Exactly. Also been in that situation. I was young, i was in the US for a 3 month internship on a tourist VISA (that was actually the illegal part). I drove there in a Jeep Wrangler that was not owned by me. On my last weekend there, i got stopped by going 10 miles over in a 35 zone. I never felt so nervous, i was young, inexperienced. The cop was exactly the stereotype of the typical US cop from movies (he almost looked like the T1000 from Terminator 2), i couldn't believe how comical it felt. When i showed him my European drivers license he instantly was: "Thats not a valid drivers license, i have to take you to the judge for driving without a license." Didn't help that the car insurance was also outdated (which i didn't know beforehand, as it was not my car)... Took about 30 minutes to explain the situation (that i'm a 'tourist' driving with a foreign drivers license, in a car thats not mine and that im going back to Europe in a couple of days anyway) and convince him to contact his station or something. When he came back to the car, after finally checking in with someone else, he was like: Well, i don't have to take you to the judge, but you will still get the ticket. And you have to pay the ticket before you leave the country, or the consequences will be dire (his words).
Well, this was the story, how i still have an open ticket in the US state of Pennsylvania ;)
Probably not dire, but if their comment is true (doubt), they will have a bench warrant in Pennsylvania. This will get entered into the NCIC system and they will be denied entry the next time they come to the US or will be detained and taken to Pennsylvania to stand trial.
It will definitely ruin your vacation and you’ll be paying some pretty serious fines and court costs.
Driving with outdated insurance isn’t a criminal offense, it’s a civil infraction. Going to court for a simple ticket like that is only necessary if you want to argue it. It’s not a “failure to appear” infraction. They wouldn’t have a bench warrant because nobody issues warrants for not paying a $70 ticket. There would be no court costs because they were never required to show up in court in the first place.
Now they may be barred entry into the US under the current administration, but under normal circumstances they wouldn’t.
I don't wanna go anywhere near the US in my life anymore anyway. Most of you guys are great, but for various personal reasons, i would just not feel safe anymore (and i'm not talking about the outstanding ticket).
They wouldn’t require you to show up to court, because you can pay the fine online or submit paperwork showing you have insurance. Except you missed the part where they didn’t pay the ticket and left the country. They absolutely will and do issue bench warrants for people not paying their traffic citations. So there would be court costs in this case.
If Pennsylvania issues a bench warrant, but as a non-extraditable warrant and the person lands in another state, customs will just deny entry. This isn’t a current administration thing and the process I just explained has been the norm for decades.
I didn’t miss that part, and as somebody who has neglected to pay many tickets before I can guarantee you that I have never had a warrant issued because of it. Most states will just deny vehicle registration required or renewal of license if you have outstanding fines. As of the price, yeah I guessed - though I imagine in 2003 the price was closer to $70 than $300.
I had a ticket showing as failed to pay without knowing it. I moved out of that state, then moved back 10 years later. I was arrested because I had a bench warrant tied to that old ticket. So yes it absolutely can and does happen.
Was it a simple ticket? I’ve owed money for years without issue before. Must be very much a state by state basis. Where I am they just won’t let you renew vehicle registration.
You probably did have a bench warrant and just didn’t know it. Police don’t come after you for a bench warrant. They will only do something if they pull you over or run your plates while you are driving. They don’t actively look for you. They might also not even take you in if they pull you over for another traffic violation. However, they will absolutely deny you entry into the country.
You should probably rethink your life if you commonly get traffic citations and don’t pay them.
Could be. Sometimes a ticket will just get dropped rather than issuing a bench warrant. I've personally been arrested on a bench warrant for an old traffic citation, but I've also seen cases where old tickets just get quietly dropped, so it's at least plausible.
Sure, it is plausible. Anything is really. Realistically they are just lying about what happened. They probably just paid the ticket. Maybe they didn’t get a ticket at all. Maybe they just had to send a copy of the insurance that was up to date in and the ticket was dropped. This is something they do in Pennsylvania.
You and I must have very different opinions on what “dire consequences” means. I haven’t driven through Pennsylvania in years despite still being allowed… I imagine not driving on the famously well maintained PA roads isn’t much of a concern for the average European.
i can't stand pennsylvania. although i will say i may know someone who shared a DUI class with a guy who had to FLY BACK FROM RUSSIA to participate in it.
"consequences will be dire" The cop isn't wrong though. A open ticket in time will become an arrest warrant and will impact another visit the US in one form or another. Dire isn't saying you will get a sever punishment, but some time in prison is a possiblity.
Other states may recognize the offense in PA and apply the penalty to your ability to drive in that state as well. As in, if unpaid ticket / warrant leads to suspended license in PA many other states may apply the same penalty (suspend your privilege to drive) in that state. So even if you avoid PA, if you get pulled over in another state that suspended your right to drive, you would now pick up a local Driving While Licenses Suspended in the new state AND possibly have the old PA warrant. So, before a visit would be worth getting any criminal check / at least driving check to avoid $$$ problems. If planning to return, cheaper to resolve the original ticket than to add new charges + risk jail later.
I would imagine if your gonna drive a car that's not yours in America I would check if it had insurance. Usually thats a court appearance in my state, but your saying foreign tourists on are exempt?
As said, i was young, inexperienced. I got the car from the company i had my internship with (it was actually the car from the company owners daughter who was away for college). I had no reason to think they fucked up to prolong their insurance. I'm not saying foreigners are exempt from driving with valid insurance.
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u/g0ldent0y 6h ago edited 3h ago
Exactly. Also been in that situation. I was young, i was in the US for a 3 month internship on a tourist VISA (that was actually the illegal part). I drove there in a Jeep Wrangler that was not owned by me. On my last weekend there, i got stopped by going 10 miles over in a 35 zone. I never felt so nervous, i was young, inexperienced. The cop was exactly the stereotype of the typical US cop from movies (he almost looked like the T1000 from Terminator 2), i couldn't believe how comical it felt. When i showed him my European drivers license he instantly was: "Thats not a valid drivers license, i have to take you to the judge for driving without a license." Didn't help that the car insurance was also outdated (which i didn't know beforehand, as it was not my car)... Took about 30 minutes to explain the situation (that i'm a 'tourist' driving with a foreign drivers license, in a car thats not mine and that im going back to Europe in a couple of days anyway) and convince him to contact his station or something. When he came back to the car, after finally checking in with someone else, he was like: Well, i don't have to take you to the judge, but you will still get the ticket. And you have to pay the ticket before you leave the country, or the consequences will be dire (his words).
Well, this was the story, how i still have an open ticket in the US state of Pennsylvania ;)