It is never a good idea to pay a traffic ticket which carries points. Examples of tickets that carry points are speeding tickets, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to stop at a red light, and an improper lane change. If you pay a moving violation, points are automatically assessed by the Motor Vehicle Administration and your insurance rates will likely increase. In addition, if you accumulate eight or more points in a two year period, your license will be suspended or revoked.

If you paid a ticket, it may not be too late to do something about it. An attorney can file a motion to reopen the traffic citation. In most cases, the court will grant the motion to reopen so long as the ticket is not too old. If the motion is granted, the court will set the case for trial and the payment you made for the ticket will serve as collateral against any fine. If your attorney gets an acquittal, you will get a refund of your payment.

The court will likely reopen a case that is only a few months old. They are unlikely to reopen a case from 25 years ago. I have been able to reopen cases that are two or three years old. So, if you paid a ticket, explore the possibility of reopening your case.