Florida Highway Patrol hunts drivers in Operation Checkered Flag

The Florida Highway Patrol spent one day last week cracking down on speeders and aggressive drivers along Interstate 95 in Northeast Florida. The FHP dubbed it Operation Checkered Flag and camped out primarily in Duval County, Nassau County and St. Johns County, according to News4Jax.com. Officers handed out more than 300 Jacksonville traffic citations – 189 of which were speed-related. Further statistics were not published but our Jacksonville Traffic Citation Attorney is pretty confident there also some Duval County arrests made and tickets issued for other violations – including Jacksonville Possession of Marijuana or other narcotics, Duval County Driving with a Suspended License, even a Jacksonville DUI (despite the hours of the operation being between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.). Duval County Traffic Stops are often the gateway to further criminal charges. Police officers will often use a traffic stop as a way to see if there are other potential issues, for example if the driver smells like he or she has been driving, or if it appears the driver or passenger are using drugs.

If an officer asks to search your vehicle, you do not have to let them – you have the right to say no. Many people feel like they don’t have a choice, particularly because they don’t want to say no to a police officer who can make their life difficult. That is not the case. But even if all of the cases during Operation Checkered Flag were simply Duval County traffic violations – likely for speeding – they can still be problematic if you’re the one who ends up pulled over along the highway. Jacksonville Traffic Violations can be expensive, can drive up your car insurance rates and even lead to a license suspension if the violations mount up.

Jacksonville Traffic Tickets are scored on a points system, which speeding tickets carry a vary of different levels based on how fast a person is going, whether it is in a school or construction zone and host of other factors. Reckless driving is four points and leaving the scene of an accident is six points. Accumulating points can result in the following penalties:

12 points in a year: 30-day license suspension 18 points in 18 months: 3-month suspension 24 points in three years: 1-year suspension If you simply send in a check to pay your fine, you are admitting guilt and accepting all of the penalties that come with the ticket – including the points on your driver’s license, which are then reported to your insurance company. Our Jacksonville Traffic Attorney can take your ticket before a magistrate with the possibility of having the points waived or reduced.

Our Jacksonville Traffic Attorney has represented thousands of clients on Duval County traffic charges and knows how important a driver’s license is for people – especially when they need to get to and from work, shuttle kids around town or whatever the case may be. If you or a loved one needs a traffic attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a free consultation. Our Duval County Traffic Attorney is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.