Millions of people come to New Orleans every year to enjoy the food, music, and culture – and a healthy fraction of them commit traffic violations that result in a ticket.
Your natural instinct may be to just ignore the traffic ticket you got while visiting New Orleans, but there are serious consequences that should convince you otherwise.
At Crescent City Law, our New Orleans attorneys have been helping people with traffic tickets for years. With our legal assistance and experience, you can keep that ticket off of your driving record and prevent it from raising your insurance rates.
Do You Need to Pay an Out-of-State Traffic Ticket? Let’s Look at the Driver License Compact
In 1958, 45 states and the District of Columbia formed the Driver License Compact, which is an agreement to share the driver’s license and traffic violation information of drivers.
Under the Driver License Compact, a driver who commits a traffic violation in one state may be penalized by the authorities in their home state.
That means that if you commit a traffic infraction in Louisiana, the Louisiana government will send on the details of that violation to your home state.
This could lead to fines, suspension of license, and insurance rate increases – even if you committed the traffic violation in a state you are no longer in.
The National Driver Register is a national database that stores information about drivers who have had their licenses revoked or suspended, or have committed serious violations like driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If your name is included in the National Driver Register, you may be denied a license in a new state.
Options for Dealing with an Out-of-state Traffic Ticket
You might have the natural reaction to just ignore the ticket if you don’t plan on returning to Louisiana, but this is not advisable.
The traffic ticket will be shared with your local authorities who may impose large fines, suspend your license or even jail you. Furthermore, your home state can notify your insurer—who will likely raise your premiums.
Here are some other ways to respond to your traffic ticket in New Orleans:
- Just pay the fine—If you choose to pay the fine, you are admitting to guilt. Initially, this may seem like the least painful option, but you may still see a bump in insurance rates.
- Fight the charges alone—Many people think that they can go to court without legal representation and have the ticket dismissed; in almost all of those cases, the driver was severely disappointed. Not only did they have to pay the ticket fine, but they also had to pay court fees. Additionally, they had to return to New Orleans for one or two appearances in traffic court.
- Hire an experienced attorney—Your best option is to hire a qualified Louisiana traffic ticket lawyer who can appear in court on your behalf and make convincing arguments to plead down to a lesser charge or dismiss the ticket entirely. You don’t need to appear in court yourself, and an experienced attorney may be able to replace a fine with participation in an online traffic school.
Hire Crescent City Law for All of Your Traffic Law Needs
Crescent City Law has been helping the people of New Orleans and from around the country with Louisiana traffic tickets for years. With an unparalleled reputation for getting the best possible outcome for their clients, John Radziewicz and his team will put their years of legal experience to work for you.
Schedule a consultation now to initiate your traffic court defense.
