Q: My ex received speeding tickets on my car. He hasn't been to court. Does that affect my car? Do I have to go to court?
Before court started, he went to jail and hasn't been able to attend court since. I have been going on his behalf because I didn't want it to affect my car or record. If no one goes to court, does it come back on me? Does it affect my car?
A:
Hello Asker,
Generally speaking, tickets received follow the license holder's license number and their record, not the vehicle. That being said, there is one general exception to this rule. For fines received as a result of a camera, parking, or tollway issue, these are generally connected to the license plate of the vehicle being used. This is because for these types of violations, there was no way to visually identify the driver of the vehicle and thus the only way to connect the ticket to the offender is to use the vehicle registration.
The best way to think of it is to ask yourself if an officer performed an in person identification of the driver. If they did, there is a good chance it will follow the driver. If no in person identification of the driver was performed, it is a good chance it will follow the vehicle. Obviously, there are exceptions such as tickets for registration issues or insurance related matters where it can cause issues for a vehicle as well as a driver in spite of an in person identification by an officer but in general, this tends to be the rule.
For more specific information about whether your ex's driving habits are actually affecting your vehicle or just their license, I would schedule a consultation with an attorney so they can review the specific offenses you are worried about and give a more accurate answer. At current, there is too little information to definitively say they aren't affecting your vehicle. With that said, if no officer performed an in person identification, it is highly likely it affected your vehicle. If they did, it is less likely to affect the vehicle but still possible depending on the offense (including but not limited to insurance or registration related tickets).
I hope that helps and let us know if you have any additional questions!
Sincerely,
Jason A. Wilkins
Traffic Attorney
(630) 445-2293
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