Connecticut Criminal Lawyer Blog
Everyone who gets a traffic ticket that does not require a court appearance in Connecticut is faced with the somewhat misleading language on the back of the ticket which states “If you are charged with a motor vehicle infraction or violation and you choose to pay the amount due to the Centralized Infractions Bureau, no points will be assessed against your operator’s license by the Connecticut Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.” This language is somewhat misleading as while the DMV may not impose points if you plead by mail or online the conviction will go on your permanent DMV driving history. Most insurance companies regularly check the driving histories when it comes time to renew your auto instance policy and having a record for a moving violation can result in increased insurance rates.
Plead Guilty or (No Contest) to a Speeding or Traffic Ticket Can Increase your Insurance Rates and Lead to Administrative Sanctions
No matter how tempting the offer of “no-points” sounds there are still consequences for pleading guilty or no contest. The reason why is even though “no-points” will be assessed against you, the conviction will be noted on your permanent Connecticut driving history and insurance companies will be able to charge you increased premiums on the basis of your conviction for a moving violation for years to come. Obviously, the more violations you have the more the insurance company charges you through higher insurance premiums.
Recently Connecticut implemented an online ticket review program that allows you an opportunity to enter a not guilty plea to your traffic infraction and then apply to have a State’s Attorney review your case online. At first glance this seems like a great idea, it can save you a trip to Court and gives you an opportunity to give your side of the story. A lot of my clients are tempted to write in a big long explanation to the State’s Attorney without realizing that often what they are submitting is an admission of guilt and will not lead to the State’s Attorney dropping or nolling the charge. In fact, statistics show that since its inception the vast majority of cases submitted to the online review program have only resulted in offers of reduced fines and only a small fraction have resulted in offers to nolle or drop the case. Let’s drill down a little bit on how the program works and why I recommend that you should never use this new program.
