The cost of traffic tickets has risen dramatically in recent years. Some say it is because the governor is afraid to introduce new taxes, other blame the legislature saying they have never seen a traffic ticket surcharge or assessment they didn’t like. Whoever is at fault, it is causing significant hardship for the less fortunate in California. Not appearing in court to settle your ticket will make matters a lot worse.

Bench Warrants for a Delinquent Ticket or Failure to Appear (FTA)

An FTA, suddenly makes that delinquent ticket nearly double to more than $1000 and a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest. When you are caught, the law enforcement (LE) officer will search for outstanding warrants and you will be taken directly to jail until you can meet the judge or you pay the bond (an amount you owe the state for your ticket, plus now the FTA violation) and clear your warrant.

The basic fine for a bench warrant in California is $234, plus all the state and county penalties, assessments, and surcharges and there are many. If you did not go to court because you could not afford to pay the fine for your ticket, it is now even more unaffordable.

The best you can hope for is to hire a traffic ticket attorney to get your fines reduced or the delinquent ticket dismissed. Too many simply ignore their traffic ticket summons and add to their problems with an FTA.

Your Options

Ignoring your delinquent ticket will not make it go away. You must pull on your “big boy/girl pants” and face the music.

Consider taking traffic school instead of receiving Negligent Operator Treatment System points and an increased insurance premium. You can only use traffic school every 18 months to prevent the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) from adding points to your license and eventually (after 4 points in one year) suspending your license. Or, another special circumstance could be a reduced fine or payment plan, or both. When you look at what is possible when you hire a traffic ticket defender, it is much cheaper than you think, particularly when there is a warrant for your arrest looming and possible fines over $1000.

FREE, No Obligation, Initial Consultation

Not all traffic tickets are worth fighting. If the expense of hiring a traffic ticket attorney outweighs the cost of your fine (depending on the offense, about $500) and increased insurance premiums, it may not be worth it and you should weigh your options carefully.

There are circumstances where it is almost necessary to hire a traffic ticket defender. If you were ticketed for any misdemeanor or felony, speeding over 100 mph, FTA with a delinquent ticket, or any moving violation that will put you over the NOTS threshold of 4 points within a year, 6 within two years, or 8 within three years you should hire a lawyer, particularly if you are a trucker or commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder. Even when you get convicted of a traffic offense in your own car, you must notify your employer within 30 days of the conviction. Therefore, you should make every effort to avoid a conviction to keep your job.

Call Bigger & Harman to get the advice and counsel you need to clear that delinquent ticket and drive on with your life, 661-349-9300. Bigger & Harman only deal with traffic tickets in California traffic courts in Kern, LA, Kings, Tulare, SLO, Inyo, Riverside, and San Bernardino and some other select California cities.

En español, llame al 661-349-9755.