South Carolina Criminal Law Blog

Many South Carolina motorists sometimes fail to realize that speeding tickets and other traffic citations do not necessarily mean a motorist did something wrong. Like any other legal charges, a man or woman has the chance to defend themselves against the accusations. Many times, this can result in police expunging the ticket from a driver's record and saving them from paying the fine.

Traffic tickets can usher in a host of negative side effects, like higher insurance rates, potential court expenses and maybe even time dedicated to taking driving safety classes. While law enforcement claims its efforts are to keep the roads safe and make drivers conscious of their destructive driving habits, it is sometimes hard to see, especially when a driver is cited for a seemingly harmless infraction.

Spring is an exciting time for youth in South Carolina and all around the nation. High school students have the opportunity to celebrate their prom, the end of the school year and even graduation. These celebratory occasions can also lead to the temptation for underage drinking.

Fearing that underage drinking will lead to tragic events -- such as drunk driving car accidents -- South Carolina law enforcement is taking aim to curb this juvenile offense. In conjunction with the Tri-County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, in addition to the First Judicial AET Team, law enforcement in South Carolina is working to raise awareness that underage drinking is wrong and dangerous. The three entities have worked together to form a campaign called "Out of Their Hands".

It's essentially the dream of revenge for every recipient of a speeding ticket in South Carolina or throughout the rest of the United States. Recently, a college student, who received a speeding ticket out of state, attempted to pay his $160 fine with a bucket of coins. However, his payment was not accepted by the city simply because it was not convenient for them. This spurs a debate on whether cities should, or should not, accept traffic fine payments in the form of a large quantity of change.

In this case, it would appear that the city is in the wrong because the man was not necessarily paying with a bucket of coins to be vengeful. He actually attempted to pay his traffic fine via a credit card machine at a municipal court, only, the machine was not functioning properly and would not accept his payment.

Local South Carolina drivers are not the only ones susceptible to being pulled over by police and issued a speeding ticket. In fact, some might argue that out-of-towners are even more likely to get caught because they are not familiar with the local roads and where police set up speed traps to snare unsuspecting motorists.

Motorists who are visiting from outside of the country -- often those who drive down from Canada -- may not think that a speeding ticket is anything to worry about. After all, the authorities cannot pursue an unpaid speeding ticket against a person who does not live in the United States.