Being charged with a speeding ticket or other traffic violation in Georgia -- e.g., reckless driving, failure to yield, driving without a license, driving under the influence -- can involve a motorist in a complex and paper-laden process that is both time-consuming and marked by quick deadlines. Moreover, the penalties can be severe, ranging from hefty fines to license suspension and even a jail sentence.
Additionally, motorists might want to keep one other potential risk in mind, something that doesn't automatically come to the fore for many people when they think about traffic violations: a lower credit score.
Cities in Georgia and elsewhere throughout the country are increasingly responding to ticketed drivers who don't pay by enlisting the help of collection agencies. A municipality turns over unpaid traffic tickets to an agency that, for a fee, will seek to collect on them. One tactic commonly used is to threaten to report a motorist to one or all of the major credit agencies in the event of non-payment.
The repercussions of that could be severe, for multiple reasons. A diminished credit score essentially closes the door on advantageous mortgage, credit card and other lending rates. These days, too, companies are with increasing frequency examining potential employees' credit scores as a prerequisite to hiring decisions.
One Georgia judge also notes the practice of levying on a motorist's private property to obtain payment for traffic violation penalties.
Georgia motorists with questions or concerns regarding a speeding or other traffic ticket can receive prompt answers and diligent representation by contacting an experienced Atlanta-area traffic violations attorney.
Related Resource: Fox, "Speeding tickets take toll on credit" July 6, 2011
