CA Overcharged for VC22454(a)-INF-Passing School Bus with Flashing Signals?

[cali1995]

California Law

Hello,

I am a driver in my mid 20s who has been driving since the age of 15.5. My only ticket I've ever received is when I was 16 for not stopping long enough at a stop sign (considering it's been almost a decade since that ticket I'm assuming it's not on my record anymore but correct me if I'm wrong)

A couple of months ago I got pulled over for passing a school bus with flashing signals. It's my first time living by a school and I was on the opposite side of the road of the bus (at the time only thought I needed to stop if I had been behind the bus) so I got a ticket which is fine, I had a lack of knowledge and am happy to admit my mistakes. However, I was shocked when I received the ticket in the mail for $695, it seemed very high but when I googled about the violation I saw that it was considered very serious so I assumed that was the reason for the high cost. I paid the citation and also registered for traffic school which I'm taking now.

During traffic school I see CVC 22454.5 "notwithstanding section 42001, a person convicted of a first violation of Section 22454 shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred fifty dollars ($150) or more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250)." Considering this was my first violation, why was I charged so much? Are there other fees included that I'm not aware of or was I simply overcharged for my violation?

I appreciate any assistance as this is very concerning for me...

Thank you!

 

[Zigner]

California Law

Hello,

I am a driver in my mid 20s who has been driving since the age of 15.5. My only ticket I've ever received is when I was 16 for not stopping long enough at a stop sign (considering it's been almost a decade since that ticket I'm assuming it's not on my record anymore but correct me if I'm wrong)

A couple of months ago I got pulled over for passing a school bus with flashing signals. It's my first time living by a school and I was on the opposite side of the road of the bus (at the time only thought I needed to stop if I had been behind the bus) so I got a ticket which is fine, I had a lack of knowledge and am happy to admit my mistakes. However, I was shocked when I received the ticket in the mail for $695, it seemed very high but when I googled about the violation I saw that it was considered very serious so I assumed that was the reason for the high cost. I paid the citation and also registered for traffic school which I'm taking now.

During traffic school I see CVC 22454.5 "notwithstanding section 42001, a person convicted of a first violation of Section 22454 shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred fifty dollars ($150) or more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250)." Considering this was my first violation, why was I charged so much? Are there other fees included that I'm not aware of or was I simply overcharged for my violation?

I appreciate any assistance as this is very concerning for me...

Thank you!

Yep - the "fine" is a fairly small part of what you end up paying. As you have seen, court fees, assessments, etc., can be over 200% of the base fine.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Yes there are other fees.
The state charges a 20% surcharge on all traffic tickets.
Partial list of other fees that may be charged.
State Penalty Assessment
County Penalty Assessment
Court Facility Construction Penalty Assessment
DNA Identification Fund Penalty Assessment
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Penalty Assessment.

Also, are you 100% sure that you were charged with what you think you were charged with?

 

[Zigner]

Here's a chart for LA County: https://www.lacourt.org/division/traffic/pdf/trafficfeetable.pdf

Note the $29 "penalty assessment" for every $10 of the base fine. That works out to $435 on a $150 base fine.

 

[cali1995]

Yes there are other fees.
The state charges a 20% surcharge on all traffic tickets.
Partial list of other fees that may be charged.
State Penalty Assessment
County Penalty Assessment
Court Facility Construction Penalty Assessment
DNA Identification Fund Penalty Assessment
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Penalty Assessment.

Also, are you 100% sure that you were charged with what you think you were charged with?

I don't understand your question, am I sure that I was charged for the violation I violated? If that is what you're asking then yes, it says on the top of my notice. Apologies, would you mind rephrasing? Thanks for the reply

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

That's cool. I just wanted to make sure you were actually charged with what the charge you read about in the class.

Zinger explained the cost difference.

 

[Zigner]

I don't understand your question, am I sure that I was charged for the violation I violated? If that is what you're asking then yes, it says on the top of my notice. Apologies, would you mind rephrasing? Thanks for the reply

It's really irrelevant to your question.
$695 total for a $150-$250 violation is not out of line. California - what a state!


ETA: I believe PayrollHRGuy was trying to make sure there wasn't a clerical error.

 

[cali1995]

Here's a chart for LA County: https://www.lacourt.org/division/traffic/pdf/trafficfeetable.pdf

Note the $29 "penalty assessment" for every $10 of the base fine. That works out to $435 on a $150 base fine.

Wow! I didn't know that fees were that high! I know it's old news for everyone here probably but woah... very disappointing

 

[FlyingRon]

Welcome to life in a bankrupt state.

 

[cali1995]

It's really irrelevant to your question.
$695 total for a $150-$250 violation is not out of line. California - what a state!


ETA: I believe PayrollHRGuy was trying to make sure there wasn't a clerical error.

Thanks for clarifying, I had thought that maybe there was a mix-up because it says that if this had been a second offense than the charge would've been $500 - $1000 but now I've learned that what I'm paying is normal... can't imagine how much most people pay for speeding tickets and things like that considering how common they are! thanks for the info

 

[Zigner]

...can't imagine how much most people pay for speeding tickets and things like that considering how common they are! thanks for the info

Huh?

I got my one (and only) speeding ticket almost 30 years ago doing 70 in a 55 on Interstate 5 near Bakersfield. This was when the national speed limit was 55mph. Ironically, that stretch of the freeway is now 70mph. The point is that speeding tickets aren't "common" for a large portion of the population.

 

[cali1995]

Huh?

I got my one (and only) speeding ticket almost 30 years ago doing 70 in a 55 on Interstate 5 near Bakersfield. This was when the national speed limit was 55mph. Ironically, that stretch of the freeway is now 70mph. The point is that speeding tickets aren't "common" for a large portion of the population.

I didn't mean to offend, I just mean that driving on the freeway, or in general, it's not uncommon to see people be pulled over. Living in a city, I see it everyday and to imagine how much they have to pay even for the smallest tickets is surprising to me considering how often I see it. I apologize if I caused any offense, it wasn't intended

 

[FlyingRon]

Passing a school bus is not a "minor offense". Even in your degenerate state, it's $150 base fine (compared to other things that are down around $29). In some states, you'd be flirting with jail time, loss of license, and a lot worse fines than you're whining about.

 

[cali1995]

Passing a school bus is not a "minor offense". Even in your degenerate state, it's $150 base fine (compared to other things that are down around $29). In some states, you'd be flirting with jail time, loss of license, and a lot worse fines than you're whining about.

I at no point referred to passing a school bus as a minor offense, in fact I recognized in my initial post that it is considered very serious. Your choice of wording carries an unnecessarily hostile tone, especially considering my question has already been answered. Though it might benefit you to re-read my original question (if you had actually read it at all) and the definition of whining because you'll find that your response matches the definition more.

Because there is no value in your feedback I will stop responding at this point, if you feel the need to respond to my message please feel free to do so. If not, I hope your day improves and thank you for your response.

 

[Just Blue]

I at no point referred to passing a school bus as a minor offense, in fact I recognized in my initial post that it is considered very serious. Your choice of wording carries an unnecessarily hostile tone, especially considering my question has already been answered. Though it might benefit you to re-read my original question (if you had actually read it at all) and the definition of whining because you'll find that your response matches the definition more.

Because there is no value in your feedback I will stop responding at this point, if you feel the need to respond to my message please feel free to do so. If not, I hope your day improves and thank you for your response.

Scooter...go back and re-read you own posting. IMO you were simplifying what happened.