My 16 yr old got a speeding ticket. What happens now?

get her using the cruise control when she’s on the highway. Also, explain to her in detail, how speeding doesn’t really save her any time, and that she should just be a patient driver.

Consider the distance being traveled. If you’re making a 15 mile trip somewhere, and the speed limit is 65, and you do 70 you’ll get there in about 10 minutes or so. You’re only going to save maybe…a couple minutes at best if you were to speed excessively as she did.

Also consider the time wasted being pulled over, what 15 minutes? You’ve esentially doubled the time it should take to make that 15 mile drive. And you’ve cost yourself a hefty speeding fine to boot.

Make her pay for it, and have her pay for the increased rates for insurance. It’s what my dad did to me when I had my first ticket.

Speeding doesn’t save you enough time to justify doing it, plain and simple.

I suspect you should be asking this of your insurance agent. Texas does report speeding tickets to your insurer so probably your carrier already knows. Possibly your agent can figure out a way to help you keep the price down.

Otherwise, what happens is that someone has to pay the fine (probably you since your daughter is a minor) or you have to go to court and contest it. The simplest is call the number on the ticket, find out how much is owed and where to send it, and then do it.

She’s probably going to lose her license for a length of time to start with. States differ, I’m sure.

Take the car away?! No!! Thats a bad idea
She might have to go to some speeding classes like when you pass a red light and the camera flashes at you.

Depends on the town.

Usually, the ticket includes instructions to help you mitigate the fine/penalty… especially if it’s your (daughter’s) first ticket. It likely means going to the courthouse prior to such and such date, paying some $$$, not getting another ticket for anything for 6 months, and then the case being dismissed.

Or you could appear for the scheduled court date. Ask how to meet with the assistant D.A. for a plea bargain. That can get the ticket reduced so the fine is minimal and no insurance impact.

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For a first ticket, the court system is specifically set up to let you off as easily as possible. You just need to go through the motions they set out for you. It’s a bit of a rigamarole (on purpose!) but it beats paying elevated insurance for years.

You do not need a lawyer or any fancy machinations.

Have her take a defensive driving course right away. It will reduce the points on her license and her insurance rates.

Sometimes the resolution of the ticket includes taking a defensive driving course. You might want to hold off until you know for sure.

BTW, this is an excellent opportunity for you and your daughter to learn more about your local civic judicial process. Spend some time together!

Weee, I was right!!!

Pay the ticket and move on, no big deal.

I had the same thing happen when I was 16. If it’s like Ohio, she will HAVE to go to court to talk to the judge. Likely she will not be penalized more than the ticket and a good tongue lashing. BUT, it’s her ONLY break until she turns 18. If she has any other infraction that counts as a moving violation, they WILL take her license away for at least 3 months (this also happened to me).

Your insurance will go up though. Sorry, no way to avoid that at all. Plus being 16, the insurance company will get you for all your worth.

1) make her pay the fine
2) Make her pay the increased insurance
3) Live with it and move on. It’s a ticket. Not something to be overly upset about.

Pay the ticket, get told off, and hopefully feel a little guilty. Maybe some traffic courses. It really depends on the state, though.

(FWIW, I live in the DFW area and my quip above is based on personal experience for a ticket in Carrollton.)

I’ll reiterate that I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that your insurance rates will go up… as long as you work through the system.

In some cases, simply mailing in the fine is about the costliest thing you can do. All it buys you is the convenience of not going to court and talking to some nice people who will try to help you out.

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Oh, and I agree with @MrItty and others… have her foot the bill and go to court. She’s nearly an adult. Grounding her or taking away the car won’t have near the impact of holding her financially responsible.

Yes age is a huge factor for the insurance rates going up. The majority of deaths among young people are highly disproportionate to their numbers and hence the decreasing rates for every year driving.
She should know the extreme dangers of reckless driving. I’ve known among family friends, many teens killed in car accidents.

In fact if it were my daughter, I would make it mandatory to take a defensive driving course. As seasoned drivers we all know the split second decisions that have to made when driving at high speeds.

ok, personally, i would make my child take any defensive driving class possible. they give you a break on your insurance and then the company actually likes you. (was the situation with me anyways.) We are all jumping at the bit to say, she has to pay the bill. but we don’t know if she has a job or not. If she does, all well and good. make her pay it. if she doesn’t make her pay you back over time, or work out a deal where she does chores for this long and such. there should be repercussions for this action or it will just continue as she grows older. I am 20 and my ‘rents didn’t do anything about my first accident. which led to 3 more… 2 of which weren’t my fault, but could have very easily been avoided. but I’ve never received any citations. :)

I received a major parking ticket at 16, the day I got my license. My parents made me pay it (a $300 ticket!) and that honestly taught me my lesson. Now, that wasn’t a speeding ticket.
Was she considered “excessive speeding”? Because she may get her license suspended. I would honestly fight it, and try to get the charges dropped, so it’ll be less points. I always do that for tickets. Those points will negatively affect YOUR insurance so even though you want her to learn a lesson, think about that as well.

It’s not the end of the world. The worst thing parents can do is freak out over something that happens to everyone. Let your daughter pay her own ticket and/or go to traffic school. That way she learns the consequences of her actions.

In California, teen driving is a really big thing, and the slightest infraction of the law results in some very stiff penalties. I suggest you take this as seriously as you can, because the death rate among teen is higher than any other age group. They simply do not believe it can happen to them.

In Texas (at least everywhere I’ve gotten a ticket) you have the option to take defensive driving and the ticket isn’t charged on your record (or therefor increase your insurance rates). It’s still there, but it’s excused. Essentially you plead “No Contest” to the charge, sign up and take the course within an allotted time, and get the certificate of completion to the court in a timely manner. The ticket then doesn’t count against your record. You can do it all by mail.

The course is available online, in person, with a comedian teaching it, just about any way you want. Typically I’ve paid 20–30 bucks and it takes most of the day (6–8 hours I want to say).

You get one of these “get out of jail free” options a year. It should be on the back of your ticket or on an additional piece of paper the officer gave your daughter.

What @robmandu mentions about negotiating a period of good behavior is called deferred adjudication I believe. You’re put on probation for a certain period and if you make it through, the charges are dismissed. The downside being if you don’t make it through the period, both charges (the one you’re on probation for, and the new one) go through without a shot at your other options typically. I’m sure that’s negotiable as well, but judges generally don’t like it when you screw up on probation. For someone who just started driving, it may not be a good bet.

I teach Driver Improvement School in LA and it removes the ticket off the record so insurance does not go up. We charge $35 and it last 8 hours which is worth it. You still have to pay the ticket though.

She will be sent to a labor camp. Made to clean the boots of her captors and Wednesday will not be Prince spaghetti day for her.