If you receive a citation in Georgia for a moving traffic violation, the ticket will sometimes allow you to simply pay a fine for the violation which is a guilty plea, go to court yourself or you can hire a Georgia Traffic Lawyer to go to court to on your behalf and negotiate a reduction of the violation and points of the ticket. All moving traffic violations in Georgia are considered criminal misdemeanors. Thus, if you do not pay the ticket, have an attorney go to court on your behalf, or go to court yourself, you will be in a status known as “Failure to Appear” also known as “FTA” for that ticket/violation.
Some courts will give you up to 30 days after your court date and subsequently notify you via regular mail of the Failure to Appear charge and your status, advising that you pay or appear, others may not provide warning or send the letter to an incorrect address. Eventually, if you do not pay the ticket or appear in court, a bench warrant may be issued for your arrest. If you continue to ignore a Failure to Appear notice or letter, your driver’s license, even if you live in another state, could be suspended.
The violation and the Failure to Appear will have reported to the Georgia Department of Driver Services and subsequently go on your driving record and points will be assigned based on the violation itself. If you live in another state and get a traffic citation in Georgia, the Georgia DDS will (in most cases)report the violation back to your home state. You can be assigned points based on how that violation is reported in your state, which may be different than the points/penalties assigned in Georgia.
What Can Be Done If You Are In Failure to Appear Status in Georgia?
You can call the court to get additional information on the Failure to Appear Charge. You can contact a Georgia Traffic Lawyer for a free consultation regarding the ticket and Failure to Appear Charge and how to resolve it. If you do not have all the information about the Failure to Appear, we recommend that you obtain a copy of your Driving History (MVR) from your state’s department of driver services(DDS or BMV) so that you know which court has the outstanding ticket.
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