Can My Unpaid Traffic Ticket Turn into a Warrant?
If you spend enough time behind the wheel, the chances are good that at some time when you least expect it, you’re bound to receive a traffic ticket. It happens to almost everyone, and many people want nothing more than to rip it up, throw it out or stash it in the sock drawer. Unfortunately, none of these things will make that bad boy disappear.
Never Disregard a Traffic Ticket
Actions have consequences, and ignoring that seemingly massive fine will not make it grow any smaller. On the contrary, turning your back on the traffic ticket allows it to transform into a monster. If you neglect that piece of paper, you soon may find that:
- Your car insurance premiums mysteriously rise.
- You are suddenly unable to renew your driver’s license.
- The courts suspend your driving privileges entirely.
These annoyances could be just the beginning. The day you’re issued a traffic warrant is the day that you’ll know you’re really in trouble.
It Doesn’t Necessarily Make You an Outlaw
Not all who neglect their traffic tickets are guilty of a shameless disregard for the law. Many have honestly forgotten to respond. Unfortunately, the courts do not always distinguish between the brazen scofflaw and the well-meaning innocent for whom life’s duties got in the way. In the end, the results are the same for both.
When the Unthinkable Happens
Traffic courts in Clark County, Nevada, continue to step up the issuance of bench warrants to unfortunates who either deliberately close their eyes to their traffic tickets or forget about them entirely. This is not a laughing matter. In issuing a bench warrant, the judge is giving police the right to detain you and hold you in detention until you either pay your fine or make concrete arrangements to do so. This means only one thing. As unbelievable as it might seem, the receipt of that traffic warrant could mean you’re going to jail.
Clark County Procedures
In an attempt to relieve its massive processing backlogs, Clark County now assigns a pre-booking status to everyone newly arrested on a traffic warrant. This removes the inevitability of incarceration for those who are fiscally unable to make an immediate payment of what may amount to a hefty fine. Under the new system, the court will release you on the spot as long as you have no other warrants outstanding and are able to immediately shell out:
- $150 on an original fine of $1,500 or less.
- $300 on an original fine that ranges between $1,500.01 and $2,999.99.
- $900 on original fines of $3,000 or more.
The new methods apply to Clark County only. They may not always be this straightforward, and depending on your particular circumstances, other factors may apply as well.
Clark County and Traffic Ticket Forgiveness
Those drivers who believe that Clark County routinely forgives traffic tickets after five years have passed will be disappointed to learn that this is no longer the case. In the year 2011, the Las Vegas Justice Court flew in the face of local tradition by rescinding the order to dismiss those long-forgotten tickets. If you’ve found one of these old speeding tickets festering in your closet, you’d best step up and respond.
Fighting Your Traffic Ticket
Although you realize the need to respond to your traffic ticket, it may pay you to hold off until you’ve asked the advice of an experienced traffic ticket lawyer. The experienced lawyers at Weiner Law Group have experience in fighting these tickets and are often able to get a moving violation reduced to a simple parking infraction. Any accomplishment in this regard will keep your insurance rates down, lower the amount of your fine and prevent the addition of points to your license. Best of all, with Weiner Law Group on your side, you’ll have the comfort of knowing that the traffic ticket you’ve handled correctly today will not morph into a bench warrant for your arrest tomorrow. Call us today at 702-202-0500 and speak to a traffic ticket lawyer.