No one wants to be pulled over and given a traffic citation for speeding or any other moving violation. It can be one more thing you just don’t have time to deal with. Many people toss the citation in a drawer and forget about it.
Even when they get the official citation in the mail requiring them to either pay the ticket or contest it in court, too many people throw that in a drawer as well with an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude. Eventually, however, it will catch up with you – and potentially have far more serious consequences than if you’d dealt with it at the time.
The consequences can be costly
For example, if you fail to pay the fee or appear in court to contest the citation, you’ll owe an additional “failure to appear” fee. The court could even issue a failure to appear warrant for your arrest. That also adds a warrant fee to what you owe.
Then there are the consequences to your driver’s license. The local court can notify the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) of the outstanding citation, and the DDS can suspend your driver’s license.
That means you’re driving on an invalid license, so if you’re stopped again for any alleged infraction, you’ll face an additional, more consequential citation. The only way to get your driving privileges restored at that point is to pay all the fees you owe (including a license restoration fee).
You’ll have some points added to your driving record, however, for the traffic violation you didn’t contest. If that puts you up to 15 points in 24 months, your license will still be suspended. Meanwhile, your car insurance rate will increase – or your insurer may even drop you.
You can see why it’s smart to deal with a traffic ticket as soon as you receive it. If you believe you shouldn’t have been cited, you can fight it. If you know it was a valid citation, you’re better off paying it when it’s due than waiting and simply owing a lot more than you otherwise would have.
Whether you’re fighting a citation or dealing with the consequences of letting things slide, it can help to have legal guidance to deal with the court and present your case effectively.
