Traffic Tickets in Georgia - An Overview

If you live within the state of Georgia, or are planning to move there sometime within the near future, or if you are even just planning on driving through, an awareness of the nature of traffic violations and traffic tickets issued within the state will prove very beneficial to you. This, as it will not only help to keep you on the right side of the law, but it should also benefit you financially, as it will help to prevent you from using your much needed money to pay for traffic tickets.

It is a known fact that laws, including traffic laws, differ from state to state, and Georgia is no exception. While many of the traffic violations in Georgia bear striking resemblances to traffic violations in other states, there are some that can prove to be quite different.

For drivers within the state who find themselves in the unfortunate position of being a traffic offender, the first contact with an actual traffic ticket may come in the form of a citation, which indicates the nature of the violation, and provide information on when and how to respond to the ticket.

Drivers who find themselves in this predicament may have been cited for any number of traffic violations. A few of the major traffic violations that occur within the state include speeding or driving too slowly, driving under the influence, running traffic lights, failure to acknowledge pedestrians within crosswalks, or failure to yield. Additionally, the state of Georgia classifies violations as ‘moving’ and ‘non-moving’ violations. It is therefore possible for you to receive a traffic ticket without even driving your car. Some of these ‘non-moving’ violations include illegal parking, driving with expired license or expired vehicle registration, or simply stepping away for a minute and leaving your car running.

No overview of the nature of the traffic violations within the state of Georgia is complete without the provision of an overview of traffic ticket costs. Within the state, the average traffic ticket generally starts at two-hundred fifty dollars, and increases exponentially based on the nature of the violation. Additionally, if you find yourself at odds with the new ‘super speeder’ law that came into effect in January 2010, then you will be required to pay a fine of two hundred dollars, in addition to your regular ticket cost, whatever that may be.

Once you have received a traffic ticket, your next step is to decide on a course of action. If you choose to simply accept the fine then you do not have to appear in traffic court. You may simply mail your payment to the relevant office. A note of caution however; you need to provide at least two weeks for your payment to arrive at its destination and be entered into the system. If your payment is not recorded and you do not appear for the scheduled court hearing, a bench warrant may be issued for your arrest. You want to avoid this at all costs, so if you choose to mail in your payment, be certain that you monitor it to ensure receipt.

Another option available to you is to actually make an appearance in traffic court where you may attempt to fight the charges levied against you. If you choose to do this, it is best you retain the services of an experienced attorney, as traffic court in Georgia can get really tricky and quite lonely and confusing when you are on your own.

Now that you have garnered a brief understanding of the nature of traffic tickets and traffic violations within the state of Georgia, I do hope that you will be able to avoid becoming one of the many Georgia motorists who will receive a traffic citation this year.