Watchung Speeding Lawyers

Consequences of failure to respond to your ticket or to show up at court

Normally, speeding tickets are heard in municipal court unless there were other offenses involved, such as driving while intoxicated (DWI). If a driver fails to appear at the designated hearing date, and has not paid the fines, the Watchung municipal court judge will likely issue a “failure to appear” notice and relist your case for a future date. The notice will be mailed to the driver’s address and will allow the driver time to comply with any instructions on the notice.

The judge could issue a warrant for your arrest (a bench warrant) either at the original hearing date or at the time set forth in the failure to appear notice if you fail to appear again. In addition to the humiliation of being arrested, the judge could order that your driver’s license be suspended until the warrant and the underlying speeding ticket are resolved. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will receive immediate notice of the suspension.

If you ignore the bench warrant, the warrant can stay open for years and you may be arrested at work, at home, or anywhere the police find you. If you drive while your license is suspended, you could be arrested or your license could be revoked, requiring you to respond to both the speeding ticket and the license suspension charge.

Drivers who have a legitimate reason for not being able to attend a hearing should let the municipal court know before the hearing date. Often a continuance will be granted. If the court denies a continuance request, you will be required to appear at the hearing.

If a bench warrant is issued, you can explain why you failed to appear. If you had a legitimate reason such as a death in the family, the judge may excuse your failure to respond. Otherwise, the judge can order the driver to pay a contempt of court fine and then proceed with the speeding ticket violation.