- What's the difference between a moving violation and a nonmoving violation?
A moving? violation is the ticket for offenses incurred while driving your car (such as
speeding, reckless driving, dangerous driving, drunk driving). A nonmoving violation is either a
parking ticket or a repair ticket.
- How serious is a ticket anyway?
Any type of ticket is not serious, as long as you do something about it. If you ignore a ticket long
enough you're asking for trouble. You can be fined up to $500, and even face jail time (up to six
months). You can also have an arrest warrant issued against you for failing to appear before the
court (called an FTA), or failing to repair your car. Reality check: never ignore a traffic ticket.
- I didn't pay my speeding ticket and now I got a courtesy notice in the mail. Should I pay it?
No. The courtesy notice you got is actually an astronomical fine. You are not obligated to pay it.
Instead go to traffic court and argue your case. Even if you lose, you will still pay way less than
what the courtesy notice asked for. Go to court and fight. You really have nothing to lose.
- Can't I just plead guilty and pay the ticket?
Yes, you can like 90% of Americans, but it is not in your best interest to plead guilty and pay.
Every time you get a ticket, your insurance company rubs its hands in glee, because over a 3?year
period, one ticket generates $1,000 in insurance surcharges that you (the guilty party) have to
pay. It is estimated that over 100,000 tickets are handed out each day. You can easily do the math
and see who the real winner is if you meekly plead guilty and pay the fine.
- What's the point system?
The point system is used by the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles each state has it's own
version), which uses a point system to keep track of your driving record. The DMV keeps a
running tab on your tickets and points and considers you a bad driver if you go over a certain
number of points. Most DMVs keep traffic violations on your record for 3?5 years. The insurance
companies use this information to peg your insurance premiums.
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