Your heart sinks as you catch a glimpse of flashing lights in your rearview mirror. A little rattled, your mind begins racing as you wonder, “Oh no, what should I do now?” If the stop results in traffic tickets, life could change. However, your experience of being pulled over will be a little less stressful if you remember and follow these tips:
Notice those flashing lights? Pull over to the right side of the road when you can safely do so. Turn off the car and open the window partway. If it is nighttime, turn on the internal light.
Keep calm and still, with your hands on the steering wheel
You should stay in your vehicle, avoid making any sudden movements, and keep your hands in sight on the steering wheel. If you need to move, you should tell the officer what you plan to do. For example, before reaching for the glove compartment, you should say to the officer, “Officer, I am going to take my right hand off the steering wheel and reach over to the glove compartment and open it to get my vehicle registration. Is that okay with you?”
Provide Requested Documentation to Avoid Traffic Tickets
You should provide your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance when the officer asks for them. Alert the officer prior to making any movements. You could say, “I am now going to take my left hand off the steering wheel. I will reach into my back pocket to pull out my wallet so that I can get my license out. Are you okay with me doing that?”
Be respectful if you get Traffic Tickets
You should address the officer with respect and courtesy, just as you should expect the officer to address you. If the officer fails to explain why they stopped you, inquire about the reason. But resist the urge to not argue about it. If an officer issues you traffic tickets and you disagree, you could dispute it in court.
Traffic tickets can put a damper on anyone’s day. Follow these simple tips to get back on the road in no time.
How Traffic Tickets Can Impact Your Estate
Getting a traffic ticket is never fun. If you have recently received a ticket, you may have the following questions about it.
Protecting Your Legacy from a Beneficiary’s Lead Foot
You have worked hard your whole life. You will be proud to leave a significant legacy to your beneficiaries. However, imagine this: You took decades to build up a $250,000 brokerage account. Then, your child hits the gas when a traffic light turned yellow. Unfortunately, your child ended up running a red light and hitting a family in a minivan turning left. What if someone sues your child? The amount awarded to the family could exceed your child’s automobile policy liability limits. The family attorney could look at your child’s other assets. Fortunately, avoid situations such as this by taking the following steps.
Hold an inheritance in trust instead of giving it to a beneficiary outright
Had the brokerage account in the above scenario been held by a properly drafted trust of which your child was the beneficiary instead of being left to your child outright, the brokerage account would not be available to satisfy the legal claim. Because the trust, not your child, would have been the legal owner of the account, the brokerage account would have been left intact to continue to grow and provide for your child as a beneficiary of the trust.
Include specific provisions about behavior
When creating a trust, you can include specific provisions in your trust agreement that will either encourage or discourage certain kinds of behavior. For example, the trust could include a provision that limits distributions to a beneficiary if the beneficiary is issued more than three traffic tickets in a year.
List the things for which the trustee cannot pay
For instance, if you know your beneficiary has a lead foot, you may want to specify that the trustee may not use trust funds to pay ticket fines, court costs, or attorney’s fees related to traffic offenses or increased automobile insurance premiums.
You should not leave your legacy unprotected from the occasional imprudent actions of your beneficiaries. Leaving an inheritance to your loved ones outright exposes that inheritance to the claims of sometimes unscrupulous creditors, but this unfortunate outcome can be avoided by using a well-drafted trust.
About Skvarna Law Firm in Glendora and Upland, California
Let a skilled attorney assist with your estate plan. Contact us today to learn about your options (909) 608-7671. We operate offices in Glendora and Upland, California. We provide legal services for individuals living in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties. This includes the cities of Upland, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Colton, Rialto, Chino, Chino Hills, Glendora, Claremont, Montclair, Pomona, La Verne, San Dimas, Azusa, Covina, West Covina, Diamond Bar, Walnut, La Puente, Corona, Norco & Mira Loma. Visit SkvarnaLaw.com to learn more.
