AMNESTY FOR YOUR TRAFFIC TICKETS?

Have you been a bad boy or girl?  Were you one of those drivers who received a traffic ticket in California and "forgot" to pay your fine?  Have the courts been hounding you for payments and tacking on hefty fines in late fees and additional assessments?  Well...until June 30th, 2012, you may be in luck.

The California Courts have implemented an amnesty program for traffic tickets! 

Sounds too good to be true, but Matt Kaminsky, president of BESTtrafficschool.com, confirms that certain unpaid tickets are eligible for a 50% discount under a one-time amnesty program.

That's right.  The total amount you owe can be cut in HALF! Including a 50% discount on any assessments that were added to your original fine.

Now before you start jumping for joy...let me clarify that not EVERY type of ticket is eligible:  PARKING TICKETS, DUI's. and RECKLESS DRIVING citations are not eligible for the amnesty program.

Furthermore, to qualify for amnesty all of the following conditions must be met:

1)  Your outstanding traffic debt was due to be paid in full before January 1, 2009

2)  The last date you made a payment was on or before January 1, 2009

3)  You either failed to appear in court or failed to pay in full

4)  You do not owe restitution to a victim on any case within the county where the violation was filed.

5)  You have no outstanding misdemeanor or felony warrants within the county where the violation was filed.

Do you meet these requirements?  If so, this program may be your "Get Out of Jail Free" (or 50% discounted) card.

So what do you do if you think you qualify?

First thing is to check with the superior court in the county where you got the ticket to determine how to pay for the traffic tickets that are eligible under this program. (The program includes both adult and juvenile code infractions as well as non-vehicle code infractions).

You will have to pay off your fine in one lump sum, but at a 50% discount the sting won't be as painful.  And if you need a little more time to come up with the money, most courts will accept payment via credit card, and then you can spend the next month or two paying it off.    

You can find contact information for your court on the State of California website.

But act quickly!  This program EXPIRES on June 30th, 2012!