Young Motor Vehicle Operators in The Lone Star State Face a More challanging Time Brushing aside Traffic Violations

By Joe Gerstl

A new law going into effect 9/1/05 will likely increase the demand for defensive driving online(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com) classes as well as onsite classes and defensive driving video rentings and will increase the amount of road tests dealt out by the Lone-Star State Department of Public Safety.

Commencing Sept. 1 2005, a drivers safety course will be mandatory for all drivers under age 25 that pick up a ticket for a moving violation such as speeding if they want to keep it off their record. This isn't new in that many metropolises and county already have this requirement. However, many judges in these counties dismiss the class requirement typically in exchange for provisionary period of time in which, if the driver stays clean of any more Citations, the original ticket is ignored. Usually this arrangement generally also carries a fee to the municipality in addition to the probationary period of time.

Authored by Dallas Republican John Carona and laid out as Senate Bill 1005, this new law is even sterner for those under eighteen. Operators through the age of Seventeen will be involved to take a road trial with the Texas DPS in addition to the fine & probation if they want to keep their records clean.

Those with much of experience with getting violations will not be pleased with this law as it shuts down a loophole. Before this law judges were allowed to let off drivers under the age of 25 who received a traffic ticket from a Defensive Driving Course(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com). Some lawmakers were caring about teens, especially those who were taught to drive by their parents versus tX licensed instructors. To treat this concern, they amended the road test requirement for those under eighteen.

Ahead of 1-Sep-05, there were two sections that touch on to deferred adjudication of misdemeanors. This simply means that if a driver pleaded "no contest" to the traffic parts & then did not violate any further traffic laws for a time period set by the court, the ticket would be erased from the driver's record. One part of the law specifically covers traffic cuts across indicating that a traffic violator must take an online defensive driving course(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com) or attend an alternate defensive driving school or class in order to have a fine removed from their record. Misdemeanors are covered in the other section of law allowing judges to define the standard to be reached for "deferred adjudication". Deferred adjudication means: the driver is placed on probation for a length of time and if driver stays violation free during this period, the original traffic ticket is erased from their record. Deferred adjudication, in addition to the probationary period, usually incurs a fine to the district in which the ticket occurred. In many jurisdictions, this second section of the lay has allowed violation to simply fine automobile operators as long as they didn't get another violation for some time of time like 6 months.

For automobile operators under the age of twenty-five, Texas law SB 1005 eliminates that flexibility and in fact requires those who receive traffic citations and are under 25 to a take defensive driving online(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com) or in classroom setting.

The Texas Dept. of Public Safety indicated that an approximated 21,000 teens will take the road trial each year. All state driver's license offices are gearing up to have officers available to conduct more of these screenings. DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange stated that these offices already conduct road tests now however as this road test has not been required to obtain a driver's license for more than decade, most teens don't take it so more officers will need to be available at each DPS faciltiy. Those that do are usually at the request of their parents. Fortunately for the usually cash strapped young automobile operators, the road line 3 text will only tack on another $10 to their already expensive traffic citation experience.

This new law will likely grow the demand for defensive driving online(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com) classes in addition to onsite classes and defensive driving(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com) video rentals.

About the author:
Cindy Cashman operates Official Defensive Driving and provides online defensive driving courses. Save the time, money and hassle of attending defensive driving classes. Go to http://www.OfficialDefensiveDriving.comto sign up for an online defensive driving course.


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