Is a speeding ticket a CI?

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willrb2024

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I got wreckless driving in a school zone this morning, is that a civil involvement I should report on my WP app?
 
In my unofficial opinion I would say yes.

The CPDR asks:
“Have you ever been cited, arrested, convicted or fined for any violation of law?”

It sounds like you were cited and will likely now have to pay a fine for this ticket.
 
A reckless driving is much more than a speeding ticket. The actual definition may vary sate to state, but reckless driving will involve something of this nature (from the CA Vehicle Code): "willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property". This generally involves more than just a speed violation, although it could be an excessively high speed, especially if it is in an area like a school zone. Either way, it should probably be reported and let them decide how important it is.
 
ProudDad17 said:
A reckless driving is much more than a speeding ticket. The actual definition may vary sate to state, but reckless driving will involve something of this nature (from the CA Vehicle Code): "willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property". This generally involves more than just a speed violation, although it could be an excessively high speed, especially if it is in an area like a school zone. Either way, it should probably be reported and let them decide how important it is.
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I called the county and the woman said it was written up as speeding in a school zone, not reckless. If I take drivers ed instead of it going on my license would that make a difference?
 
Above all else, be transparent and honest. Better to report it and be held accountable, however that shakes down, than to withhold it and hope for forgiveness should it come to light.
 
My son got an 84 in driver’s ed ... his only grade below an A. At his MOC interview, one of the military guys said to him “I am looking at your grades and one sticks out to me. You got an 84 in driver’s ed - do you want us to tell the Naval Academy that you can’t drive or do you want to explain your grade?”

My son laughed and said he went to the teacher and asked why he got an 84 as there was no test. The teacher said average driver’s get in the 80s. You are an average driver. And because he was close to the teacher, he couldn’t disagree.

So bad driver’s make it to the SAs.

Take classes to mitigate any insurance costs. Do what the court or lawyers tell you to do. Admit your mistake.

And the most important thing to learn from it - always drive carefully - especially in zones where others could be hurt.
 
You need to report all traffic violations, be sure to use the same exact wording as on the ticket and how it was resolved.
 
I agree that it should be reported, even if you keep it off your driving record. Take responsibility for it. It shouldn't be a big deal, as long as it's your first (and only) one. Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them and not repeat them.
 
Often when you go to court the charge is reduced but you pay a bigger fine. Which should be reported?
 
bopper said:
Often when you go to court the charge is reduced but you pay a bigger fine. Which should be reported?
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Report the original charge as well as the reduced final adjudication. This isn't a game to see what you can get away with.

“Have you ever been cited, arrested, convicted or fined for any violation of law?”

The language is very clear. Reveal everything and explain what happened. Also, hire a lawyer and do everything you can to get it reduced or dismissed. Often, but not always, the outcome matters more than the original charge.
 
My DS got a speeding ticket after he got his BFE. He called admissions and told them, it was a non issue.
 
Check with your RC. A traffic violation is reportable if it is over a specified dollar amount. I don't recall the amount and it may have changed.

But when in doubt report it - it could come up later during background checks. A non-issue if you reported it; a potential problem if you didn't.
 
You should report it. But if it really concerns you, you can try to fight it and get it down to say a parking ticket or whatever else the clerks decide. I have seen it happen.
 
Szpieg said:
You should report it. But if it really concerns you, you can try to fight it and get it down to say a parking ticket or whatever else the clerks decide. I have seen it happen.
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They are interested in the original charge although the outcome can help alleviate something. One should assume the original charge is recorded somewhere and can show up on a background check.
 
If I am remembering my owns sons inquiry about this, it was something where you write about it. Simply answer the question. With words. IMO, you can say exactly what the charge was and the current outcome.

Don’t mess around with trying to hide it, not a good look imo. It is what it is. Don’t drive recklessly and you wont get a ticket. Take ownership of your choices and actions.
 
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kinnem said:
They are interested in the original charge although the outcome can help alleviate something. One should assume the original charge is recorded somewhere and can show up on a background check.
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I was under the assumption that the final decision is whats important; whether it be by paying the fine and admitting guilt or fighting it and having it downgraded. Say if you fought a speeding ticket and it was found that the radar was incorrectly calibrated resulting in the citation tossed, in my mind, it wouldn't make logical sense to report that original ticket. But at the end of the day I don't have any idea what the policy was when I was in the admissions process, and what it is now. So I guess to OP, do what you think is right. If they want to know everything, tell them everything. The safest bet is to be honest, you'll screw yourself more by hiding something if they want a full narrative of events and not the final verdict.
 
Simply declare it. I am at the academy now and I disclosed two tickets on my application—one being a speeding ticket. They do not care. The reason for this is that the army cannot take you if you have x amount of tickets or have been convicted of x. Remember, you are a teen and they get it. We all make mistakes. Own up to it and move on. Remember, the admissions officers are human and have been pulled over—it happens.

When/if you get accepted, you will need to send a “police records check” into USMA. Appointments have been taken away because people fiddled with this part of the app.

Please don’t make that mistake. Declare that you got a ticket, display the dates, and describe the outcome. You don’t need to give it a paragraph, but answer the question.

Good luck to you. I hope that I helped you out a little bit.
 
It's typically an issue if he amount of the fine exceeds a dollar threshold of around $200-250. If the fine is significant, I suggest, among other things, that you keep a record of the ticket and the payment of the fine because you don't want to have to try to track down that information later. The other thing to do is to remember how you report/disclose it so that you do so consistently. DS had an issue in that he forgot the dollar amount and reported it one way for a service academy app and a different way for an ROTC scholarship.
 
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