If I get a ticket in another state, what should I do?
Having our offices in the southern part of Florida, you may not think we get asked about driving into another state and receiving a traffic ticket, but you'd be surprised. Whether you are out of town on business in a rental a car, or if you decided to pack the family up for a long road trip out of Florida in your own car, getting a ticket in another state can have an impact on your driver's license.
Therefore, before you can call and ask "What should I do if I get a ticket in another state?" Because I like you, I'll tell you now.
The first question you must answer is "Which state is the one where you received your current driver's license?" Let's call that your "home" state. You then need to determine how your "home" state treats tickets received outside of your "home" state (i.e. in another state).
Every state is different and you may want to check your state's Department of Motor Vehicles Website. For Florida, you can CLICK HERE, but again, because I'm feeling especially generous, I will save you some time and give you the answer.
If Florida is your "home" state, be advised, Florida treats any ticket received outside of Florida as if it was given in Florida.
So, in case that was confusing, if you have a Florida license, and you get a speeding ticket in Georgia (or any other state not named Florida), and you pay that ticket, you will get points on your Florida license. The reason, and I hope you're getting this, is because, speeding tickets in Florida carry points if you pay it.
This is why, for those of you who get tickets outside of Florida and have a Florida license, you must fight that ticket with a local traffic attorney. If you cannot find an attorney, as a last resort, you can elect traffic school, but there are restrictions on that, so again, you need to check the Florida DMV website about out of state traffic school.
If you are still confused, no worries, we're here to help. And even though we don't handle matters outside of Florida, if you have a Florida license, we can still offer you some free legal advice. You can call us at 954-370-9999 or email me at bkowitt@ungerandkowitt.com.
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