Georgia Traffic Tickets and Out of State Drivers
How Will A Georgia Traffic Ticket Affect My Out of State Driver’s License?
You were visiting or driving through the great state of Georgia when all of a sudden – you got pulled over for speeding or some other traffic violation! What happens now? Will you have to come back here for court? What happens if you just pay it online? Will it put points on your driver’s license back home? What about your insurance? The answers all depend on where you’re from and what type of ticket you got.
Will I have to come back to Georgia on my court date?
Not necessarily. If it is a minor traffic violation, like a speeding ticket, a local GA attorney can usually handle it without you having to appear in court. More serious charges, such as DUI, Hit and Run, or Driving With a Suspended License, almost always require at least one court appearance though. Having a free consultation with an experienced local traffic ticket lawyer can help you determine if you will need to hire an attorney or handle it yourself.
Can’t I just pay my ticket online and be done with it?
Yes you can. However, that may result in points being added to your license in your home state, additional super speeder penalties being levied, or even a suspension of your license. It all depends on the points system in your home state and whether or not the citation result is transmitted to them once your case is resolved. If your state is stricter than Georgia, you could face stiffer penalties down the road if your Georgia citation is not handled correctly.
What if I plead “nolo” or “no contest”?
A ‘nolo contendre’ plea or a plea of ‘no contest’ is still considered a guilty plea in most jurisdictions. In Georgia, a nolo plea can keep points from going on your license (You get to use this option once every five years) however, other states do not have to honor that arrangement, and most do not. So you still end up with points.
Can I keep points from going on my license? My insurance is too high as it is.
Again, it depends on your home state’s rules. Some states, like Georgia, do not assign points for certain violations, such as speeding below 15 mph over the limit, Too Fast For Conditions, or Improper Equipment. Other states give points for a ticket even just 1 mph over the limit and everything else too! An experienced Georgia traffic ticket attorney can research your home state’s point system and factor that into negotiating a resolution with the court that may eliminate or minimize the long term consequences of your ticket.
What Do I Do First?
If you have received a speeding ticket or other traffic violation citation in Morgan, Greene, Putnam, Jasper, Newton, Oconee, or Taliaferro county, call Michael Fulcher Law today for a free consultation to determine if you need to hire an attorney and what the possible consequences of your ticket would be if you handled it yourself. Remember, you don’t always need a lawyer for a traffic ticket but having one those times you do can make all the difference.
