Vehicle Code 31 VC – False Statements / Information To A Police Officer

Some of the traffic rules make sense, and others are more difficult to figure out. Even in the best of situations, opening the mail to a traffic citation can cause instant confusion. Have you recently received a note of a Vehicle Code 22108 VC violation? If so, you’ll want to learn the basics of what it is and what its violation means. We’re going to go over the basics below, including the vital following focuses:

• What Vehicle Code 22108 VC is
• What it means to have violated it
• What you can do about the violation
• Other possible Vehicle Code violation connections
• How to avoid being cited with a Vehicle Code 22108 VC violation

What is Vehicle Code 22109 VC?

It’s always best to start with the most basic understanding of a traffic citation. So, let’s begin with the California legislature’s definition. A Vehicle Code 22109 VC reads: “No person shall stop or suddenly decrease the speed of a vehicle on a highway without first giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided in this chapter to the driver of any vehicle immediately to the rear when there is opportunity to give the signal.”

Thankfully, this code explanation is simple enough to understand. It means that you can’t slow or stop the vehicle on a road without signaling beforehand. Of course, there are a lot of ways that this can be misinterpreted when it comes to the intent of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation, so we’ll dig into that next.

What does it mean to have violated Vehicle Code 22109 VC?

Now that we have a basic understanding of what a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation is let’s focus a bit more attention on what it actually can look like in real life. The difference between the legislature and real-life situations is often where the misunderstanding of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation comes into play.

Oliver is our fictional California driver in this situation who will help show what a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation can look like in real life.

In the first situation, Oliver is driving to work is enjoy a song on the radio. He is so intent on the song that he doesn’t realize he is supposed to make his turn right away. In a rush, he brakes hard and then turns sharply into the parking lot without signaling. He would be guilty of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation because he stopped very suddenly without a reason for doing this. This means that the drivers behind him and around him had no way of knowing that he was going to stop, and it could have been dangerous for all involved.

In another situation, Oliver is driving to his sister’s house for a celebration. Along the way, he sees a really nice lawn ornament that catches his attention. Without warning, he brakes suddenly and slows the car so that he can get a chance to admire it closely before continuing on his way. He is guilty of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation here because he stops suddenly and creeps along at a very slow pace without any clear reason for it.

Lastly, Oliver is driving home from work and is tired after a hard day. He approaches his apartment parking lot and abruptly stops before he pulls into it. Though it is a residential street and traffic automatically is slower than a main roadway, he still is responsible for braking slowly. The cars behind him have no way of knowing he is going to stop, so all of them have to react with very little time to do so!

There are exceptions to a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation, of course, which can give you a legal “out” if you qualify for them.

For example, Oliver is driving down the street, and the vehicle ahead of him makes an abrupt stop. Regardless of the reason (a car malfunction or simply stopping without warning), Oliver is forced to slam on the brakes, too, to keep from hitting the car. Oliver would be innocent of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation because he is simply reacting to the driver in front of him.

Another exception would apply if he is driving along when an emergency vehicle approaches. He is unable to change lanes to get out of the way, so he stops suddenly and remains stopped for the vehicle to pass. In this case, he’s innocent of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation because he is reacting to the emergency vehicle.

Lastly, Oliver is driving along when, without warning, his vehicle suddenly stops moving due to a mechanical issue. In this case, a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation wouldn’t apply because Oliver isn’t intentionally slowing/stopping without warning; his car is not responding.

What can I do about this violation?

The two ways you’ll discover that you have a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation is either being ticketed by a peace officer or receiving a notice in the mail. The paperwork will include a court date on which you must appear in traffic court and enter your plea of guilty or innocent. Your letter will also include a mention of whether or not you can attend traffic school — we will talk about that a bit later.

A Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation is an infraction that carries a fine of $238, and there will also be legal/court fees attached to this number. The other part of the violation is that you can have 1 point added to your DMV record. Depending on how many other points you have added to your record, this can lead to a suspended license. This information will be presented to you in court on your court date.

If you know you are guilty of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation, the best thing to do is enter a guilty plea and immediately pay all associated feeds with the traffic citation. If you enter an innocent plea knowing you are guilty, you will simply prolong the inevitable, and this can lead to additional fines.

If you believe that you qualify for one of the exceptions that we talked about above, however, you can enter a plea of innocent. Just like you shouldn’t enter an innocent plea if you are guilty, you should also never enter a guilty plea if you know you are innocent.

Like a lot of traffic citations, you will need to prove that you are, in fact, innocent of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation. To do this properly, recommend that you strongly consider working with an experienced traffic attorney. Not only can they take over entering your plea (meaning you won’t need to attend traffic court yourself), but they can also help you put together a case to prove your innocence.

Other possible Vehicle Code violation connections

Many traffic violations are closely linked to each other, and sometimes, these connection points can lead to added citations or adjusted citations, depending on the situation surrounding your violation. The citations similar to a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation include:

• Vehicle Code 22100.5 VC: Receiving a violation for this citation means that you have performed an illegal U-turn.
• Vehicle Code 22107 VC: This violation means that you have completed an unsafe lane change, either related to signaling or speed/timing of the lane change.
• Vehicle Code 22108 VC: This code refers specifically to changing lanes with no signaling or improper signaling.

These related codes can be added to your ticket list if the peace officer who issues the ticket thinks they are relevant. As well, the court can decide to add these citations, too, if they choose. In some cases, one or all of these citations can be used in place of a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation. Determining the final citation for your court date depends on the situation around the citations, the peace officer and court, your history of traffic citations, your DMV record, and more.

It’s worth noting that all of these other violations also carry fines and DMV point additions. So, if you are guilty of all of these and these are all being charged, you will need to pay all fines and court fees, and deal with the aftermath of the DMV point additions and any further penalties these carry!

Is this ticket eligible for traffic school?

As mentioned earlier, you might have the opportunity to attend traffic shool, which will be noted on the mailed citation for the Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation. Attending an accredited traffic school is a great way to help reduce your sentence and show the court that you are focused on correcting your education.

Certain tickets have eligibility. Those eligibility requirements include committing the offense in a personal vehicle (rather than a commercial one), not having attended traffic school in the past 16 months, and receiving a citation that is considered a “moving offense.” A moving offense is when a traffic citation is related specifically to how you drive a vehicle rather than something that is general, such as a parking ticket. You will be happy to know that Vehicle Code 22109 VC is eligible for traffic school, assuming you meet the other criteria above!

There are a lot of potential positives to attending an accredited traffic school, such as MM TRAFFIC SCHOOL. The one that probably matters most to you right now is that successfully completing the course will mask the 1 DMV point from your record. This masking means that peace officers, DMV centers, and insurance agents won’t be able to see that point. If it isn’t masked, it can impact possible future traffic citations and increase insurance premiums.

Another wonderful advantage to consider is that attending traffic school will help you correct your driving technique so that you don’t end up in a situation where you are issued a Vehicle Code 22109 VC violation again. After all, most people are issued this kind of traffic citation because they won’t realize they have broken the law. So, an updated education is great for refreshing your memory.

Lastly, considering traffic school helps you to enjoy the driving education process. MM TRAFFIC SCHOOL is fun, educational, and entertaining. It makes the education process easy to remember so that you feel that you are getting the best quality for your money.

Are you curious to learn more about our programs and how they can help your driving record? If so, please contact us. If you have questions about your specific ticket and what it means, please contact the court that issued it.