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Speeding ticket in Washington State.

Ossi Vaananen

By Ossi Vaananen
in Off-Topic General

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Ossi Vaananen Canucks Star

Ossi Vaananen

Posted
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To start off, this probably isn't worth it's own topic but I figured I should grab CDC's half-baked advice.

So I went down to the Seahawks game on Aug 30th, and watched a romping of the Raiders. It was fun until I got pulled over on the way back to Vancouver. I was doing 77 in a 60 mph zone, and as such the ticket was 175 USD. I was given 15 days to pay the ticket, via money order or in person. That time is quickly coming up.

Now here is where the confusion starts: I don't want to pay the ticket, and I'm likely not going to. If I don't pay the ticket, I become a "criminal" in Whatcom County and the ticket claims "You will lose your driver's license... failure to pay may result in a referral of your case to a collection agency". From what I gathered from the officer I was lucky, as anyone 20+mph over the speed limit can be taken straight to jail. Since there was such a big difference between my speed and the speed limit, I will not be contesting the ticket.

I'm wondering can they really do this, does Washington State have a deal with ICBC where if I fail to pay I could lose my license? I'm totally fine with not paying and therefore not being able to go to Whatcom County again - I can live with that. Are they able to contact ICBC and demerit me? Does anyone here have an outstanding ticket somewhere in the states and have neglected to pay?

Any advice is appreciated.

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PowerIce Canucks Third-Line

PowerIce

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You would have a tough time re-entering the States I'd imagine.

I had a ticket I got in Alberta in June, I didn't pay it because I was saying the same thing is you. Next month my work flew me out here to work for a few months, I couldn't risk driving here with a suspended license so I paid it.

You're best off just paying it, who knows down the road 5 years from now you forget, cross over & get arrested, etc.

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Common sense Canucks Second-Line

Common sense

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From the Washington DMV themselves (via TGAM):

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/car-life/why-should-i-pay-a-us-speeding-ticket/article536203/

I was shopping in the United States and was given a speeding ticket in Washington state. I hold a B.C. driver’s licence and am insured in B.C. Do I have to pay the U.S. ticket? Are there any consequences if I don’t pay? – Tasnim in Surrey, B.C.

Not all Canadians are as successful south of the border as Justin Bieber, or as lucky. Supposedly he’s been stopped by traffic police and let off – three times.

It won’t surprise you that according to Washington State Patrol spokesman Dan Coon, a Canadian driver who receives a speeding ticket in Washington has three options: pay by mail, request a remediation hearing, or head down and contest it through the courts. You may have left your inhibitions at the border, but you still have responsibilities.

But what if you did choose to do nothing?

“We create a record for that driver in our system and add the citation to their record. When it’s reported to us that it’s unpaid, we suspend that individual’s driving privilege here in Washington. If the driver was to return and get pulled over, they would run a status check and find out that individual was driving with a suspended driving privilege, which is essentially equivalent to driving without a licence,” says Washington State Department of Licensing spokesman Brad Benfield.

What happens when you’re caught with a suspended driving privilege may depend on the discretion of the law enforcement officer who pulls you over.

“I can’t talk for our county sheriffs or city police, but the troopers we do give a lot of discretion. If the suspended driver operating the vehicle is travelling with other people they may be allowed to continue on, but that particular individual may no longer drive in Washington state. If travelling alone, that individual may need to have someone come and pick them up, or have their vehicle towed. We will not, however, just leave someone on the side of the road,” says Coon.

You could encounter trouble crossing the border if you’re operating a vehicle and have a suspended driving privilege in the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection “strongly advise you to pay your traffic tickets, particularly moving violations. While unpaid tickets would not subject you to arrest unless a warrant is issued, you may be subject to a more intensive inspection if your record is not clear.”

Even if you don’t plan on heading south again, there are consequences to an unpaid U.S. ticket. “In prior years it was, ‘How are they going to get me?’ but a recent law allows the courts to use collection agencies if you fail to pay your fine. You’ll receive notification that your fine has been submitted to a collection agency, who will recoup the monies,” says Coon.

According to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), B.C. does not have a reciprocal agreement with Washington for traffic violations, so a cross-border speeding ticket would not affect your driver’s record or insurance in B.C. A criminal driving offence, however, is another matter.

ICBC adds: “When information is received from the U.S. that a driver has been convicted of an offence equivalent to a Canadian Criminal Code driving offence, the offence would be added to the driver’s record in B.C. and the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles would take action against the driver equivalent to the punishment for that offence in B.C.”

It’s a good time to wheel out the old cliché: if you do the crime, you should pay the fine.

If the reasons above haven’t convinced you, take note that the delinquency can also affect your credit record if the collection agency reports it. On top of everything else, it would be a shame if you were refused at the checkout on your next shopping trip.

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Pouria Canucks Second-Line

Pouria

Posted
Posted

To start off, this probably isn't worth it's own topic but I figured I should grab CDC's half-baked advice.

