Failure to Appear in Traffic Court in Barstow (VC 40508)
What Happens if You Fail to Appear for Traffic Court in Barstow? (VC 40508)
You received a speeding ticket while passing through Barstow. On the citation, it says that you have to appear in Barstow Traffic Court, but you don’t want to take time out of your schedule to drive to the Barstow Courthouse. What happens if you decide not to show up for your court date in Barstow?
Here is what you can expect if you fail to appear at traffic court in Barstow.
Failure to Appear in Barstow Traffic Court
When you are issued a ticket by a law enforcement officer in Barstow, you will be asked to sign the ticket. By doing so, you are acknowledging that you are being summoned to court. Essentially, this makes your ticket a contract where you agree to appear in court.
If you break that contract by failing to appear, the court can issue a bench warrant for your arrest and charge you with a misdemeanor for failure to appear under Vehicle Code 40508. If you are convicted of failing to appear in Barstow Traffic Court, you face the following penalties:
- A maximum sentence of six months in county jail
- A fine of up to $1,000, and
- A suspension of your driver’s license for up to 30 days
Additionally, if you fail to appear, you will not have the opportunity to fight your ticket and you will likely be found guilty of the traffic violation. This means you will have to pay the fine along with any fees and penalty assessments. Depending on the specific violation, you could also be assessed points on your driving record.
What are some reasons why people like you would rather not appear in the Barstow Court to take care of your traffic citation?
- You have a conflict with your work schedule
- You will have to lose vacation or sick time at your job to attend court
- You have a personal commitment on the date your case is scheduled
- You live a substantial distance from the Barstow Court and you do not want to take the time and use gas money to drive all the way to the Barstow Court
- You do not want to appear in court without an experienced traffic ticket lawyer because you are not a lawyer and do not know how to contest your ticket if it goes to a trial
What If I Cannot Make the Court Date?
You should contact our skilled Barstow traffic ticket lawyers immediately if you have been issued a citation in the Barstow area. Our traffic attorneys may be able to appear in court on your behalf so that you do not have to drive to the Barstow Courthouse and wait hours for your case to be called.
If the ticket requires that you appear in court, our Barstow traffic attorneys could contact the court to ask for a continuance on your court date so that you will have more time to prepare for your hearing.
Additionally, if you have been charged with failure to appear in court for a traffic matter, your Barstow traffic ticket attorney can defend you aggressively in an effort to help you avoid the severe consequences of failing to appear.
Speak to Our Skilled Barstow Traffic Lawyers at Wallin & Klarich
Hiring an experienced traffic defense attorney is a wise choice if you have been issued a traffic citation in Barstow. At Wallin & Klarich, our attorneys have more than 35 years of experience successfully representing clients for traffic matters in the Barstow Courthouse. Let us help you now.
Our experienced and knowledgeable traffic ticket attorneys can answer your questions and provide you with the very best legal defense so that you can obtain the most favorable outcome possible in your traffic case.
We have an office located right across the street from the Barstow Courthouse at:
Wallin & Klarich, A Law Corporation
400 S. 2nd Ave.
Barstow, CA 92311
Contact our law firm today at (877) 466-5245 for a free phone consultation regarding your Barstow traffic matter. We will be there when you call.
