California DMV FAST Hearing for Speeding Over 100 MPH: How We Got a Set Aside

What Is California's DMV FAST Program?

FAST stands for Forwarded Actions for Speeding Tickets. The California Department of Motor Vehicles and California Highway Patrol announced the pilot program in December 2025.

Under the program, a CHP citation involving a speed over 100 mph can be forwarded to DMV Driver Safety for review. DMV then looks at the incident and the driver's record and determines whether action against the person's driving privilege is appropriate.

That distinction catches people by surprise. A driver may resolve the traffic ticket — and may even leave court without a license suspension — and still have a separate DMV Driver Safety matter to deal with.

The DMV reports that CHP issued more than 18,000 citations for speeds over 100 mph in 2024, averaging approximately 1,600 citations per month.

You can read the DMV's official explanation of the FAST program .

What Does Vehicle Code §22348(b) Say About Driving Over 100 MPH?

California Vehicle Code §22348(b) applies to driving on a highway at a speed greater than 100 mph.

For a first conviction, the statute allows the court to impose a fine and also gives the court authority to suspend the person's driving privilege for up to 30 days.

But FAST adds another consideration: DMV Driver Safety can separately review the driver's privilege.

That means a driver should not assume:

• "The judge didn't suspend me, so I'm done."
• "I already handled the ticket, so DMV can't do anything."
• "I have a clean driving record, so there is nothing to prepare for."

For the statutory language, see California Vehicle Code §22348 .

Our Case: 114 MPH, Court Case Resolved, But DMV Wasn't Finished

Our client had already retained another attorney for the traffic citation. The allegation was not borderline: 114 mph in a 65 mph zone.

The traffic matter was resolved and the court did not impose a driver's license suspension.

But that did not end the license issue.

She still had a separate DMV Driver Safety hearing under the new FAST program.

When I reviewed the case, there were several important things working in her favor. She had an unusually clean driving history, this did not appear to be part of an ongoing pattern of dangerous driving, and she had already taken affirmative steps after the citation.

Our Strategy: Don't Minimize 114 MPH

One of the biggest things we discussed before the hearing was what not to do.

I did not want my client trying to explain away the speed.

Corrective Action Has to Mean More Than a Certificate

Before the hearing, our client completed a defensive-driving course dealing specifically with the dangers of speeding.

But I did not want our presentation to stop at:

The more important questions were what she actually learned from it and what changed afterward.

A hearing officer can distinguish between someone who checked a box because a hearing was coming and someone who can articulate why the conduct was dangerous and what she now does differently.

What Did the DMV Hearing Officer Ask?

The hearing itself was interesting because the hearing officer developed a substantial part of the hardship record directly.

The hearing officer asked about:

• How much our client drives;
• Why she needs her vehicle;
• Her two children's school and daycare transportation;
• Pickups and drop-offs;
• Her older child's activities;
• Whether her husband could handle the transportation;
• Her need to travel to Los Angeles for work;
• Alternative transportation;
• Whether she owned or leased the vehicle;
• Whether the vehicle was insured; and
• Whether she had pending citations or accidents.

The Questions I Asked My Client

Once the hearing officer had already established much of the hardship evidence, I did not need to ask the same questions all over again.

Instead, I concentrated on the pieces of our defense that still needed to be developed.

Why We Put Remorse Before Hardship

Our client had very real reasons for needing her license.

She worked in Los Angeles. She had two young children, ages two and seven. She was primarily responsible for school, daycare, pickups, drop-offs and activities because her husband's law-enforcement work schedule did not allow him to consistently handle those responsibilities.

But I did not want that to be the first thing DMV heard from us.

That distinction matters.

The hardship does not excuse the conduct. It becomes another reason for DMV to consider whether a suspension is actually necessary after accountability and corrective action have already been established.

Why Preparation for a FAST Hearing Matters

A driver could walk into a hearing and simply say:

We approached it differently.

Before the hearing, we identified the damaging fact we could not change, the facts that helped us, the questions the client was likely to encounter, the answers that could accidentally hurt her, and the order in which we wanted the evidence to develop.

We also prepared her demeanor: listen to the question, answer it honestly, don't guess, don't interrupt, don't over-explain, and don't try to be her own lawyer.

And when the hearing officer had already established a useful fact, I did not ask the same question simply because it appeared on my outline.

Good hearing preparation is not about asking the most questions. It is about knowing which facts still need to get into the record.

The Judge Didn't Suspend My License. Why Is DMV Still Involved?

Because the court case and DMV Driver Safety proceeding are separate.

This is an issue California drivers also encounter in DUI cases, where the criminal proceeding and DMV administrative proceeding can produce different outcomes.

For more information about California DMV license proceedings, see our Orange County DUI and DMV defense guide .

For additional court, DMV and defense resources, visit our Orange County Criminal Defense Resources .

You can also read our California traffic and speeding defense guide .

California DMV FAST Hearing FAQs