Recent Articles

Drivers on 520 Risk More Speeding Tickets

Jon Zimmerman
January 01, 2012 02:00

As 2011 comes to an end and the State of Washington has begun to charge motorists a toll for crossing the 520 Bridge, traffic has decreased by nearly 60 percent as 40,000 daily drivers avoid the toll, according to figures obtained by the Seattle Times. State officials with the Washington...

Tips For Avoiding Traffic Tickets During The Thanksgiving Weekend

Jon Zimmerman
November 24, 2011 19:09

As drivers begin travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, they should be aware that law enforcement will be joining them on the roadway in places such as Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma, and points in between. A couple years ago I wrote about the Thanksgiving holiday weekend being the worst for...

How To Avoid School Zone Speeding Tickets

Jon Zimmerman
November 20, 2011 22:14

Speeding in a school zone, defined in RCW 46.61.440 and by many equivalent municipal codes, is a type of traffic infraction that many drivers receive in the State of Washington, though tickets for this type of offense are frequent in Lake Forest Park, Seattle, and jurisdictions throughout King...

Washington State Patrol Emphasizes HOV Traffic Tickets

Jon Zimmerman
November 09, 2011 19:37

Traffic tickets for driving in the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane are very common on Highway 520 and interstates such as I-90, I-405, and I-5 in the State of Washington, where the Washington State Patrol is out in force looking to pull people over and cite them with HOV infractions. In...

How Seattle And Other Cities Live Off Speeding Tickets

Jon Zimmerman
October 28, 2011 01:39

Freelance correspondent Karen Aho had a very interesting article last week about a small town in Missouri that collected more than 75 percent of its annual budget from traffic fines.  Unlike in the State of Washington, in Missouri, traffic ticket collections are capped at 35 percent of a...

Why You Should Fight Your Traffic Ticket And How An Attorney Can Save You Time And Money

Jon Zimmerman
October 26, 2011 04:27

Here you are in your vehicle, driving along, and you see blue and red lights flashing behind you.  A police officer is practically on your bumper.  You pull over and an officer asks you for your license, registration, and insurance.  The police officer takes your information,...

Reexamining Seattle Prehearing Conferences For Traffic Tickets: Waste of Time Or A Welcome Party?

Jon Zimmerman
October 13, 2011 20:50

In 2007 I wrote a post about traffic tickets and prehearing conferences and what happens at a prehearing conference in Seattle.  Recently this post has come under criticism for two particular statements I made in the post:   1.  The magistrate will attempt to get the driver to...

Contesting, Mitigating, and Appealing Traffic Infractions From the Seattle Speeding Ticket to the Sunnyside Improper Lane Change Ticket

Jon Zimmerman
September 10, 2011 23:14

Many drivers call me after they have been stopped by the police in the State of Washington and after the police have issued traffic tickets.  Every traffic ticket, which usually contains one or more listed infractions, often cause feelings of stress, fear, annoyance, and humiliation for most...

Immigrants and Traffic Tickets: Licensed or Not, Drivers Face Great Risk

Jon Zimmerman
December 28, 2010 19:29

Correspondents Julia Preston and Robert Gebeloff recently published an article in The New York Times on illegal immigrant drivers in which these journalists wrote about how Some Unlicensed Drivers Who Risk More Than a Fine can face deportation in traffic cases....

I Got a Traffic Ticket in Washington State: What Box Do I Check?

Jon Zimmerman
December 06, 2010 02:56

A frequent question drivers have for me when they receive a speeding ticket or other type of traffic ticket is which box they should check before they return the ticket.  A few years ago I wrote a little bit about what to do when you get a traffic ticket and the same really holds true:...