The Secret to Keeping Your Record Clean: Amending Speeding Tickets in Missouri

You’re driving down I-70 or Highway 63, keeping up with traffic, when you see the lights in your rearview mirror. You pull over, get the ticket, and drive away frustrated.

When you get home, you look at the fine amount. It’s $100 or $150. You might be tempted to just mail in the check or pay online to “get it over with.”

Stop.

Paying that fine is an admission of guilt. In Missouri, pleading guilty to a moving violation does more than just cost you the fine money—it puts points on your license and signals your insurance company to raise your rates.

There is a better way to handle this: Amending the ticket.

What Does “Amending” a Ticket Mean? When you hire a traffic lawyer, our goal is to negotiate with the prosecutor to change the charge from a “moving violation” (like Speeding) to a “non-moving violation” (typically Defective Equipment or Illegal Parking).

Why does this matter?

• Moving Violations (Speeding, Running a Stop Sign) put points on your license.
• Non-Moving Violations (Defective Equipment) put zero points on your license and are generally not reported to your insurance company.

Moving Violations (Speeding, Running a Stop Sign) put points on your license.

Non-Moving Violations (Defective Equipment) put zero points on your license and are generally not reported to your insurance company.

The Hidden Cost of Points Missouri uses a point system to track bad driving.

• A speeding ticket usually adds 3 points to your license (or 2 points if issued by a municipal court).
• Accumulating 8 points in 18 months results in a license suspension.
• Accumulating 12 points in 12 months results in a revocation.

A speeding ticket usually adds 3 points to your license (or 2 points if issued by a municipal court).

Accumulating 8 points in 18 months results in a license suspension.

Accumulating 12 points in 12 months results in a revocation.

Even if you don’t lose your license, your insurance provider will see the points. A single speeding conviction can increase your premiums by hundreds of dollars a year for three years or more. That $150 ticket could end up costing you $1,500 in the long run.

How the Process Works At Rosenblum Robbins, we handle speeding tickets for clients across St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, and Springfield. The process is usually simple for you:

1 – You send us the ticket. (A picture usually works). 2 – We go to court for you. In most cases, you do not have to appear in court. We appear on your behalf. 3 – We negotiate. We work with the prosecutor to amend the charge. 4 – You pay the fines. The court fine for a non-moving violation is often slightly higher than the original speeding fine, but you save money by avoiding insurance hikes.

FCC Tickets vs. Court Dates If you received a ticket from a Missouri State Highway Patrol officer, it might say “FCC” (Fine Collection Center) at the top. These allow you to pay by mail quickly, but be warned: Paying the FCC is pleading guilty. Once you pay the FCC, the points are on your record, and it is very difficult to undo. Always call an attorney before you mail anything to the Fine Collection Center.

Don’t Let a Speeding Ticket Haunt You A clean driving record is valuable. Don’t throw it away to save a few minutes of hassle. If you have a traffic ticket in Missouri, let Rosenblum Robbins Law Firm handle the heavy lifting. Contact us to find out if we can keep the points off your license.