Dallas Speeding Ticket Attorneys
214-321-4105
The Texas Surcharge Program Has Been Abolished!
The article written below will become obsolete effective September of 2019. Over the last 13 years we have spent exhaustive time helping people across Texas with surcharge related issues. It is our pleasure to announce that this time has come to and end as it relates to financial penalties attached to traffic ticket convictions. That does not mean that all suspension issues go away. But it is at least a step taken that should provide some much needed financial assistance to those most in need of it. We suggest you read our most current article regarding surcharges that can be found by clicking this Texas Surcharge Update link. This is a huge development in the law and will help thousands. The article below will remain on the site to archive the history of the program and how we worked to educate the public over the last 13 years only. Congratulations to those that have been impacted by the surcharge program!
The Old News On Surcharges
More and more our Dallas traffic ticket attorneys are seeing people with heavy financial burdens due to surcharge assessments from bad driving records. 90% of the traffic ticket convictions that caused these surcharges were avoidable if the person simply would have taken the proper steps to defend their driving record. In every situation, the cost of hiring a Dallas speeding ticket lawyer is less than a single surcharge from The State of Texas. This article is intended to help people understand the surcharge program in Texas and what an experienced speeding ticket attorney in Dallas can do to help you avoid being placed in the program. If you would like to talk with our speeding ticket lawyers in Dallas after reading this article, feel free to contact us at 14-321-4105.
Understanding The Driver Responsibility Program In Texas
The Texas Driver Responsibility Program was established in 2003 as a way to monitor and manage the driving habits of Texas residents. It has been heavily debated whether or not the system itself is simply another tax on low income residents of the State of Texas. In many cases, convictions arise out of the inability to pay for a traffic ticket. Some residents take the conviction in exchange for community service not realizing that the conviction itself can be more expensive than the ticket. The official statement regarding the surcharge program in Texas is as follows:
-
Driver Record Review
DPS reviews surcharge cases annually. A surcharge will be assessed if an individual’s driver record:
- Continues to reflect six or more points, or
- If the underlying conviction for the surcharge is still within three years.
The amount of a surcharge can vary with each annual assessment if convictions are added or removed from the driver record. The number of points on a record can vary each year based on convictions that are added or removed. Please be aware there is a lapse in time from the date you are convicted for an offense and the date your conviction is reported to DPS by the courts. As a result, points may be added to or deducted from your record for offenses committed in the previous 12-month period.
In most cases, a surcharge for speeding tickets will usually be around $450.00 paid in equal installments of $150.00 per year for 3 years. This is usually twice as much as any fine that would be assessed in courts across Texas.
Staying Out Of The Surcharge Program In Texas
The bottom line is that attorneys will normally charge you far less than $450.00 for representation on a speeding ticket. That does not mean that a lawyer will magically make your case disappear. So don’t go calling a lawyer demanding that they get your case dismissed for the fee that you pay them. But what it does mean is that they can normally ensure that you stay out of the program saving you substantial fees that would be owed to the State of Texas. Hiring a lawyer is an insurance policy to protect your record. Not every case will be able to be kept off your record depending on the circumstances of the case. But even then, the lawyer can evaluate why a case can not be kept off your record and advise other remedies that may be available to protect your record. Take the time to talk with a Dallas speeding ticket lawyer. The call is free and the service is reasonably priced enough that you would be crazy not to. If you would like to talk with our Dallas speeding ticket lawyers today, call 214-321-4105.