Every April, the Washington State Patrol dedicates several weeks to putting extra emphasis on cracking down on distracted drivers. That means if you are an avid texter in traffic, you’re much more likely to get a ticket in the next few weeks than in the past. The minimum fine for distracted driving is $136 for…

Many people miss their Washington court dates for various reasons. Sometimes the court mailed its court date notice to an old address. Sometimes people are out of state on long trips and vacations and didn’t see their court date notice until after their court date has passed. And sometimes people just forget their court dates.…

Motorists with bad driving records pay an average of $2,005 annually for car insurance, while drivers with good records pay an average of $1,483 for auto insurance, according to the 2021 study by Insurify, Insuring the American Driver Report – Trends in Costs & Coverage. Just a single traffic ticket can result in an average…

In 2021, the Washington Supreme Court, in State v. Blake, ruled that Washington’s Possession of Marijuana statute, former RCW 69.50.4014, was unconstitutional for lacking an intent element. Consequently, anyone convicted under the former Possession of Marijuana law before the Washington Supreme Court’s 2021 decision is eligible to have their conviction immediately vacated (deleted). Eligible persons…

Many Washington drivers are confused about whether to contest or just pay a camera photo traffic infraction ticket. And if they do contest it, should they hire a traffic ticket lawyer? Unlike traffic tickets issued by police officers, camera photo tickets do not go on the driver’s Washington driving record. They are like parking meter…

Under Washington law, most misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor criminal conviction may be vacated (removed) by the court after a certain time period and under certain conditions. RCW 9.96.060(2). However certain gross misdemeanor convictions are not eligible for vacation. These include convictions for DUI and sex offenses, RCW 9.96.060(2) (d) and (e). To be eligible for…

Many police officers mistakenly believe that they are required to cite drivers causing accidents with the more serious traffic infraction of Negligent Driving 2°, RCW 46.61.525(1)(a). Even when the actual traffic infraction causing the accident is only a minor one, such as Speeding, Following Too Close, Failing to Yield, Running a Stop Sign / Red…

On November 22, 2021, police departments throughout Washington will begin extra police DUI emphasis patrols. to stop suspected drunk drivers on the roadways during the holiday season. The Washington State Patrol will be deploying its Mobile Impaired Driving Unit (MIDU) to central locations for use by all police agencies. This mobile police station on wheels…

Lynnwood Lawyer Paul Hanson Washington State has an old law, the Civil Compromise of Misdemeanor Statute, RCW 10.22.010 et. seq., which authorizes criminal defendants to seek pretrial dismissal of certain minor (misdemeanor) charges where the victim suffers property damage / loss or minor bodily injury (e.g., Assault 4° (non-DV only), Malicious Mischief 3°, Theft 3°,…

Many drivers are confused about Negligent Driving 1° and Negligent Driving 2° offenses. The main difference is that Negligent Driving 1° is a more serious misdemeanor criminal charge. While Negligent Driving 2° is a much less serious traffic infraction. Like a speeding ticket or running a red light. Negligent Driving 1°, RCW 46.61.5949 (1) (a),…