Unpaid Speeding Ticket in CA

[suzanolivia]

ABout 2 years ago I recieved a speeding ticket in CA (I believe Santa Cruz county). The ticket was for going about 70 in a 55 MPH zone. I was issued the ticket, but never recieved anything in the mail to let me know how much the fine was.

Over the years I'd forgotten about ever getting this ticket, until I recently purchased new auto insurance and it showed up on my record.

How do I resolve this? Can I just wait for a statute of limitations to run out on this ticket and ignore it? note: I was driving a car which I no longer own in a county I don't live in and have also changed my name (from married to maiden) since the ticket.

Or do I need to call the county the ticket was issued in and say "Hi, I have an unpaid traffic ticket, how much is it?" and pay it? My concern about doing this is that I will need to appear in court or face other penalties for not paying the ticket until now.

I'm worried, help?

 

[seniorjudge]

Q: How do I resolve this?

A: Surrender.



Q: Can I just wait for a statute of limitations to run out on this ticket and ignore it?

A: The SOL stopped running the second the ticket was written.

 

[suzanolivia]

Fine with me, I'd rather just pay. The real question is, are there any penalties (other than monetary) that will be applied when I call and tell them I need to pay this ticket?

 

[CdwJava]

Why didn't you just show up at the court date on the original citation??

In any event, there may be a warrant for your arrest, so that will likely have to be dealt with as well. You might consider contacting an attorney in Santa Cruz County and having them look into the matter. They can likely arrange a surrender and bail, or simply a new court date so that you can pay the fine or do whatever you need to do to clear the matter up. It is not the crime of the century, and they likely don't want to lock you up for this, but it might get tricky - and expensive - if that as festered for a long time.

- Carl