Do I have to go to court for a citation?

Question

Welll.. I got cited for passing off the shoulder and it doesnt say anything but a court date. I dont know what to do because this is my first ticket. I was wondering if i could take traffic school but will i still need to go to court?.. Please help me!!! thank you.

Answer 1

You dont need to go to court unless you plead not guilty. So if u pleaded not guilty... you would send your plead back through the mail, and then you will get a court date usually in about a month or so. If you are found not guilty in court you are clear! If you are found guilty, you are expected to pay your fine right then and there. But you dont even have to testify. if you chose to go to court but not testify... you can take a safe driving course. its usually 50 bucks, and is 6 hours on a saturday. Thats your safest choice because the ticket will be cleared a short time after that, and it lowers your insurance rate. Good Luck.

Answer 2

Since laws vary by state you should call the Clerk of the Court and ask.  If it was written by a cop you could call the police department and ask.  Ditto the Highway Patrol.

In many states you still have to pay the fine, but if you go to traffic school you don't get any points on your record.

Answer 3

You can plead guilty and mail in a check, or you can go to court and fight it. If you have a good reason for passing on the shoulder (ie. to avoid an accident) you might want to plead not guilty and go to court.  

Answer 4

Does the citation have a fine amount?  If so just go to the courthouse, pay the fine and you won't have to go to court.  I can't imagine the court would be willing to spend time on a simple case of passing on the shoulder.

Answer 5

You need to get permission from the courts before you take a traffic school. If you call the courts (where your citation came from) they should be able to look up your information to be able to determine if you can take a traffic school. I took a great ONLINE class with http://www.ticketrelief.com. It was fast, easy and affordable.The best part was I was able to do it in the comfort of my own home!  

Answer 6

You DO NOT have to go to court.

BUT... If you don't go a warrant will be issued for your arrest for failure to appear.

But... You don't have to go and it's up to you.

But... For a failure to appear you will definitely receive a harsher punishment that may include jail time.

But... It's still up to you!

Answer 7

If you aren't contesting, then just pay the fine when you get the notice in the mail. If you are contesting or seeking traffic school, you will need to show-up to court.

Answer 8

You havent told us what state you are in - so no one can answer your question.

However, if I were you, Id not waste traffic school on such an infraction. Id save traffic school for a big infraction, like speeding, which might net you double points on your record...

And, you MIGHT get something in the mail telling you the fine you must pay. But, if you dont before that date on the ticket, Id suggest you go to court.  

Answer 9

When you take the ticket to the place you go to pay, they'll tell you if you need a court date. Some little moving violations like that only require paying a fine. If you have a lot of violations before this one, they might consider you a public nuisance and haul you before a judge. If this is your only ticket in two years or more, you might be permitted to go to traffic school, which will cost more than the ticket, but keeps your driving record clear of that one violation. The advantage is a good one. Why didn't you know to not pass on the shoulder?

Traffic school will cover the majority of laws people commoly break and why they are laws. You will learn how to keep safe while driving and how to not create problems for others.