Young Motor Vehicle Operators in The Lone Star State Face a Rougher Time Sacking Traffic Fines

By Joe Gerstl

A new law going into effect 1-Sep-05 will likely grow the demand for defensive driving online(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com) courses in addition to onsite courses and defensive driving video rentals and will increase the amount of road screenings shelled out by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety.

Beginning 9/1/05, a drivers safety course will be needed for all drivers under age 25 that get a ticket for a moving ticket such as speeding if they want to keep it off their record. This isn't new in that many metropolises and regions already have this requirement. However, many judges in these counties dismiss the class requirement typically in exchange for probationary time period in which, if the driver stays clean of any additional Violations, the original ticket is discharged. Broadly speaking this arrangement generally also carries a fee to the municipality in addition to the probationary time period.

Authored by Dallas Republican John Carona & laid out as Senate Bill 1005, this new law is even more rigorous for those under 18. Automobile operators through the age of Seventeen will be called upon to take a road line 1 text with the Texas Dept. of Public Safety in addition to the fine and probation if they want to keep their records clean.

Those with a lot of experience with obtaining tickets will not be pleased with this law as it shuts down a loophole. Before this law judges were allowed to let off automobile operators under the age of twenty-five who received a traffic fine from a Drivers Safety Course(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com). Some lawmakers were worried about teens, specially those who were taught to drive by their parents versus texas endorsed instructors. To web address this concern, they amended the road exam requirement for those under 18.

Ahead of 9/1/2005, there were two sections that pertain to deferred adjudication of violations. This simply means that if a driver pleaded "no contest" to the traffic segments and then did not break any further traffic laws for a time period set by the court, the violation would be wiped out from the driver's record. One segment 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 alternative defensive driving school or course in order to have a ticket 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 & if driver stays ticket free during this period, the original traffic citation is erased from their record. Deferred adjudication, in addition to the probationary period, usually incurs a fine to the district in which the citation occurred. In many jurisdictions, this second section of the lay has allowed ticket to simply fine drivers as long as they didn't get a second violation for some time period of time like 6 months.

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

The Texas Department of Public Safety indicated that an figured 21,000 teens will take the road test each year. All state driver's license offices are gearing up to have officers available to conduct more of these tests. DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange stated that these offices already conduct road screenings 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 Department of Public Safety faciltiy. Those that do are usually at the request of their parents. Fortunately for the usually cash strapped young motor vehicle operators, the road line 3 text will only tack on another $10 to their already pricey traffic citation experience.

This new law will likely improve the demand for defensive driving online(http://www.officialdefensivedriving.com) courses as well as onsite courses & 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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