay much if you let the parking meter expire. However, some offenses can result in substantial fines as well as jail time. You should not take these offenses lying down.

Reckless driving

Most drivers are familiar with the consequence of speeding. Reckless driving is a step further from that. The law defines reckless driving as the willful disregard of the safety of others. For example, a police officer may give you speeding because you went a few miles over the speed limit. If you drove 40 miles over the speed limit, then an officer may consider that reckless driving because there is a blatant disregard for people’s safety. A conviction can result in up to 30 days in jail.

Driving with a suspended license

Various actions can lead to the DMV suspending your license. Some of the most common include the following:

• DUI conviction
• Excessive points on your driving record
• Excessive traffic violations or speeding tickets
• Failure to pay child support
• Failure to pay court fees or appear in court
• Lapse in auto insurance coverage

You may think you are safe driving a short distance. However, police are always on the lookout for people driving when they should not be on the road.

Hit-and-run

Leaving the scene of an accident is a hit-and-run. Regardless of who is at fault, both drivers need to pull off to the side of the road after a collision. If you drive off, even if you think nothing significant happened, then you still need to exchange insurance information.