Traffic Ticket Urban Legends

If The Officer Does Not Show Up In Court The Ticket Will Be Dismissed

The biggest urban legend/myth, or the assumption we hear more than anything else is regarding the appearance of a driver in court and the non-appearance, or no show of the officer that issued the ticket. Isn’t it true that if the officer does NOT show up in court on my appointed court date and I show up that my ticket will be automatically dismissed??

The answer is NO, there is no ubiquitous “automatically dismissed” rule or law, let alone a straightforward dismissal (without a fine payment)  that is universal in courts across Georgia or any other state. There might be a slight chance that it could occur somewhere in some courts, but would you want to take that chance when your driving record and insurance rates could be impacted by the ticket? Way too much on the line.

The Officer Made A Mistake On My Ticket So It Will Be “Thrown Out”

If your car is black and the officer wrote green, if the manufacturer and year of your vehicle are wrong, your hair is brown and the officer wrote blonde, these are no valid reasons to throw out, dismiss or reduce the ticket. Even if your birth date is incorrect….there is enough information on the ticket to match it to you and therefore you will still have to deal with the ticket and fine payment.

I Did Not Sign The Ticket So Its Not Valid

Not signing the speeding ticket, traffic ticket after an accident you’ve been cited for, or any other moving violation does NOT invalidate the ticket. It might anger the officer and in some states/counties/cities you could wind up arrested. Signing the ticket is not an admission of guilt which many believe is the case.

If You Overpay By One Cent, A Refund Check Is Sent, If You Don’t Cash The Check, The Ticket Won’t Be Reported

Of course, this is just plain nonsense! Why would a check for a penny hold up the rest of the payment even after you’ve paid the fine? If you try this one it’s pretty much guaranteed you will just have a voided check after a period of time as the check won’t be good so please don’t do it.

And though not an urban legend, many drivers go to court on their own and plead NOLO, unaware that though the points for a violation may be removed, the offense itself does report on your record.

Call a Georgia traffic attorney to find out your rights! Don’t base your options on what others have to say on the internet as there is so much out there it’s difficult to weed out fact from fiction.