In Los Angeles, the fines of common traffic violations are as follows:
| Failure to bring license |
$214 |
| Failure to notify DMV of address change within 10 days |
$214 |
| Failure to provide vehicle insurance |
$796 (cost may be reduced with proof of insurance on or after violation date) |
| Failure to stop at a red light |
$533 |
| Failure to stop at a stop sign |
$284 |
| Passing the double yellow lines |
$425 |
| Illegal turn or illegal U-Turn |
$284 |
| Failure to turn on headlights 30 minutes after sunset |
$382 |
| Passing buses’ flashing lights (including school buses, ambulance, fire trucks, etc.) |
$675 |
| Parking in spaces designated for buses |
$976 |
| Parking in spaces designated for the disabled (1st violation) |
$976 |
| Parking in spaces designated for the disabled (2nd violation) |
$1,876 |
| Illegally driving in the carpool lane |
$401 |
| Speeding: Going over the speed limit 1-15 miles |
$224 |
| Speeding: going over the speed limit 16-25 miles |
$338 |
| Driving too slow |
$328 |
| Using a phone while driving |
$160 |
| Using earphones that cover both ears while driving |
$178 |
| Adults’ failure to wear seat belts |
$160 |
| Children’ failure to wear seat belts or failure to sit in car seat/safety seat |
$436 |
On top of the fine, there are additional fees:
| Surcharge |
20% of the basic fine |
| Court security fee |
$30 |
| Night court fee |
$1 |
| Conviction assessment fee |
$35 |
Based on the severity of the violation, you may have to pay these extra fines:
- State Penalty Assessment
- County Penalty Assessment
- Court Facility Construction Penalty Assessment
- DNA Identification Fund Penalty Assessment
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Penalty Assessment
If the driver commits any of the above violations, the driver must also attend 8 hours of traffic school. The DMV will also mark it on your driving record and will stay there for 18 months. If a driver receives a second ticket within these 18 months, the DMV will add two points to your driving record, which means that you’ll be saying farewell to your Good Driver status and watch your auto insurance costs rise… don’t think you want that to happen!!
When you get a ticket in America, it gets kind of difficult figuring out how much a traffic ticket could cost. In addition to the fine itself, there may also be other additional fees you have to pay. According to the DMV, California has never had a fixed cost for the violations because the amount you pay each time could be different based on the location of where you got your ticket and the conditions of what happened.