Traffic Ticket Late Fee - 8x The Actual Ticket

[jujuface]

I originally had a ticket for operating an uninspected vehicle, which in my court (Fairfax County District Court - Virginia) costs $40 with a $67 court processing fee. I planned on going to court to show that I got the inspection done - which in the officer's own words would get me out of the ticket 80% of the time. I woke up very ill that day and missed my court date. I received a notice to pay in the mail a few days after my trial date. This notice was for $352 which I thought was a mistake, being several times my original ticket.
I called the court and was told that if I miss my trial date, the judge can throw the $40 "prepay" charge out the window and decide what to charge me for the ticket, and his decision was to charge $250. This seems ridiculous to me so I was wondering if this is a common practice and if there is any way to appeal this? Or am I just unlucky and the judge decided to throw the book at me for my first ticket as an adult?

 

[Zigner]

I originally had a ticket for operating an uninspected vehicle, which in my court (Fairfax County District Court - Virginia) costs $40 with a $67 court processing fee. I planned on going to court to show that I got the inspection done - which in the officer's own words would get me out of the ticket 80% of the time. I woke up very ill that day and missed my court date. I received a notice to pay in the mail a few days after my trial date. This notice was for $352 which I thought was a mistake, being several times my original ticket.
I called the court and was told that if I miss my trial date, the judge can throw the $40 "prepay" charge out the window and decide what to charge me for the ticket, and his decision was to charge $250. This seems ridiculous to me so I was wondering if this is a common practice and if there is any way to appeal this? Or am I just unlucky and the judge decided to throw the book at me for my first ticket as an adult?

Welcome to the grown-up world. Sometimes you HAVE to do things, even if you don't feel good.

 

[jujuface]

Welcome to the grown-up world. Sometimes you HAVE to do things, even if you don't feel good.

Thanks, although I've been a grown-up for 6 years, just haven't been getting tickets. I understood completely that I would have to pay a fine for not appearing in court, but I also understood that in most states this fine is about the same as the court processing fee - it would make sense having to pay another court processing fee for not appearing. My question was is it common for your ticket to go from $40 to $250 simply because you were absent for your trial? The way the clerk worded it to me sounds like I am not being fined at all for not appearing on my trial date - and that the judge could have decided to charge $250 for the uninspected vehicle even if I was there and pleaded guilty.

 

[Ohiogal]

I originally had a ticket for operating an uninspected vehicle, which in my court (Fairfax County District Court - Virginia) costs $40 with a $67 court processing fee. I planned on going to court to show that I got the inspection done - which in the officer's own words would get me out of the ticket 80% of the time. I woke up very ill that day and missed my court date. I received a notice to pay in the mail a few days after my trial date. This notice was for $352 which I thought was a mistake, being several times my original ticket.
I called the court and was told that if I miss my trial date, the judge can throw the $40 "prepay" charge out the window and decide what to charge me for the ticket, and his decision was to charge $250. This seems ridiculous to me so I was wondering if this is a common practice and if there is any way to appeal this? Or am I just unlucky and the judge decided to throw the book at me for my first ticket as an adult?

What is ridiculous is that you thought you had a choice of attending your trial date. You are lucky you don't have a warrant for your arrest.

 

[Ohiogal]

Thanks, although I've been a grown-up for 6 years, just haven't been getting tickets. I understood completely that I would have to pay a fine for not appearing in court, but I also understood that in most states this fine is about the same as the court processing fee - it would make sense having to pay another court processing fee for not appearing. My question was is it common for your ticket to go from $40 to $250 simply because you were absent for your trial? The way the clerk worded it to me sounds like I am not being fined at all for not appearing on my trial date - and that the judge could have decided to charge $250 for the uninspected vehicle even if I was there and pleaded guilty.

YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT APPEARING. You thought you did and you were highly mistaken. Pay the fine. You could be sitting in jail.

 

[FlyingRon]

Of course, he had a choice on appearing. He could have paid the ticket, he could have requested a continuance. He chose not to do any of those things and blew off the promise to appear he made. Believe me the first thing the judge did was to have the clerk make sure he hadn't paid at the last minute (you can do this online even).

Judges don't like people who just blow the off. I'm quite familiar with the Fairfax General District Court (I've lived for 25 years just a couple of miles away). You promised to pay the ticket or appear. You did neither. You had ten days to protest the decision, but I suspect you blew that off as well.

I don't know what states you consider "most" states to be, but it's not the Commonwealth of Virginia, nor any of the neighboring states (DC doubles the fines when you do this), nor California, which has even a larger FTA penalty.

 

[Ohiogal]

I apologize. I should have said, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT DEALING WITH THE SITUATION BY THE COURT DATE.

OP didn't. Therefore, OP suffers the consequences. Excuses are NOT necessarily good enough.