the faster the better

December 31, 2005 12:13 PM

Got a deferral for a speeding ticket in Washington (if I another ticket within one year I have to pay off the old one plus the new one). If I got a ticket in another state like Michigan, would the WA court know about this and then come after me for my old ticket? Or is the system pretty much segregated by state?
posted by lpctstr; to law & government (10 comments total)

You wish! I got a ticket in Washington, too, but I live in Virginia. Virginia knew about it. If it's a moving violation, they all know. The only way you can get away with it is with a parking ticket.
posted by TheRaven at 12:27 PM on December 31, 2005

Whether the states' databases are linked or not is dependent on a lot of things. However, it is possible that your deferral condition is that you not get a moving violation in Washington.... i.e.- a Michigan ticket may not cause the deferral to be overturned.

Did they give you a summary of the deferral (you would have signed this) ?
posted by crazyray at 12:31 PM on December 31, 2005

Wow. Deferrals are a cool idea. Don't think they do that here in Indiana. The municipalities want the cash.
Does the deferred ticket show up on your record? I'm thinking of your insurance. Even though the ticket is deferred, what's the chance of your insurance rates being jacked-up anyway?
posted by Thorzdad at 12:42 PM on December 31, 2005

The real question is if you get a speeding ticket in another state and plead it down to a non-moving violation, what will happen to the deferral?
posted by geoff. at 1:35 PM on December 31, 2005

Thorzad- Indiana does indeed have deferral programs, here is BooneCounty's Program, here is Vanderburgh's rules for deferral (also in Indiana) and, finally, here is Huntigton County's rates including for deferrals

When the ticket is properly deferred, i.e.- the "deferree" successfully completes the deferral, it does not show up on your record at all and insurance companies have no idea it ever happened.

geoff- it totally depends on the deferral agreement. Every county is different, as evidenced by the links above.
posted by crazyray at 1:56 PM on December 31, 2005

Thorzdad: It doesn't show up on your driving/insurance record. As an unmarried male < 25yr, I sit in the ultra-expensive-insurance-premium category already. And it costs less than paying the ticket. You have to go to court and beg though :/
posted by lpctstr; at 1:59 PM on December 31, 2005

crazyray: yeah I got a summary but it just said that I can't get tickets for a year. it's not very clear
posted by lpctstr; at 2:02 PM on December 31, 2005

The states never used to know what happened in other states. Computers and the internets have wrecked all that. They know now.
posted by caddis at 2:35 PM on December 31, 2005

Call a good traffic lawyer or two. It shouldn't cost you a thing to ask (most of the ones I know give free first consults) and then you'll know for sure.
posted by mediareport at 2:43 PM on December 31, 2005

I called my buddy who is a prosecuting attorney, and asked him what happens if a deferree gets a ticket out of state.
Acoording to that conversation, in Texas, the deferral agreement is between the PA or DA and the defendent, not between the court and the defendant. So basically, if you keep your deferral conditions, it is the prosecuting attorney who technically "dismisses" your original accusation.

I asked him if anyone ever comes to him and admits they broke the deferral agreement in a different state. He said that, yes, thsi type of admission happens all the time. In his opinion, as long as **neither** offense was a DUI, the prosecuting attorney will let it slide. They are apparently particularly adamant about DUI's, since the repeat offender rate is so high on these crimes.
HOWEVER, YMMV.
posted by crazyray at 3:04 PM on December 31, 2005