Nothing ruins a day like a traffic ticket. If you unaware of your offense, it’s terrifying to see a police officer flagging you down from behind. When you are informed that you ran a red light or were speeding on the highway, you probably tried to plead ignorance and insist that you didn’t know of your crime. Yet there is a chance that the officer who enlightened you of your crime will also issue you a punishment in the form of a multi-hundred-dollar speeding ticket. If you get one of these tickets, you don’t have to go to court to pay it. The ticket you received is known as an “infraction” and the punishment can be satisfied if you send a check to the address specified on your ticket. You may also need to complete traffic school if the police officer sees fit to add that punishment.

Some people receive a traffic ticket at a time when they are struggling with finances. If you receive this pricey punishment and are having a hard time making ends meet, it may be tempting to avoid the ticket altogether. You may assume that if you don’t pay it, the debt will disappear and you can get on with life without losing $200-$800. Yet the fact is that in most cases, you need to pay your ticket as soon as possible. If needed, you may want to borrow money from a friend or family member, or forego a luxury for the next month or so until the ticket is paid off.

If you fail to pay your traffic ticket and/or avoid a court date, the court can issue a warrant for your arrest on contempt of court. In a worst case scenario, you may be held behind bars until you pay up. You may also lose your driver’s license because you didn’t pay your ticket. With a suspended driver’s license on your record, you insurance may shoot up. The police department may issue you an additional ticket to pay, and there might be new financial consequences for failing to pay the first expense. If you have failed to pay a ticket, you need to call your county court to check on the status of your license. Ask if it has been suspended, and also ask if the county court has issued a warrant for your arrest. If they haven’t hen you will want to make every effort to pay your ticket as soon as possible. Your failure to pay up could end up costing you much more than you would have ever wanted.

The one exception when it comes to ignoring a traffic infraction is automated tickets. In certain states, an automated ticket is not enforceable because of their impersonal nature. For example, in parts of California, if you are ticketed by a photo enforced red light camera, the courts cannot insist that you pay your ticket. You will be issued one, but you can’t be arrested if you avoid the payments. This is because you were never physically pulled over by a police officer. The same is true when people are ticketed by an automated radar gun. In Ohio, these radar guns in boxes would clock drivers, photograph license plates, and issue multi-hundred dollar tickets to anyone who is driving significantly over the speed limit. Yet since these were not punishments issued by a police officer, the government declared that they were not enforceable.

Still, this is not a call to ignore your ticket altogether. If you are in this situation, you still should contact the court house and explain your situation. Chances are that your contact will inform you that the ticket is not enforceable. Once again, failing to pay your traffic infraction punishments could end up costing you much more than you ever anticipated. Talk to a criminal defense lawyer if your traffic ticket has blown out of proportion and you need to take the issue to court!