Traffic Violations and Citations in Bay City Michigan
Bay City Michigan oversees traffic violations primarily through its district court(s). When you drive in Bay City Michigan and are issued a ticket for a traffic violation, the law enforcement officer will provide you with a citation that contains the necessary information on how to resolve the traffic violation. The information in the citation will likely include the name, location, phone number and address of the Bay City Michigan District Court's Traffic Division which will be processing your traffic violation. You will only need to deal with a criminal division of the Bay City Michigan District Courts if your traffic violation qualifies as a misdemeanor or felony, such as vehicular homicide or driving while under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
Once you receive your citation from the State of Michigan, you can choose to plead not guilty, you can mail an accompanying explanation of your specific situation to the local Bay City Michigan District Court that is handling your ticket. If you choose to take this route, you can either go to court on the date provided on your traffic ticket, or await a mailed response from the court informing you of a scheduled hearing where you can present your case in person in front of a judge.
Points System and Common Traffic Violations in Bay City Michigan
Like most cities in other states, Bay City Michigan employs a points system to track the traffic violations of those driving within Bay City Michigan's borders. Bay City Michigan's Vehicular Code provides a full summary of the points that can be assigned against your Bay City Michigan driving record, depending on the severity of your traffic violation. The following are some examples of what you can expect to be added to your record should you be pulled over, issued a citation and determined to be guilty of the offense:
2- points
- Speeding by less than 10 mph
- Open alcohol container in vehicle
- Refusal of a Breathalyzer Test by a Minor
3- points
- Speeding by 11-15 mph
- Running a Stop Sign
- Careless Driving
- Ignoring Railroad Crossing Lights
4- points
- Speeding by more than 15 mph
- Failure to Yield for Emergency Vehicles
- Driving with any BAC by a Minor
6- points
- Reckless Driving
- Fleeing an Accident
- Evading a Law Enforcement Officer
- DUI's
If points are posted against your Bay City Michigan driving record, they will remain there for two years. Further, Bay City Michigan District Courts will not remove points from your driving record once they are posted. So, if you want to avoid having points on your record for a traffic violation that you feel is not justified, it is important that you attempt to rectify the situation before it is too late. You won't have a chance to fix the situation at a later time.
Driving Privileges Suspension in Bay City Michigan
These points can add up quickly. If you accumulate 12 points on your Bay City Michigan driving record, the Bay City Michigan District Court handling your traffic violation will notify the
Bay City Michigan Secretary of State ("SOS") who will order to you participate in a Driver Assessment Reexamination. Basically, you will be required to sit down with someone working at a Bay City Michigan SOS Assessment Office to discuss your recent traffic violation, go over your entire Bay City Michigan driving history, and complete written, visual and on-road driving examinations. While your re-examination may result in no penalty at all, the Bay City Michigan SOS Assessment Office may also limit, suspend or even revoke your license.
Accumulating 12 points on your driving record is not the only situation in which you may have to speak to an assessment officer. If you are involved in multiple traffic accidents, obtain a traffic citation while you are driving on a probationary license, or are involved in an accident that resulted in a fatality (regardless of fault), you may have to undergo the re-examination process. The Bay City Michigan SOS Assessment Officer that is handling your traffic violation, should he or she choose to suspend your license, has the discretion of implementing a suspension ranging from a single day to months. The decision is likely to rely heavily on the severity of your most recent traffic violation and the general cleanliness of your Bay City Michigan driving record. In addition, a Bay City Michigan Assessment Officer will consider heavily whether you are willing to undertake steps to improve your overall driving abilities, including possible participation in a driver improvement program or traffic school.
Traffic School and Driver Improvement Programs in Bay City Michigan
As a rule, the Bay City Michigan SOS will generally not offer you an opportunity to participate in a Bay City Michigan traffic school as a means of dismissing your traffic violation or eliminating points from your Bay City Michigan driving record. However, attending a Bay City Michigan traffic school may be a determining factor in how a Bay City Michigan SOS Assessment Officer handles your case.
