In order to more efficiently dispose traffic violations, the Wake County District Court has announced some changes to existing policies. If you have recently be charged with a traffic violation, you may benefit from some of these changes.
Driving While License Revoked (DWLR) for non-payment of tickets
According to the new policy, the State will dismiss a class 3 misdemeanor DWLR offense that is not the result of impairment if:
- Your license has been revoked for failure to appear or for non-payment of (no more than two) previous citations.
- You have no prior convictions of DWLR.
- Your license has been reinstated.
- You are genuinely trying to comply.
Improper Equipment Reductions
Per new policies, certain speeding charges may be disposed of by a plea of ‘responsible,’ rather than ‘guilty,’ to improper equipment. Improper equipment can mean that a vehicle has equipment or mechanical problems, such as worn tires or a broken speedometer. It is considered a lesser offense to speeding or traffic tickets, as it is categorized as a non-moving violation. Non-moving violations do not accrue traffic points that impact insurance or driving records. However, the charge will still be present on your driving record.
The following criteria applies:
- You must provide a certified driving record (www.ncdot.org/dmv).
- Your case must be resolved by the third court date and must be disposed of in disposition court.
- If you are under the age of 21 you must first complete a four hour driving course at an approved driving school prior to resolution of the charge.
- All court costs and fees (a $50 fee in addition to court costs) must be paid in addition to an additional $25 fine.
If you were charged with the following, you are ineligible to have your charge reduced to an improper equipment charge:
- more than one other moving violation within a period of three years
- more than three moving violations within a period of ten years
- driving over 85 mph
- more than 20 mps over the posted speed limit
- speeding in a work zone
- speeding in a school zone; or
- an improper equipment charge within three years
School Zone Prayer for Judgement
A Prayer for Judgement, also referred to as a Prayer for Judgment Continued (PJC), is unique to North Carolina. A judge may grant a PJC for speeding violations under 15 miles in excess of the speed limit. A PJC requires that you pay only the court costs – no other fines – for your infraction. Insurance policies recognize one PJC per year per policy on the insurance plan, while the DMV will allow two PJCs over the course of five years; any additional charges will result in points against your license. A PJC for speeding infractions within a school zone will be accepted on cases that meet the following criteria:
- The school zone speeding violation was no more than 15 miles over the posted speed limit
- You have no other traffic violations within three years
- You have never before been charged with speeding in a school zone
- You complete community service if directed by the judge or magistrate