SB-185(b) has been sponsored by State Senator Robert Hertzberg and would decrease traffic fines based on an individual’s ability to pay. The bill is still currently making its way through the state legislature in California but for those individuals who have minor traffic violations, they may be able to pay reduced fees. The minimum price right now on a red-light ticket, for example, is $490.

 

Legislatures across the country have expressed concern that this represents half of an individual’s paycheck for just one unfortunate incident. If the bill goes through, the court would look at income based factors to determine whether your payments should be reduced altogether or whether you should be put on a payment plan. Traffic fines may be just one of the ways that a person’s life is changed by an accident. When that accident leads to critical injuries, the responsible party could also be facing a personal injury lawsuit in addition to traffic fines or even criminal charges. 

If a driver fails to meet the fine structure or the new court agreement, they would lose their license. No ticket prices will be increased for those individuals who have more money. Unfortunately, running red lights, going through stop signs without looking and disobeying plenty of other traffic regulations are some of the primary causes of accidents throughout the San Diego area.
Someone who fails to pay attention for just a couple of seconds could strike a pedestrian, a bicyclist, a motorcyclist or another vehicle easily. These accidents often happen extremely quickly but can have life lasting consequences for all of the victims involved. If you have recently been injured in an accident due to someone else’s disobeyance of road rules and laws, you may be entitled to recover compensation for the medical bills and other injuries and damages you have sustained as a result of being in that accident. Taking action sooner rather than later is strongly recommended as your ability to recover may depend on it.