3 ways a traffic ticket could affect someone’s career

People largely understand that traffic tickets are economic penalties. After all, someone written a ticket by a police officer has to pay a fine in order to resolve the issue. What people frequently fail to recognize is that paying of citation is effectively the same as pleading guilty to a traffic violation.

Sometimes, a citation could have an impact on an individual’s career if they pay the ticket. It is important for people to understand the potential consequences that a citation could trigger before they decide what to do with a ticket. For example, there are three primary ways in which a traffic citation could negatively impact someone’s career.

By affecting commercial licensing

Some people work jobs in which a commercial driver’s license (CDL) is necessary. They routinely drive heavy trucks or buses and must maintain a CDL to be eligible for work. A traffic citation issued to someone who drives for a living could affect their eligibility for a CDL. Truckers and others who drive every day for work may find that they could lose their CDLs and their jobs over a citation.

By endangering their driver’s license

Someone does not need to drive for a living to lose their license over a traffic violation. In New York, every violation adds points to someone’s driving record. If people have too many violations in a short amount of time, the state can potentially suspend their license in response to those infractions. Someone without a driver’s license may find themselves unable to get to and from their job. Those who depend on rideshare services, public transportation or carpooling to get to work or sometimes at risk of losing their jobs because they can no longer consistently show up on time for each shift.

By increasing insurance costs

Someone with a traffic ticket on their recent driving record probably needs to pay more for insurance coverage. Companies look at the points on someone’s record when renewing a policy or underwriting a new one. If someone’s job occasionally requires driving, their employer might need to provide coverage while they work. The increase in policy premiums associated with major infractions might motivate employers to terminate or demote workers because of how much it costs to provide them with basic insurance coverage.

There are different ways to fight a traffic ticket other than simply paying the citation. Responding appropriately to a New York traffic ticket can potentially save someone money and help protect their job. Drivers who fight citations successfully have less to worry about after a traffic stop.