Speeding Ticket Lawyers in Los Angeles County

What a Speeding Ticket Means for Your Record

Most California speeding tickets are infractions, the least serious class of offense in the Vehicle Code (VC 40000.1). Your citation names the section you are charged under:

• VC 22350, the basic speed law. You can be cited for driving faster than is reasonable for the weather, visibility, traffic and road, even below the posted limit (VC 22350).
• VC 22349, the maximum speed. 65 mph on highways, and 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway unless a higher limit is posted (VC 22349).
• VC 22356, over 70 mph where a 70 mph limit is posted (VC 22356).
• VC 22348(b), over 100 mph. Still an infraction, but with a fine of up to $500 and a possible license suspension of up to 30 days (VC 22348).

The fine is the smallest part of the cost. A conviction puts a point on your DMV record, or two points for driving over 100 mph (VC 12810). Points add up toward a suspension: the DMV treats 4 points in 12 months, 6 in 24 months or 8 in 36 months as a negligent operator (VC 12810.5). And your insurer sees the points, which can cost you your Good Driver discount (see the insurance question below).

How Our Attorneys Fight Speeding Tickets

We start with the citation: the section charged, the speed the officer wrote down, and how the officer says the speed was measured. Then we test the evidence behind it. When the speed came from radar or lidar, California law sets conditions on whether that reading can be used in court, and we check each one (see “How is my speed measured” below).

On an infraction, a lawyer can appear in court in your place (Penal Code 977 and Penal Code 19.7). We handle the hearings and the trial for you.

Our attorneys have over 45 years of combined experience in fighting traffic tickets. In over 90% of our cases the client has had their case dismissed, been found not guilty, or has had reduced fines and/or charges reduced to no points. Our Victory List shows 105 cases under VC 22350, 57 cases under VC 22349 and 7 cases under VC 22356 listed as dismissed, as of October 6, 2026. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome.

Questions About Speeding Tickets

Is It Worth Hiring a Lawyer for a Speeding Ticket in California?

It depends on what the ticket puts at risk. A second point within three years can cost you your Good Driver discount on insurance, and points add up toward a negligent operator suspension. A lawyer reviews the evidence, raises the legal requirements the prosecution has to meet, and appears in court for you. In a free consultation we look at your ticket and your record and explain what fighting it would involve. Our cost page explains how fees are set.

How Many Points Does a Speeding Ticket Put on My California Driving Record?

A speeding conviction adds one point to your DMV record. Driving over 100 mph under VC 22348(b) adds two (VC 12810). The DMV can suspend your license as a negligent operator at 4 points in 12 months, 6 in 24 months or 8 in 36 months (VC 12810.5; DMV Driver Handbook). Our clean driving record page explains how points work.

Will a Speeding Ticket Raise My Car Insurance?

It can. California’s Good Driver discount is at least 20% off the rate you would otherwise pay (Insurance Code 1861.02). To qualify, you can have no more than one violation point in the past three years (Insurance Code 1861.025). So the effect of a ticket depends on what is already on your record. A conviction that is kept confidential through traffic school does not add a point, and insurers cannot see it (California Courts Self-Help Guide).

What Happens If the Officer Doesn’t Show Up to Court?

At a traffic trial, the officer who wrote the ticket usually testifies about what they saw (California Courts Self-Help Guide). When a witness is absent, the judge decides how the case proceeds, and that decision depends on the court and the case. We appear at your trial and prepare to try the case on its evidence. Read more in our post on what happens when the officer doesn’t appear.

Can I Still Go to Traffic School If I Fight the Ticket?

Often, yes. Pleading not guilty or going to trial does not by itself make you ineligible for traffic school (California Rules of Court, rule 4.104(c)(2)), and the judge can order or allow it after a conviction (VC 42005). The confidential traffic school option is available once in any 18-month period (VC 1808.7). For tickets more than 25 mph over the limit, the court clerk cannot grant traffic school, but a judge still may (rule 4.104). Commercial drivers have different rules: see our CDL ticket page.

How Is My Speed Measured, and Can the Measurement Be Challenged?

Many speeding tickets rest on a radar or lidar reading. California bans “speed traps” (VC 40801). On many roads, a radar or lidar reading counts as a speed trap unless the speed limit is backed by an engineering and traffic survey done within the last five years. The limit is seven years where the officer has completed radar or lidar training and the device was calibrated within the past three years, and up to 14 years if a registered engineer finds no significant change in the road (VC 40802). Local streets and school zones are among the roads exempt from the survey rule. Where the rule applies, the prosecution must show that the reading did not come from a speed trap, or the evidence cannot be used (VC 40803). We check the survey, the calibration records and the officer’s training wherever they are part of your case.

Where We Fight Speeding Tickets

Our office is in Glendale, and we defend speeding tickets in courts across Los Angeles County. We also take cases in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties, and anywhere else in California. See our Los Angeles traffic ticket lawyer page and our county traffic ticket guides.

Related

• Traffic ticket lawyers for Los Angeles drivers
• Exhibition of speed and speed contest charges
• Most common times to get a speeding ticket
• Things to know about a Los Angeles speeding ticket
• What happens when the officer doesn’t appear

Fight Your Speeding Ticket

A speeding ticket is worth a second look before you pay it. Call (310) 455-6810 or contact us today for your free consultation.

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