Traffic tickets can be frustrating to get and paying associated fines can be a significant financial hit.

However, they are not something that should be ignored, however painful; ignoring a ticket does not make it go away and often makes the situation worse, risking issuance of warrants, enhanced penalties and license points, and possible license suspension. Continuing to ignore citations can make resolving those issues significantly more difficult.

Missouri License Points System

In Missouri (and across the country), the state tracks “points” assessed against your license for various offenses. 2 or 3 points for speeding, 2-4 points for reckless driving, 4 points for driving without insurance and so on. See the Missouri Department of Revenue’s website for a more complete list of potential points offenses.

Accumulating points is grounds for an insurance company to raise your insurance premiums, itself a painful consequence of an otherwise relatively minor citation. More seriously, accumulating too many points will also lead to the suspension of your license, or possibly the revocation of your license entirely. 8 or more points in 18 months will result in a 30-90 day suspension, but 12 points in a year is all it takes to have your license revoked for a year, with increasing revocation periods for increasing amounts of points over time.

As few as 3 speeding ticket convictions, assuming no other charges, is all it may take to be suspended. Once points are assessed, they remain on your record for up to 3 years, leaving you with increased premiums for that period and a heightened risk of more significant consequences. Not all citations come with points – non-moving violations typically carry only financial penalties, not points, which is an important component of how an attorney may be able to assist you with your citations.

Traffic Court, Warrants, and Fines

Once a citation is issued, it will typically have an assigned court date or provide notice that a date will be mailed to your address of record – this is important if your address is out of date, as your non-receipt of the notice due to an out-of-date address is not necessarily protection should you miss a court date. If you have a court date, it is important to attend, or if you cannot then to secure a continued court date (courts may or may not be willing to continue a hearing without an attorney requesting a continuance). Failure to attend will, eventually, lead to a warrant being issued for your arrest related to the citation, meaning a future, even mundane interaction with law enforcement may lead to your being detained and brought to the Court. Often citations will provide a mechanism to admit guilt and pay the fine online without attending court. While convenient and perfectly legitimate, if the offense is points-bearing, this means you will assume the points. Working with an attorney may provide a way to both avoid court and any points on the ticket – but probably not avoid a fine; while circumstances may make it possible to get certain tickets dismissed, this is by and large not a realistic outcome for most tickets legitimately issued.

Prosecutor Recommended Sentencing

Missouri provides mechanisms for an attorney to discuss with the local prosecutor and potentially obtain a recommended sentencing, reducing moving violations to non-moving violations, instead paying an increased fine. Often, this can avoid the need to attend court at all, avoid any points being assessed against your license, and quickly resolve citations all at once. More serious offenses may require more significant concessions to avoid more serious punishments, or a repeat offender may find courts unwilling to entertain recommended sentences at all, especially from young drivers. Recalling Warrants If you already have a warrant issued due to an outstanding ticket, an attorney may be able to seek to have the warrant recalled, and at the same time seek a reduction to a non-moving violation. It is always a bad idea to ignore warrants once issued – it is not necessarily too late to resolve the citation in a favorable manner. Resolving citations favorable does become more difficult the longer it is outstanding and the more unaddressed citations there are. Waiting will not make tickets or warrants go away, while prompt action through an attorney may mitigate the harm to your pocketbook and license.