Remember the scene in Liar, Liar where Jim Carrey’s character has a glove box filled with unpaid parking tickets? Or, maybe you know someone who avoids paying their parking tickets, seatbelt tickets, and other seemingly minor traffic violations in Springfield. But what happens if you don’t deal with your traffic ticket? Do you go to jail? Will you be fined or lose your driver’s license?
Today we discuss what happens when you don’t deal with your traffic ticket in Missouri.
If you have a glove box filled with unpaid parking tickets or other traffic violations, contact the traffic ticket lawyers of Springfield Traffic Tickets today.
Ignoring a Traffic Ticket in Missouri
Whether you’re pulled over for speeding, failure to yield or wind up with a parking ticket, you can’t just ignore it.
Ignoring a traffic violation will land you more severe consequences than it would if you were to just deal with the traffic ticket at the appropriate time. So what will happen if you do choose to ignore your traffic ticket by either failing to plead guilty and paying the ticket or failing to appear in court on the date specified to fight your ticket?
Your license will most likely be suspended, and a warrant may be issued for your arrest.
However, in most cases, if you fail to respond to your Missouri traffic ticket the court will notify you within ten days of your missed appearance, and you will have thirty days to resolve the issue.
If you fail to resolve the issue after the 30 days, the Department of Revenue will be notified and your driving privileges will be suspended.
So, by ignoring your traffic tickets in Missouri, not only will you have to deal with the fines and consequences of your first traffic ticket (the one you ignored), but you will also have a suspended license, additional fines, court time, and a new citation: being in contempt of court.
The best choice to avoid this from happening is to deal with your traffic ticket immediately.
Ways You Can Deal With Your Missouri Traffic Ticket
There are a few ways to handle your traffic ticket in Missouri, ignoring it is not one of them. Any of the following will resolve your ticket, and some have more benefits than the others:
- Pay Your Ticket(s). The most common choice for handling a traffic ticket is to just pay the ticket and move on. However, if you believe that you received your traffic ticket unjustly or that more points on your license isn’t an option, don’t pay for your ticket. Instead, contact the legal team at Springfield Traffic Tickets to find out the best option for your situation.
- Fight The Ticket. To protect your driver’s license, keep your auto insurance rates down, and more, fighting your traffic ticket with the help of a traffic ticket attorney is your best choice.
- Enroll in a Driver Improvement Program. Instead of paying fines or adding points to your license, some judges will accept successful completion of a driver improvement program to resolve a traffic ticket. Be proactive about enrolling in traffic school and your judge may dismiss the case entirely. For more information about whether or not the judge presiding over your case will accept driver improvement programs, contact your traffic ticket attorney.
For legal advice on how to best deal with your traffic tickets in Missouri, contact the law office of Springfield Traffic Tickets for a complimentary consultation.
