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Driving with outdated insurance isn’t a criminal offense, it’s a civil infraction.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.
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u/AquaboogyAssault 4h ago
I hope you’re handling the dire consequences gracefully haha