Character and Fitness

[cs11]

Hi!
I have a quick question about the character and fitness sections. A few years ago I was in a minor fender bender and was cited for careless driving. I paid a fine and never had to go to court. I've been able to figure out most of the character and fitness questions but this one is tripping me up. "Have you ever, either as an adult or a juvenile, been cited, arrested, taken into custody, charged with, indicted, convicted or tried for, or pleaded guilty to, the commission of any felony or misdemeanor or the violation of any law, except minor parking or traffic violations, or been the subject of any juvenile delinquency or youthful offender proceeding?" I don't know if minor traffic violations are just speeding tickets or if this is part of that too. Also, is it bad to put yes and explain even if the answer really should be no?

Thanks so much!!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi CS11,

You need to disclose this. You were cited and it's a misdemeanor, so it qualifies. Now, will anyone care? No, we all have some sort of careless driving offense on our record (careless driving typically encompasses speeding, running a stop sign, etc) and it will be ignored as nonprejudicial to your character. Regardless, to me there's no question at all that this needs to be disclosed.

Thanks!