How
can I contest a traffic citation?
How
can I contest a parking violation?
How
can I get my car out of storage?
How
can I find out if my vehicle has been towed?
How
can I report an abandoned vehicle?
What
can be done about illegally parked vehicles, such as those blocking
a driveway?
What
are the top five traffic violations that cause traffic collisions?
What
should I do if I’ve been involved in a traffic accident?
What
are the reporting requirements if I’ve been involved in a traffic
accident?
How
can I make a traffic accident report?
How
can I obtain a copy of a traffic report?
Where
do I get information about my driver's license or vehicle registration?
How
can I contest a traffic citation?
A person who receives a traffic citation may contest it by going
to the court he/she is cited to (listed on the citation) and posting
bail (paying the amount of the citation). After the person has posted
bail, the court clerk will assign a court date. On the specified
date, the person will be able to plead his/her case before a judge
and question the officer. If the judge rules in the person’s
favor, the bail they posted will be refunded. Additional information
can be obtained by calling the Sacramento County Traffic and Parking
Ticket Information Center at (916) 875-7550.
How
can I contest a parking violation?
A person can contest a parking violation by calling the Sacramento
County Traffic and Parking Ticket Information Center at (916) 875-7550.
An operator will give you instructions on how to contest the
parking citation. All of the instructions must be followed exactly,
and within the allotted time period, otherwise the application for
a hearing will be forfeited.
How
can I get my car out of storage?
If a vehicle
was stored for 30 days because the driver had no license or had
a suspended license, a hearing can be requested by calling (916)
277-6135 within 12 days of the tow. No hearing is required if the
30-day storage period has lapsed. Call the same number to appeal
the tow of a parked vehicle. Otherwise, the registered owner or
their authorized agent can claim a stored vehicle by coming to the
public counter at any Police station, presenting proper identification,
and paying a $67.00 administrative fee for a release form to take
to the tow yard. This fee is waived if the vehicle was stolen or
if the driver was hospitalized in an accident. The person obtaining
the release must have a valid driver's license or be accompanied
by someone who does. The vehicle must have current registration
or have a temporary operating permit before it can be released.
If a vehicle
was impounded for evidence, the owner may obtain a release once
the Police Department has completed its investigation. Call the
Office of Investigations at (916) 264-5771 to determine who the
investigating officer is and discuss the release with him/her.
If a vehicle
was seized as a vehicle forfeiture, call the City Attorney's office
at (916) 264-5346 for information on release procedures.
How
can I find out if my vehicle has been towed?
You can call our non-emergency dispatch number at (916) 264-5471,
24 hours a day, seven days a week to find out. Give your vehicle
license plate number to the dispatcher. They will run a status check
on your vehicle and let you know if it has been impounded.
How
can I report an abandoned vehicle?
To report abandoned vehicles (or other blights such as illegal
dumping), call the City of Sacramento's Code Enforcement Division
at (916) 264-5948. You can also use the on-line form or find out
more information by going to Code
Enforcement web page.
What
can be done about illegally parked vehicles, such as those blocking
a driveway?
Call the Police Department's non-emergency number at (916) 264-5471,
and an officer will be dispatched. If the person who reported
the illegally parked vehicle lives at the location, goes out to
meet the officer, and explains to them that he or she lives at the
location and cannot leave the driveway due to its being blocked,
the officer can impound the vehicle.
What
are the top five traffic violations that cause traffic collisions?
The five top
traffic violations which cause traffic collisions:
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Following
too close.
You must follow the vehicle in front of you a distance that
allows you to stop, no matter how quickly that vehicle stops.
The three (3) second rule will allow you to easily judge
this distance. The three second rule indicates that if you
see the vehicle in front of you pass a object (i.e. cross
walk line, light pole, etc.) you should not pass that same
object in less than three seconds. |
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Failing
to stop for red signal lights.
California
law recently doubled the fine for red light violations.
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Driving
under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. |
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Speeding.
In
excess of the posted speed limit, or driving at any speed
that is unsafe, based on the conditions present (rain,
fog and other conditions may dictate that even the posted
speed is not safe.)
