Q: I'm 1 day late on a my ticket payment. Is there a hefty fine for this? The site indicated I had until today...
I received a ticket on May 28th for having my phone in my hand while driving. It said on the ticket I had 14-20 days but then when I logged into the site to pay it said June 29th. I purposely waited to pay on the 29th due to financial planning. I logged in and it stated I no longer have the option due to the time being expired. What now? I plan on calling first thing in the morning but I'm very nervous about a hefty fine that I can't handle. The ticket was issued in Skokie.
A:
No, you do not have to worry about a fine being assessed against you. The option to pay the ticket for a fine is a mechanism that allows you to avoid court appearances and request court supervision or a conviction (for a lower fine). Failing to do this or mail the ticket back pleading not guilty will result in the Clerk of the Circuit Court setting a court date for you to appear. Often, this is notated in the bottom right hand side of the ticket and indicates the room and time you must appear at.
You may avoid appearing in court by having an attorney appear for you or you can take work off and appear in court yourself. Failing to appear however WILL result in hefty fines so know that you will face fines. You will also end up paying more for a plea of guilty because of court costs. You can realistically expect to pay around $70-$80 more if you plead guilty in court.
For this kind of ticket, I wouldn't advise a traffic attorney UNLESS you have both previously received a cell phone ticket AND had numerous tickets (2 or more in the last 24 months and are under 21 years old OR 3 or more in the last 12 months and are 21 or older). This is the only circumstance where I can see a traffic attorney being a wiser financial investment due to risk of suspension.
Hope that helps!
Jason A. Wilkins
Attorney at Law
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