Q: Speeding ticket. DL was not taken away. Officer gave me the option of court supervision. Will this affect my insurance?
Court Supervision will be for 3 months. I would just like to know if it would affect my insurance rates since the ticket will not show up on my record
A:
Hello Asker,
To answer your question, sort of. Court supervision is a form of deferred prosecution that prevents a conviction on your record. This prevents it from being public knowledge to your insurance company and many employers. That said, it does not mean it won't be on ANY records. Attorneys, courts, police, prosecutors, and the secretary of state have access to these records. The reason being is that there are restrictions on court supervision such as it only being available if you have not had it twice in the 12 months prior to your ticket's issue date.
It is important to understand that what you are planning to do is not always advisable. Mailing in the ticket grants the court full discretion to determine your sentence in your absence (ex parte) in exchange fore reduced fees. This means that you could be convicted even though you are seeking court supervision. Unlike going to court though, you can't refute this because you waived your court appearance by mailing the ticket in requesting court supervision. For this reason, it is dangerous to send in the ticket requesting court supervision blindly without at least consulting an attorney. What I can say is that if you were speeding in a construction, school, or emergency zone, you will likely be denied supervision by mail. If you were travelling around 21-25 mph, you are more likely to be denied court supervision. If you have had a ticket in the last 12 months, you are almost certainly going to be convicted.
Weigh your options and the risks of mailing in the ticket. Speak to several attorneys with free consultations to get your perspective on the matter and make a decision whether you will go to court for the security of being able to request court supervision in person or save money and time by rolling the dice mailing payment in.
Hope that helps!
Jason A. Wilkins
Attorney at Law
Law Office of Jason A. Wilkins
Office Phone: (630) 445-2293
www.jwilkinslaw.com
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