The Bay City Michigan SOS has provided a list of Bay City Michigan traffic schools that you can participate in, including Bay City Michigan online driver improvement programs and online traffic schools. If you have a Bay City Michigan online traffic school or Bay City Michigan online driver improvement program that you'd like to enroll in that is not included in that list, just contact the local Bay City Michigan District Court or Bay City Michigan SOS Assessment Office handling your traffic violation and ask them for permission to enroll in the program as part of your agreement.
A Clean Driving Record in Bay City Michigan
A clean Bay City Michigan driving record can benefit you in several ways, particularly if you participate in a Bay City Michigan online defensive driving program or online traffic school. First, a clean record will help you avoid expensive fees based on the cumulative effect of multiple Bay City Michigan traffic violations. It will demonstrate that you have taken steps to be a better and more defensive driver, and this will help prevent you from losing your Bay City Michigan driving privileges when under the discretion of a Bay City Michigan court.
A good driving record is essential to getting and keeping your car insurance costs as low as possible. The less traffic violations you have on your Bay City Michigan driving history, combined with a completed online defensive driving program, the lower your insurance premiums will stay.
Mature Drivers Get Insurance Reduction in Bay City Michigan
Bay City Michigan also authorizes an opportunity for Bay City Michigan mature drivers, those drivers who are at least 50 years of age, to partake in a Defensive Driving Course to significantly reduce your auto insurance premiums and help bolster your overall Bay City Michigan driving record. The class is taught in four, separate two-hour sessions.
Teen Drivers Get Insurance Reduction in Bay City Michigan
Bay City Michigan offers a similar driver's education program from teens. If you are a teen driver or have a teen driver in your household and are interested in lowering your car insurance premiums, you should contact your auto insurance carrier to see how this program will affect your Bay City Michigan insurance premiums. You can also learn about Bay City Michigan's specific teen driver requirements and opportunities by visiting the Bay City Michigan SOS's Teen Driver Education Website.
Approved Classroom Traffic Schools in Bay City Michigan
If you are interested in participating in a Bay City Michigan driver improvement program in a physical setting, the Bay City Michigan SOS has publicized a list of pre-approved Bay City Michigan traffic schools:
All star Driver Education
1011 S Main Street #B Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Alert Driving School
5373 Terence Court Bloomfield, MI
MSDE Driver Training School
13346 W Warren Dearborn, MI 48126
ABC Driving School
7840 Michigan Detroit, MI
Best Truck Driving School LLC
151 S Military Detroit, MI 48209
Privilege Driving School
15251 W 8 Mile Detroit, MI 48235
C & C Driving School LLC
12320 Oakland Hills Dr Dewitt, MI 48820
Main Street Driving School
2090 Celebration Drive NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Navigator Driving Academy
4940 Plainfield NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525
West Michigan CDL
3370 Busch Drive SW #A Grandville, MI 49418
Mr R's A-Plus Driving School
1673 Haslett Road #30 Haslett, MI 48840
Century Driving School
575 1/2 E 8th Street Holland, MI 49423
Wolverine Auto Driving School
32011 Plymouth Livonia, MI
Baker College - Truck Driver Training Center
100 N Delaney Owosso, MI 48867
Nuway Truck Driver Training
25 S Glenwood Pontiac, MI 48342
Sargents School For Driving
14334 San Jose Redford, MI
Safeway Teen Adult Driving School
15626 Isabelle Romulus, MI
Suburban Truck Driver Training
28675 Northline Romulus, MI 48174
CDI Truck Driving School
6191 Sherman Road Saginaw, MI 48604
Jack's Driving School
23077 Greenfield, #11 Southfield, MI
Street Wise Driving School
1134 E 8th Street Traverse City, MI 49686
Academy Driving School
5475 Livernois Troy, MI
American Driving School
48838 Van Dyke Utica, MI 48317
Century Driving School
334 Reno Drive Wayland, MI 49348
Lee Driving School
5348 Fairway Court West Bloomfield, MI
Kars Driver Training
648 Progress Street #102A West Branch, MI 48661