Many motorists travelling on Interstate 5 get speeding tickets in Nevada. They don't take care of them, because they think that an out-of-state ticket cannot cause any problems in California. That's only partially true.

Many states will suspend your drivers' license for failing to appear at a California location for court. For instance, if you live in Las Vegas, Nevada could suspend your license for failing to appear on a Mojave ticket. Then you often get in a bind because the fine is unreasonably high with failure to appear assessments and penalties and you will be forced to take point if you just send in a check.

The ticket can continue to steamroll until your fines are through the roof, sometimes thousands of dollars, and you would have to make a personal appearance or hire an attorney just to get the hold lifted on your license, not to mention fighting the ticket.

Even if your state didn't suspend your license immediately after a failure to appear, when you try to renew your drivers' license, different rules may apply.

Nearly all states share information about traffic tickets, through the Non-Resident Violator Compact or the Drivers' License Compact. If you get a traffic ticket in Ohio, the California DMV will eventually find out about it. The Department will probably put a hold on your license, and you'll be unable to renew it until you take care of the outstanding ticket.

The same thing generally applies if you're on vacation in California and get a ticket. You may have problems when you return home. If you receive a traffic ticket in Mojave, even if you're just passing through, contact a local attorney to handle the case for you get the fines down, and work to avoid a point on your record.