So I went down to the Seahawks game on Aug 30th, and watched a romping of the Raiders. It was fun until I got pulled over on the way back to Vancouver. I was doing 77 in a 60 mph zone, and as such the ticket was 175 USD. I was given 15 days to pay the ticket, via money order or in person. That time is quickly coming up.

Now here is where the confusion starts: I don't want to pay the ticket, and I'm likely not going to. If I don't pay the ticket, I become a "criminal" in Whatcom County and the ticket claims "You will lose your driver's license... failure to pay may result in a referral of your case to a collection agency". From what I gathered from the officer I was lucky, as anyone 20+mph over the speed limit can be taken straight to jail. Since there was such a big difference between my speed and the speed limit, I will not be contesting the ticket.

I'm wondering can they really do this, does Washington State have a deal with ICBC where if I fail to pay I could lose my license? I'm totally fine with not paying and therefore not being able to go to Whatcom County again - I can live with that. Are they able to contact ICBC and demerit me? Does anyone here have an outstanding ticket somewhere in the states and have neglected to pay?

Any advice is appreciated.

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Ossi Vaananen Canucks Star

Ossi Vaananen

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From the Washington DMV themselves (via TGAM):

http://www.theglobea.../article536203/

I was shopping in the United States and was given a speeding ticket in Washington state. I hold a B.C. driver’s licence and am insured in B.C. Do I have to pay the U.S. ticket? Are there any consequences if I don’t pay? – Tasnim in Surrey, B.C.

Not all Canadians are as successful south of the border as Justin Bieber, or as lucky. Supposedly he’s been stopped by traffic police and let off – three times.

It won’t surprise you that according to Washington State Patrol spokesman Dan Coon, a Canadian driver who receives a speeding ticket in Washington has three options: pay by mail, request a remediation hearing, or head down and contest it through the courts. You may have left your inhibitions at the border, but you still have responsibilities.

But what if you did choose to do nothing?

“We create a record for that driver in our system and add the citation to their record. When it’s reported to us that it’s unpaid, we suspend that individual’s driving privilege here in Washington. If the driver was to return and get pulled over, they would run a status check and find out that individual was driving with a suspended driving privilege, which is essentially equivalent to driving without a licence,” says Washington State Department of Licensing spokesman Brad Benfield.

What happens when you’re caught with a suspended driving privilege may depend on the discretion of the law enforcement officer who pulls you over.

“I can’t talk for our county sheriffs or city police, but the troopers we do give a lot of discretion. If the suspended driver operating the vehicle is travelling with other people they may be allowed to continue on, but that particular individual may no longer drive in Washington state. If travelling alone, that individual may need to have someone come and pick them up, or have their vehicle towed. We will not, however, just leave someone on the side of the road,” says Coon.

You could encounter trouble crossing the border if you’re operating a vehicle and have a suspended driving privilege in the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection “strongly advise you to pay your traffic tickets, particularly moving violations. While unpaid tickets would not subject you to arrest unless a warrant is issued, you may be subject to a more intensive inspection if your record is not clear.”

Even if you don’t plan on heading south again, there are consequences to an unpaid U.S. ticket. “In prior years it was, ‘How are they going to get me?’ but a recent law allows the courts to use collection agencies if you fail to pay your fine. You’ll receive notification that your fine has been submitted to a collection agency, who will recoup the monies,” says Coon.

According to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), B.C. does not have a reciprocal agreement with Washington for traffic violations, so a cross-border speeding ticket would not affect your driver’s record or insurance in B.C. A criminal driving offence, however, is another matter.

ICBC adds: “When information is received from the U.S. that a driver has been convicted of an offence equivalent to a Canadian Criminal Code driving offence, the offence would be added to the driver’s record in B.C. and the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles would take action against the driver equivalent to the punishment for that offence in B.C.”

It’s a good time to wheel out the old cliché: if you do the crime, you should pay the fine.

If the reasons above haven’t convinced you, take note that the delinquency can also affect your credit record if the collection agency reports it. On top of everything else, it would be a shame if you were refused at the checkout on your next shopping trip.

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CanuckGAME Canucks Third-Line

CanuckGAME

Posted
Posted

I was in California 3 years ago and got pulled over, got 250 in fines,

I just paid it, its not worth it to just skip out and not pay it man. I'm usually the guy who would skip out on it but a few ppl told me some some stories and it WILL catch up to you. Just pay the fine dude

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TOMapleLaughs Canucks All-Star

TOMapleLaughs

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Don't pay if you don't plan on driving down there anytime soon. Pay if you do.

If you cross the border and you don't want to pay, then make sure you're a passenger. Or take the bus, fly etc. But if you're going to that trouble, then paying might be worth it anyway.

Yeah collections are a pain and the credit hit might affect you, but chances are if you're considering not paying anyway, you don't give a frack about either issue.

I racked up hundreds in parking tickets during a summer job years ago when i was a student. Didn't pay a dime. They sent out a guy once to my dorm and my roomates said i didn't live there. That's that.

Speeding tickets are a bit different, but if you're hell-bent on not paying a fine, there's not much they can do. Pffft, like they'd throw you in jail...

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