So you're driving along one day after work. The windshield wipers are flicking back and forth along your windshield, making a slight screech sound with each pass. You're tired. You're hungry. You want to get home, sit on the couch, and not be starting at that same pair of taillights you've been staring at for the past fifteen minutes as you inch along. You flick your blinker, pull into the HOV lane, zip around a couple cars a little too quickly, and suddenly you see the unwelcome site of flashing red and blue lights in your rearview mirror. While you mutter some unpleasant words to yourself a man in blue walks up to your car, asks for some documentation from you, and several minutes later you find yourself staring at a couple documents you really didn't want.
You shove the documents in your glove box and continue home. Time passes, your memory fades, and the documents sit in the glove box amongst a collection of napkins from fast food restaurants without a passing thought. Not that big of a deal, right?
You wish. Failure to properly respond to a traffic ticket will result in the court with proper jurisdiction simply finding it committed for you. A committed ticket that is unpaid then will eventually be reported by the court to the Department of Licensing, who will then send you a letter informing you that your license will be suspended on a certain date for failure to pay a ticket. This can lead to a rather nasty surprise out on the highways if you forgot to check your mail or update your address with the Department of Licensing when you last moved.
Although it's the least serious degree of suspension in the State of WA, a Driving While Suspended Third Degree charge can carry jail time along with additions fines which can add to your tab of things that must be paid in order to drive legally in the State of WA again. So, how do you avoid this little problem? How do you fix it once your license has been suspended?
· Show up to court and remember to respond to traffic tickets. While going to court may seem intimidating or inconvenient, you may find that the court is an indispensible resource.
· Don't put off making court payments. Time passes quickly and courts do not forget that you owe them money.
· Make sure your address is up to date with not only the courts you have a case with, but also the Department of Licensing.
· Never assume "it's just a traffic ticket or a misdemeanor so it's not a big deal." What seems like a small deal can often times spiral into something much bigger.
Due to the volume of cases and expenses, many of the courts in the North Sound area are not equipped to handle the collection of fines for committed infractions and fines/costs associated with a conviction. If you call most courts in the area to make a payment, you'll find many local court clerks will direct you to a local collection agency to set up a payment plan on such costs as soon as possible.
Not only is it important to set up a payment plan as soon as possible to avoid those nasty collection fees, but also because failure to pay on certain traffic related court costs can cause your ability to drive to be suspended or revoked in the third degree. Although it's the least serious degree of suspension in the State of WA, a Driving While Suspended Third Degree charge can carry jail time along with additions fines which can add to your tab of things that must be paid in order to drive legally in the State of WA again.
Whether you have a valid driver's or intend to get one ultimately doesn't matter to the Department of Licensing; Once you fail to pay a court cost, the court will notify the department of licensing who will then mail you a letter to your last known address notifying you of the suspension.
So, if you have a case [or two] out of the North Sound area and want you start making payments on your outstanding court debt, how do you do it? First, call the court and find out which collection's agency they use. Most often, you will find that you are provided the phone number for Alliance One at [253] 620-2222.
Second, be prepared. Make sure you have your address/phone/DOB/SSN/case number[s] ready to give to the operator so they can find they account information as quickly as possible. Keep in mind these are people who you may try to be negotiating with while trying to set up a payment plan; If you prepared and respectful, you'll find the process can go rather smoothly.
Third, be persistent but patient. Expect to be on hold for 5-7 minutes before you get through to an account representative.
Once you get through to an account representative, at which point you can inquire about entering a PIA plan and adjudicating your tickets. A typical PIA plan is 50% down and $75 per month payment plan…adjudication is offered with the down payment. However, if you client have proof of valid employment a job, and have not already defaulted on a payment plan in the past, they will often offer 10% down with $50 per month payments IF proof of employment is submitted with the down payment.
If you are unemployed but on state assistance, and have not already defaulted on the payment plan, they will [generally] offer $50 down with $50 per month payments WITH proof of the state assistance at the time of the down payment.
While your payments can be made via mail, you can also make payments on your account in person at the Marysville Municipal Court, which is located here:
Image is the property of Google Maps. Any information presented at this site including this blog should not be considered formal legal advice and nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. The information above may only pertain to the laws of the State of Washington. If you have a specific legal question and wish to solicit counsel, please contact an attorney and set up a consultation.