I don’t usually speed in the city, but on highways I often go about 20% above the posted speeding limit if road conditions are good, especially on long trips. Hence, got nailed with a speeding ticket in New Hampshire. I’ve payed the $80 – I done bad and got caught. But what if I didn’t? What are the consequences for not paying a speeding ticket for a state rarely visited (for an American)? What are the consequences if you consider I’m Canadian?
It seems most States have reciprocity where they baiscally keep each other informed of speed limit violations. Unless you are in Alaska, California, Michigan, Montana, Oregon, or Wisconsin. Check out this link for more info: http://www.concierge.com/sections/advice/archive/road_arc/road030800.html
Probably none. New Hampshire can send you a notice of failure to pay even if you live in another state or even in Canada. They do have legal recourse: comity among states, etc. But they won’t take any action over a triviality such as this. They got more important things to do. However, if you ever go back to NH and a cop notices your tag on his delinquent ticket list, he may pull you over, or, if parked, tow your car in.
Some states will pursue this stuff out of state. They will put a warrant out and you will get fines and penalties above and beyond. When you sign a traffic ticket (I don’t know enough about parking) it is bail and a promise to appear. So you are jumping bail. Maybe you will get extradited.
Traffic court is entirely bogus.
It is often cheaper to hire a lawyer than to pay the ticket and see your insurance increase.
I don’t think insurance increases for out of state tickets, does it? My boyfriend was just explaining this sort of thing to me (on a very long trip from NC to OH) and he said some states connect with others, some don’t. But if you go ahead and pay the fine, I don’t think your insurance co will catch on.
I got a ticket in VA one time (i’m from OH) and just paid it off via check, and I didn’t tell my parents (who pay my insurance) and my dad never said anything about my insurance going up.
I got a speeding ticket last year in my former state of residence. I paid the fine. I have now moved to California (not to avoid the ticket!) and I recently got insurance here. The tickets is not on my driving record, and thus is not affecting my insurance rates.
Phouchg
Lovable Rogue
When I worked full time in law enforcement(in Wisconsin) we did not give tickets to out of state drivers. You were arrested and made to post the bond. Remember: in most jurisdictions, a citation is a “curtesy arrest”. You were nabbed breaking the law. The ticket is a summons. The cop doesn’t have to write a ticket for in state drivers either, he can just make an arrest if he wants. Of course that takes alot of time, and jams up the booking room and everything. I used to love to hear out of staters whine “you can’t do this! I was only speeding!”.
I believe most departments here still do this, unless the driver is from a state that is connected to the Land of Cheese.
By the way,Dr. Paprika, your thread title doesn’t jive with your OP. What’s the deal?
Guess I had the sleepers on when I wrote the thread title. Was a speeding ticket. I drove through NH from Boston to Houlton and barely had time to blink, let alone park.
Funny, though, didn’t sign anything.
You traffic guys from the Dairy State have holes in more than your Swiss cheeses. I guess you like the “whine” with your cheese. BTW, it is a “courtesy arrest.”
Advice from someone who’s been there: just bite the bullet and pay.
I tried this exact thing myself once. I was moving between places, and got nailed in a speed trap while driving through Mississippi.
I thought to myself, “I’m not from Mississippi, I’ve never been to Mississippi before, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to come back here anyway,” and tossed out the ticket.
Three months later I got a notice from my home state’s DMV to the effect of, we know you’ve gotten this speeding ticket and haven’t paid it, and you have five days to provide us proof that you have or we’re going to suspend your license.
The result was a red tape nightmare of faxes and phone calls in various states, plus late fees that had accrued on the original fine.
YMMV, but trust me: the headache wasn’t worth the $75 I thought I could save. Tho, it apparently never got reported to my insurance in any case.
If you happen to be driving a rental car and decide to blow off the speeding ticket, you may find some interesting charges appearing on future credit card statements.
Dr. Paprika says he didn’t sign anything. If he didn’t sign anything (either refused or wasn’t asked) then is the ticket still legally enforceable?
Wasn’t asked.
Of course it is.
He would probably not be liable for any failure-to-appear charges, but ultimately, a ticket is simply a allegation that the driver named thereon violated the law. It doesn’t prove anything itself, but it is a charging document. As long as it gives the driver notice of what violations are alleged, then it’s “enforceable”.
- Rick
no signature needed
Das D.O.T. hast kompact mit der staten in der U.S.A., fucking nazi bastards. Yes, you will lose your license eventually.
The “UTC” in Wisconsin (Uniform Traffic Citation) does not have any place for the offender to sign. I know that other states have offenders sign.
One bright Saturday morning about 10 years ago, I was driving in downtown St. Louis. I was pulled over and given a ticket for turning left on green. It seems that at certain intersections in downtown St. Louis you can not turn left on green without an accompanying arrow. It was a total trap. Maybe this restriction is important on a business day, but on a Saturday morning? The cop was waiting around the corner of a building, ready to ticket hapless drivers.
Anyway, since I was no longer a Missouri resident and was only visiting, I said (to myself) no way in Hell am I going to pay $50 for turing left on green.
So I didn’t.
Oh, sure, I got some nasty letters in the mail; additional fines, penalties, bench warrant, blah, blah, blah. What were they going to do? Send a St. Louis city parking cop down to Louisiana to arrest me over a $50 ticket?
For all I know my picture is on a poster at the main St. Louis Post Office, but I don’t lose any sleep over it.
How’d you handle the AAA “$1,000 Guaranteed Arrest Bond Certificate”? Supposedly it’s good anywhere in the country for traffic violations (not related to alcohol or drugs, though).
It’s a nice feeling to be a AAA member and have this with me when I drive through Deliverance-types of states. Am I feeling a false sense of security?
Kinda-related: An Illinois friend ticketed here in Michigan was given the choice to pay the fine immediately (with a receipt) or surrender his driver license (with a receipt). This was a Michigan State Trooper.
Kinda-Too: As a young Army guy, we got pulled over by some Sheriffs department for alledgedly speeding (we may have been speeding - who knows?). The fine was $20, no receipt given. Probably became Pabst Blue Ribbon a couple of hours later…