Eric Skager Law helps drivers in High Point when they’re stopped and given a traffic ticket. Points on your license, fines, and other problems come up if you get a ticket for failing to yield at a stop sign or stop light, but you still have rights and options. Our team can guide you through the process and make sure your rights are protected. To get started, set up a free consultation.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
Like any situation, you don’t have to get a lawyer when you get a ticket for failing to yield in High Point. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need one. It all comes down to your circumstances, but most of the time, you should think about getting a lawyer when you want to:
- Avoid points and insurance hikes
- Protect your license
- Skip the court hassle
My firm has handled traffic cases in High Point and throughout Guilford County. We know the local judges, the DA’s approach, and what works in traffic court—and in many cases, we can take care of everything without you ever setting foot in the courtroom.
Why Would I Get a Failure to Yield Ticket?
Pretty much every driver in High Point knows what failure to yield is and means. And while there are various other traffic offenses, it can be helpful to know exactly what failure to yield means and how you might get one of these tickets:
- Turning into oncoming traffic – You’ll see this often on Eastchester Drive or Westchester Drive during peak hours. If you turn left without giving enough space for oncoming cars to safely pass, an officer may view it as a failure to yield—even if no collision happened.
- Not stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks – High Point has several pedestrian-heavy areas, especially near High Point University and downtown. If a person steps into a marked crosswalk and you don’t stop, you could be ticketed—even if you thought they had enough room.
- Merging without letting other cars pass – When you’re getting onto a fast-moving road like Wendover Avenue or I‑74, you’re expected to yield to traffic already on the road. If you force your way in or don’t adjust your speed properly, you might get pulled over.
- Rolling through yield signs – In neighborhoods like Emerywood or Oak Hollow, there are lots of low-traffic areas with yield signs instead of stop signs. If you coast through without slowing down or checking for other cars, an officer might see that as a failure to yield.
- Pulling out from a driveway or side street – Whether you’re leaving a business on Main Street or turning onto Lexington Avenue from a side road, you need to yield to all oncoming traffic. If another driver has to slow down or change lanes because of your move, that could trigger a ticket.
Even though these tickets are about safety, they’re not always clear-cut. There’s certain factors and information that can show what really happened. If you don’t believe the ticket reflects what actually happened, you have every right to challenge it.
How Can I Challenge a Failure to Yield Ticket?
In the event that you do get stopped and ticketed for failure to yield, it’s not the end of the story. You have a few different ways to approach the aftermath, but there’s two main paths to take:
- Accept the ticket.
- Challenge the ticket in court.
If you accept the ticket, you’ll pay the fine and that’s usually the fastest way to close the case. But importantly, it counts as an admission of guilt. In North Carolina, that means three points on your driver’s license and the possibility of higher insurance premiums for several years afterward. While this route avoids court, it may cost you more in the long run.
If you want to avoid that, you can challenge the ticket in court by:
- Telling the court you want to contest it – You’ll need to respond by the deadline on your ticket, letting the Guilford County traffic court know you don’t plan to just pay the fine.
- Gathering proof and evidence – This can include photos of the intersection, dashcam footage showing you did yield, or statements from passengers or other witnesses. Anything that helps explain your side of the story can be useful.
- Present your case – On your court date, you—or your lawyer—will explain what happened and share your evidence. We can often do this for you, which means you may not even have to step foot in the courtroom.
In a lot of situations, we can handle the heavy lifting of representing you. While you can certainly handle it on your own, you can lean on our experience. We know how to negotiate with the prosecutor to get a failure to yield ticket reduced—or even dismissed entirely.
Eric Skager Law Can Help With a Failure to Yield Ticket in High Point
At Eric Skager Law, we understand how quickly a failure to yield situation can happen—whether it’s a tricky intersection, unclear signage, or a split‑second decision in heavy traffic. Maybe you did yield but the officer saw it differently. Maybe the stop wasn’t handled properly. Or maybe you just want someone who can step in and work to keep this ticket from affecting your license and insurance longer than necessary.
No matter what the details are, we’ll take your case seriously and treat you with respect. If you’ve been cited for failure to yield in High Point, reach out today for a free consultation and let’s go over your options.