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Left
turns.
A
driver may not negotiate a left turn when another vehicle
is approaching head on, that is so close as to be a hazard
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What
should I do if I’ve been involved in a traffic accident?
You should first ensure that no one is injured. If no one is
injured, all parties (drivers) should exchange information: driver’s
license numbers (if in possession or known), vehicle license numbers,
names, addresses, and phone numbers of all drivers (passengers,
if possible), and the names of the insurance companies of the drivers
involved. The involved persons should also write down the location
where the traffic collision occurred (utilizing cross street names
or addresses and street names), and the time it occurred. If
there are injuries involved, please see below.
What
are the reporting requirements if I’ve been involved in a traffic
accident?
A traffic collision report will be taken by the police department
at the scene of the accident when any of the following reporting
conditions occurs:
- A person
involved in the traffic collision has been injured (complaining
of pain is considered injury) or dies.
- One of the
drivers is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- One of the
drivers has fled the location without stopping to exchange information
or check on the welfare of the other parties involved.
- City property
is involved (City vehicle, light post, signal light, etc.).
Under many circumstances,
you must report vehicle accidents to the California Department
of Motor Vehicles. To find out it you need to report an accident
to them and print out the form to do it, please go to the DMV
web site.
How
do I make a traffic accident report?
It is the policy of the Sacramento Police Department to complete
a traffic collision report under the following circumstances:
- The traffic
collision occurred within the City of Sacramento.
- A person
involved in the traffic collision has been injured (complaint
of pain is considered injury) or dies.
- One of the
drivers is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- One of the
drivers has fled the location without stopping to exchange information
or check on the welfare of the other parties involved.
- City property
is involved (City vehicle, light post, signal post, etc.)
If any of the
above conditions are met at the scene of a traffic collision, the
Sacramento Police Department should be notified in one of the following
manners:
9-1-1
(in case of an emergency) , if it's not an emergency,
use the dispatch telephone number: 264-5471.
In addition
to filing a traffic collision report with the Sacramento Police
Department, it may also be necessary to file Department of Motor
Vehicles Form SR-1A.
Visit the Department
of Motor Vehicles web page for more information on
state reporting requirements for traffic collisions.
Any person involved
in a traffic collision, that meets the criteria, can go to their
local police station to make a report. The report should be made
as soon as possible. The person reporting the collision needs to
bring along the following information:
- The time
and location (street address/cross streets) where the collision
occurred.
- The license
plate number of the vehicle he or she was driving when they were
involved in the traffic collision.
- Driver’s
license
- Insurance
information (name of the insurance company and their policy number).
- The names,
addresses, and phone numbers of all passengers in their vehicle
- If known,
the license plate numbers, names, addresses, and phone numbers
of all other involved drivers and passengers.
The locations
where you can file a traffic accident report on Monday through Friday,
8 AM to 5 PM are as follows:
- Headquarters
Building, 5770 Freeport Blvd, Suite 100
- North Station,
3550 Marysville Boulevard
- South Station,
5303 Franklin Boulevard
How
can I obtain a copy of a traffic report?
To obtain a copy of a traffic report, you can come to the Records
Unit at 5770 Freeport Blvd, Suite 100, Monday through Friday, 8
AM to 6 PM and request a copy. If the accident occurred within 60
days, you will be able to obtain your copy immediately. If the accident
occurred more than 60 days prior to the day you come in, you will
need to complete a request form and a copy of your report will be
mailed to you. Traffic reports can be released to authorized persons
such as the victim, the victim’s representative, or as provided
in Section 20012 of the Vehicle Code.
To obtain
a copy of a traffic report by mail, please provide:
- The party(ies)
involved in the collision and their addresses, if known
- The insurance
policy number if the requestor is an insurance company
- A release
from an involved party if the request is from an attorney
- The type
of report - "traffic"
- The date
and location of occurrence
- A report
number, if known
- The vehicle
license number, when applicable
Mail to:
- Sacramento
Police Department
- Records Unit
- Document Processing
- 5770 Freeport
Blvd. Suite 100
- Sacramento,
CA 95822
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