What To Do If You Get Into A Car Accident And Get A Ticket

If you are involved in a car accident, stop and call the police, and don’t leave until the officer gives you permission to go. Then hire an attorney to get your ticket for “Following Too Close,” “Failure to Yield,” or “Reckless Driving,” reduced to a non-moving violation that won’t affect your driving record.

What To Do If You Get Into An Accident in Missouri

If you are involved in a car accident in Missouri, you are legally required to do the following:

• Move your car to the side of the road to avoid being hit by oncoming cars
• Call an ambulance if you think anyone has been injured
• Call the police to report the accident
• Turn on your car’s hazard lights, or use flares or a flashlight to warn oncoming traffic
• Exchange information with the other driver, including your name, address, vehicle identification, and car insurance information
• Don’t leave the scene of the accident until a police officer tells you it’s o.k. to leave, or else you could get a ticket for “Leaving The Scene Of An Accident“

You can go to the Missouri Department of Revenue website or click here for more information about what to do if you are involved in an accident.

What To Do If You Get Into A Car Accident And Receive A Traffic Ticket

An experienced traffic ticket lawyer can help if you were in a car accident and you got a ticket for “Following Too Close,” “Careless & Imprudent Driving,” or “Leaving the Scene of an Accident.”

Your attorney can negotiate a plea bargain deal with the Prosecutor so you won’t have a moving violation conviction or points on your driving record.

The outcome of your case depends on your answers to the following questions:

• Which court is your case being prosecuted in?
• Have you ever been involved in an accident before?
• How many moving violations/points do you have on your driving record?
• How old are you?
• Were you polite and cooperative with the police officer at the scene of the accident?
• Were there any personal injuries resulting from the accident?
• Was the vehicle you were driving insured?
• Did you leave the scene of the accident before police arrived?

If you have an experienced attorney representing you for your ticket, it is very likely you won’t have to appear in court, your ticket will be reduced to a non-moving violation, and you will be given at least 30 days to pay the fine and court costs.

What To Do If You Get Into An Accident And Your Car Is Not Insured

Being in a car accident is bad enough, but it’s much worse if the vehicle you are driving is not insured. This often happens when someone borrows a car from a friend who fails to disclose that the car is not insured.

Regardless of the reason, if you get into an accident while driving an uninsured vehicle, the State of Missouri can suspend your driver’s license. If this happens, you will have to make arrangements with the other driver’s insurance company (or negotiate with the driver personally without involving the insurance company) to pay for the damage to their vehicle.

Once you have paid for the damages (or after making a few payments, if it’s an installment agreement), the attorney for the other driver’s insurance company will instruct the Missouri Department of Revenue to lift the suspension of your license.

FYI – Anyone who is involved in a car accident in which one of the vehicles was not insured should file a Missouri Motor Vehicle Accident Report.

How Many Points Are Added To Your Driving Record For A Ticket Resulting From A Car Accident

If you are involved in a car accident, it is very likely that you will receive a moving violation traffic ticket.

Following are some of the most common tickets issued when an accident is involved, and the number of points added to your driving record:

• Failure to Yield – 2 to 3 points
• Following Too Close – 2 to 3 points
• C&I (Careless & Imprudent) Driving – 2 to 4 points
• Reckless Driving – same as Careless & Imprudent Driving
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident (“Hit & Run”) – 6 to 12 points

In addition, if your case goes before a judge, they can assess more points because it was a moving violation that resulted in an accident.

What To Do If You Got A Ticket For “Leaving the Scene of an Accident”

If you plead guilty to “Leaving the Scene of an Accident” or “Hit & Run” in Missouri, 6 to 12 points will be added to your driving record (depending on whether your case is in municipal or state court), and your driver’s license could be revoked for 1 year.

The maximum punishment for a class A misdemeanor “Leaving the Scene of an Accident” or “Hit & Run” ticket is 1 year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

An experienced attorney can usually get a ticket for “Leaving The Scene Of An Accident” reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation with no jail time or court appearance required.

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If you would like a free consultation about your Missouri traffic ticket, call St. Louis traffic law attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or email her at [email protected]