Did you ever had traffic ticket?

Question

I received citation payment in the mail. I m not sure what is the best situation to pay either pay traffic school or bail amount. I would like to know what are those effects .The incident was taken in Southern California. This is my first time and I can not afford to pay those fee or amount:. I know the rules and action is different in states and even another country. I prefer to get your answer from California or Orange County, CA. Thanks ....

Answer 1

If you go to driving school the ticket is taken off your record in most states. If you pay the fine or the bail it will remain on your record unless a judge strikes it off through a court case.

Answer 2

Yes, unfortunately. I've actually had several. It's something most people go through at least once in their lifetime, and usually they get their first one when they're pretty young and don't know much better. If you find that you have developed a habit of speeding, or "a lead foot", I recommend you consciously try to slow down, but if you still have trouble, you show go to Wal-Mart or Target and pick up a radar detector. They're around fourty dollars or so, but will save you hundreds of dollars in traffic fines by allowing you to slow down when police are around. You should still never travel over 78 miles per hour for any reason unless you have a sports car and are traveling in a 70mph zone or you have a medical emergency. In the case of the latter, call the police if you have a cell phone and ask them to send an escort. I've heard that some men get their wives pregnant just so they can speed a hundred miles an hour to the hospital "legally". LOL

Anyway, the government doesn't care if you can afford it or not. If you get a ticket, you don't have an option NOT to pay it. Tickets are given in lieu of jail time, and there is a reasonable amount of time on the ticket to pay the fine. You need to pay that ticket before the due date, or your license will be suspended until you do. However, if you REALLY can't afford it, you can appear in court on the date specified on the ticket and request a hardship license. You will be ordered to pay a certain amount per month toward your fines, and your license will be suspended till it's paid off, but you will still be allowed to drive with your temporary hardship license on the condition that you are not convicted of the same violation within the amount of time specified by the judge, usually a year. Also, if your license is ever suspended, you will not be eligible for certain jobs/careers (ever) that involve driving, and you will also have to pay a hefty "reinstatement fee" before you can get it back.

Trust me though, you want to dig up the money somehow and pay that fine. You don't want to be thrown at the tender mercies of a judge in traffic court - they're the meanest (from dealing with the same thing day in and day out - they get bored and try to spice things up with extra or "creative" judgments). Get your family to help you if you just don't have the money. But if you can afford insurance and gas, you ought to be able to afford a ticket. You will not have an option to pay installments for traffic school, but if you can get up the money, that is the better option because you won't get any points on your license. The more points you get, the higher your insurance rate, and in Orange County, that ain't pretty. Good luck.

Answer 3

Yeah, I'm sure that will do it. It is the car owner's responsibility to maintain the vehicle in a safe operating condition and the responsibility of the driver to maintain control of their vehicle at all times. Just pay the fine. You are lucky you didn't cause a collision and injure or kill someone.

Answer 4

In Alabama you pay the fine or have a warrant for your arrest issued. If you miss your court date your drivers lisense is canceled. But thats in Alabama......

Answer 5

You can fight it. Depending on what it was.