I have old traffic tickets. What should I do? Should I be afraid to go to court?

Hi, my name is Heather Ford and I am a traffic attorney in the city of New Orleans- also known as the Traffic Ticket Lady. What should you do if you have a bunch of old traffic tickets that you’re ready to resolve? Should you be scared or nervous about going to court?

Before I get started, if you ever have any questions about a suspended license, a violation for driving with a suspended license, a traffic ticket, or anything of that nature, you can always shoot me a text or call me at 504-233-8529. You can also schedule a free strategy session at  traffictickettalks.com.

If you have one ticket and maybe it’s been a few years, maybe it was a speeding ticket, maybe you’ve had your license suspended, maybe you have an open attachment for it… I think you can feel pretty comfortable going into most courts and trying to resolve it.

What if it’s a ticket you’ve been going to court about a lot? Maybe you’ve made three or four appearances on it and it still hasn’t wrapped up? That’s a threshold where you have to be a little bit careful. The court does eventually tire of excuses and I have seen people walk into court about an old traffic ticket they’ve had for a year. Maybe they made some payments, then they stop making payments, and the court will put that person on house arrest. 

If you just miss your court date once or twice and you say, “I have this ticket, I’m really scared but I’m ready to get resolved” I think you can feel pretty comfortable and in most instances, they’ll work with you to resolve it. I will say if you have a lot of tickets and you missed multiple times, I would suggest going to court with a little money. Those are the type of things will make the court a little bit happy to show that you’re serious, things will be different, and you’re truly ready to move forward. 

I would be a little more hesitant walking into a courtroom by myself with five or six old traffic tickets that haven’t been resolved, they have been lingering for years, and with no plan to resolve them. That could be a potential recipe to not be able to miss your court date again. Don’t be scared, you can always find somebody to work with you to help resolve those issues. I’m not always saying you need to hire a lawyer, but sometimes hiring one does indicate to court that things are different, and that you’re trying to move forward, and that you are prepared to take care of things. 

If you’re ever in an instance where you owe money to the court, but you just don’t have it, don’t just not make that payment. Go to court, talk to the judge, be honest about your situation, let him know when you will have some money, and make a request, and most importantly, honor whatever agreement you make to the court. I find that the biggest issues come from when you make agreements and promises that you don’t fulfill and you don’t come and explain yourself. If you make three payments in a row, you’ve had one bad month or maybe you was recently laid off, that is something the court, in most cases, will work with you on. Just not appearing at court with no explanation and not paying, it’s a good way to get an attachment issued and get arrested one day.

If you have old traffic tickets and need some insight on what to do next, text me and get a free consultation with the Traffic Ticket Lady. She can help you understand your situation, your options, and work to protect your wallet and your time.

If you ever have any questions about DMV fees, traffic tickets, or a suspended license, I’d be happy to speak with you. You can always shoot me a quick text at 504-233-8529 or visit my website trafficticketlady.com.