What does Failure to use traffic control device mean?

Speed limit sign is a traffic control device that you were cited for failing to obey. It's not a great idea to represent yourself in traffic court. You do, however, have the constitutional right to do so. I would recommend spending an entire day in the traffic court to observe how judges handle self-represented defendants to get an idea of how irritated they get at amateur lawyering. If you really want to represent yourself, you should purchase an hour of a traffic attorney's time to have her or him coach you on how to handle things. A better choice is simply to hire an attorney.

A TCD is any sign, signal or marking that involves traffic. A speed limit sign is a type of TCD. A TCD ticket is a lesser violation carrying only 2 points. Even the lowest level speeding violation carries 3 points and the stigma of a speeding violation. A TCD can be considered a lesser included offense and we are seeing this type of ticket being issues in place of a speed more and more these days.

The cop did you a favor called a "road side" plea. The disobey traffic control device carries only 2 points and is much better than a speeding ticket. The fine for such a ticket is about $150. We fight these types of tickets frequently but, if you have an otherwise clean record, you may want to just pay it. Feel free to email me with any follow-up questions. [email protected] Matthew Weiss