Palmetto Bay Traffic School Online
Palmetto Bay Highway Risk and Traffic Ticket Information
Palmetto Bay is a suburb of Miami and known as an incorporated village in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The population is about 24,500, but it's a part of a much larger Miami Metro area with a population of about 5.6 million residents.
Along with the large number of residents found within the area, Miami hosts millions of visitors every year. While Palmetto Bay may not see a large portion of the visitors, many residents share the highways with these visitors every single day.
Mixing such a large population with tourists can make the roads very dangerous. It brings many different driving styles to the area, along with many drivers unfamiliar with the area roads.
If you've received a traffic ticket in the Palmetto Bay, Florida area, you may be rather upset. Before you get too upset, consider these highway risk statistics:
- Every year, about 47,000 or more traffic accidents occur throughout Miami-Dade County.
- More than 38,000 people are injured from those traffic accidents annually.
- While US 1 is the main highway serving Palmetto Bay, most visitors and Residents use the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, State Road 826 or Interstate 95 to access the area.
- The Florida section of I-95 is known as the most dangerous highway in the United States based on fatalities.
- Traffic accidents in both Palmetto Bay and Miami-Dade County are on the rise.
If the authorities didn't monitor the area roadways, these statistics would be much worse.
| Miami-Dade County Crash Stats | 2011 | 2012 | Percent Change | 3-Year Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Number of Motor Vehicle Crashes | 42,279 | 50,818 | +20.20% | 46,399 |
| Fatalities | 248 | 233 | -6.05% | 242 |
| Injuries | 28,658 | 29,551 | +3.12% | 29,159 |
| Alcohol Related | 1,770 | 1,523 | -13.95% | 1,641 |
| Alcohol Related Fatalities | 49 | 41 | -16.33% | 43 |
| Alcohol Related Injuries | 689 | 665 | -3.48% | 665 |
Traffic Infractions Issued Throughout Miami-Dade County for 2015
More than 470,000 traffic tickets were given to drivers breaking traffic laws in Miami-Dade County for 2015. Out of these tickets, the largest number (161,000) came from drivers getting caught running a red light by a red light camera. Another 89,000 drivers were caught speeding and 54,000 were ticketed for careless driving. All three of these offenses are often the cause of traffic accidents.
Don't Lose Your Palmetto Bay License
The State of Florida takes their traffic laws very seriously and they will suspend your license if you become a habitual offender. After too many traffic tickets, you may face a suspension of 30 days to one year. It only takes 12 points in 12 months, 18 points in 18 months or 24 points over 36 months to end up with a suspended driver's license in Florida.
Points for traffic tickets in Palmetto Bay include:
- Speeding (less than 15 mph over the posted limit) - 3 points
- Speeding (15 mph or more over the posted limit) - 4 points
- Causing an accident while speeding - 6 points
- Leaving the scene of an accident - 6 points
- Passing a stopped school bus - 4 points
- Running a red light - 4 points
- Open container violation - 3 points
- Other violations - 3 or 4 points
If you get just a few tickets in a short amount of time, you may face a suspended license. This is a serious matter considering those caught driving on a suspended license face up to 90 days in jail and an additional fine of up to $500.
Taking the Basic Driver Improvement Course in Palmetto Bay, Florida
If you want to avoid points on your license, you can take the basic driver improvement course offered by online traffic school. This class allows you to keep the points from a recent traffic ticket off your license and helps you avoid a suspended license. It will also keep your insurance rates from going up.
All you have to do is follow these easy steps:
- First, plead guilty or no contest to the infraction and pay the fine with the clerk of the court.
- Second, let the clerk of the court know you will enroll in traffic school.
- Third, enroll online and sign up for the basic driver improvement course.
- Fourth, complete the course and receive your certificate of completion.
- Last, turn the certificate of completion into the clerk of the court.
It doesn't take much to keep those points off your license and keep your insurance rates from going up.
Traffic School Eligibility in Miami-Dade County
Not everybody is eligible for traffic school, but most drivers will be. If you just received your first traffic ticket, you're eligible to use the basic driver improvement course to keep points off your license.
You're also eligible if you haven't taken the course in the past 12 months or a total of 5 times in your lifetime. If you're unsure of your eligibility, ask the clerk of the court.
Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court
Whenever you receive a traffic ticket in Palmetto Bay, Florida, it will be handled by the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court. The clerk of the court will take your payment and provide any information you need. Find out more information about the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court by visiting the website.
