Do I need to pay this speeding ticket? (credit rating, insurance)

[sdepauw8]

I rented a car in NY with my NY driver's license and was driving through VA when I got a speeding ticket (shocking, I know). The fine is due April 4th. I will be switching my NY driver's license to a DC license on March 20th. With it being a rental car, a different state, and now a different driver's license, can I get away with not paying it?

[Teebyrd86]

Wow dosnt surprise me.. driving on I-81 I always see some fool with a New York or another state from up that way driving like a nut. If your going to drive in our state be respectful of the other drivers on the road for god sakes. Now.. Whether your driving a rental car or not it dosnt matter. You could be driving your mothers car you still got a ticket. Its going on your record and your record goes with you to another state. You need to pay that fine. If you dont pay it they will find out. Its not like you get a new drivers license and your record goes away. YOU BROKE THE LAW now YOU MUST PAY FOR IT.. simple as that!

Originally Posted by sdepauw8

I rented a car in NY with my NY driver's license and was driving through VA when I got a speeding ticket (shocking, I know). The fine is due April 4th. I will be switching my NY driver's license to a DC license on March 20th. With it being a rental car, a different state, and now a different driver's license, can I get away with not paying it?

[Charley]

New York is pretty good at tracking down traffic violators. When you go to exchange licenses, the new state will probably check with the old state to be sure that it's clean before issuing the new license. (Otherwise, everyone who ever got a ticket would just switch states and move along).

I'd pay the ticket, keep my record - and my credit rating - clean and slow down a bit. Be safer and you'll be around longer to keep on posting!

Best of luck and success in DC.

[sdepauw8]

Well, first of all, I'm not a fool. Second of all, I wasn't driving like a nut. Having just driven out of Pennsylvania where driving 85 in a 55 was the norm (which seems crazy to me), I didn't realize that driving 75 in a 65 in Va would land me a ticket. So now that I understand that these people aren't lazy and won't forget about it, I need to decide if I should pay it before I switch my NY license to a DC license, because I understand that a Va ticket will not put points on my NY license, but I don't know if it will on a DC license. I typically always fight a ticket, but don't know if I should in this case.

[Dr.Jim]

Dont assume anything about points. State DMV's are now networked. I live in MI, and got a ticket in VA for doing 6 over on I-81. And I got a notice from my insurance company within 2 weeks, and checked with Mi DMV and it was there.

Again,...what is the issue here? You are 'attempting' to circumvent paying a ticket you are guilty of. It WILL go on your driving record,....new license or not it will stay with you. If by chance it is somehow missed in the short term,....you could very well find yourself with a big surprise down the road.

[sdepauw8]

I just don't know if 0 points on a NY license could somehow be transferred into points on a DC license. NY does not put points on your license for an out of state ticket. DC does. I don't know if NY would still have some report of a speeding violation, that DC would then add points for once I applied for a DC license. I also don't know what happens if the paperwork doesn't get completed by the time I get my DC license-- would the Va ticket get reported directly to DC because that's where my current license is (and I would get points), or would it be handled by NY because I had a NY license when I got the ticket (and hence, would get no points)?

[Dr.Jim]

Drivers license points and insurance points are DIFFERENT. Your DMV point system may or may not be affected via transfer....these points are used intra-state for driving privilege allocation. Insurance companies use a different system,...and EVEN if you get a ticket for a 0 point DMV offense, it will still have some point value on your insurance. Some insurance companies will not adjust premiums on a first offense in X years though.

Your insurance will find out about this. It will affect you wherever you go, regardless of your license.

And you dont need to know every little detail. Why are you so adamently trying to find a way to skirt the system? You broke the law,...you got caught. Pay your fine.

You are spending so much time 'thinking' and analyzing this, who knows exactly what interstate systems, procedures and protocols exist? And you certainly won't find 'absolute' answers regarding those intricacies on a public forum. People will give opinions and guesses as well.

So here's an idea. Dont pay the ticket and see what happens?
Either way your insurance WILL know about it,..so dont even bother trying to figure that out.
And maybe 5 years from now, you'll be driving through VA again,....or maybe another state with an information agreement from Va,....you'll get pulled over, and find out you have a civil warrant out for your arrest.

Good luck.

[Waterboy526]

just an FYI. I'm sure you can find it somewhere on here, but when I was going through the Police academy in 2003 (no longer a cop) there was only like 4 states in the country in which we did not have agreements with. I believe Alaska was one of them. So pretty much every state shares info nowadays.

[Sunset_Va]

I believe Alaska was one of them

Go ahead and pay up, either pay now or later.

But I don't believe that junk about some one stated earlier about premiums not going up in 10 years safe driving.

I was in accident last fall, was the person written ticket (failure to yield r/w) and I ASKED my insurance company..is my insurance going to increase if I pre pay this? If it is, I am going to go to court , because I felt there were some circumstances affecting the wreck , which may have changed the ticket.

NO, they stated, you have been a safe driver with no wrecks or claims since 1982, ok, I said I wont go to court. I prepayed the offense. And my insurance covered my damage and the other persons also.

Two weeks ago, got a letter from my insurance telling me since I WAS AT FAULT , my premiums are going up $180 per year.

If an insurance company tells you your rates are not going up due to you being charged or involved in a wreck........

GET THAT IN WRITING.......

Good luck with your speeding ticket....and be a little bit more careful...

Have a good day!

oh, concerning the text quote....now you know why Alaska attracts so many people.

[vanyali]

VA is full of speed traps. I know that's true of a lot of states, but it seems to me that VA is particularly bad with that. I agree that there's no good reason to pull someone over for going 10 over the limit on a highway, but I know it's done. Sorry about the ticket. I think you should pay it. Consider it a tax for setting foot (tire?) in VA.