# "When's Your Last Ticket, Sir?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790 "2016-12-15T17:40:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/1 "2016-12-15T17:40:37Z")
I received a warning two months prior to receiving a ticket. Otherwise, I have a clean record. When I appear in court and the judge asks “when was your last ticket?”, should I make mention of the warning? Two friends, both well educated, say not to. Should I take their advice, or will I make it worse for me? What would you do? Note: The cop saw that I had received the warning, and I trust the judge can see it, too, if he looks up my record. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/2 "2016-12-15T17:44:24Z")
A “warning” is not a “ticket.” There is no reason why you should mention it if the question is worded that way. “When was your last ticket?” “I haven’t had one” “It says here you were given a warning on xx/xx/xx” “That’s correct” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/3 "2016-12-15T17:45:27Z")
If he asks you about tickets, then you tell him about tickets. If he wanted to know about warnings, he would ask about them too. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/4 "2016-12-15T18:19:54Z")
OK, the opinions above are in keeping with what my friends say. Naturally, I don’t wish to volunteer more info than requested; however, I don’t wish to upset the judge playing wise guy, either. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/5 "2016-12-15T18:35:58Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > I don’t wish to upset the judge playing wise guy, either. There’s a difference between saying “I have not received any tickets” and “Well, I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten any _tickets_ _wink wink_.” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/6 "2016-12-15T21:36:57Z")
in court, you answer the question that was asked. you sink yourself when you keep talking past that 😉 ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/7 "2016-12-15T21:50:24Z")
I’ve gotten a lot of tickets and not once has a judge ever asked when the last one was. I _have_ been asked “what the hell were you thinking”, to which I replied “I wasn’t your honor”. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/8 "2016-12-15T23:18:01Z")
The Judge is going to have your conviction records right there, anyway, so it isn’t a secret. I’ve spent a lot of time in traffic court (when I was young- it has been quite a while, maybe things have changed) and I was never asked to state when my last ticket was. A ticket isn’t a conviction anyway, so it would be like asking : “When were you last accused?” ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-your-last-ticket-sir/774790/9 "2016-12-16T01:23:31Z")
In some jurisdictions, might not a “warning” be in fact a ticket, bearing language to the effect that the ticket will automatically be dismissed if a certain condition is met? You would need to recall the exact language on the warning, to be able to give a truthful and honest answer to the question, and it wold be reasonable to state that you have no acces at hand to determine that answer. The safe answer would be “I’ve received only a warning, but I do not know if that constitutes a ticket or not”.