Learn when you may face a stiff fine, traffic school, higher insurance premiums or even the suspension of your driver's license. State laws do not allow a judge to impose a jail sentence for speeding or failure to stop at a signal. But the other consequences of not contesting a ticket, or fighting and being found guilty, can be serious. As you doubtless know, you can face a stiff fine, traffic school, significantly higher insurance premiums and possibly even the suspension of your driver's license. If the fine isn't written or printed on the ticket, it's easy to learn the amount by calling the traffic court.
States normally have standard fines for particular violations, based on the type of offense.
In speeding cases, the fine can be based on how much you exceeded the posted speed limit. Some states can also set the fine based, at least in part, on whether you have other recent violations. But while paying up may be easy, it can have lasting negative consequences since the violation will appear on your driving record, normally for about three years. The big exception to this rule is if you pay the fine in conjunction with going to traffic school. Completion of traffic school normally means the ticket will not appear on your record.