WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T GO TO COURT FOR YOUR TICKETS?
When you fail to appear in court (i.e., if you don't go to Court) for a traffic violation in Missouri, and/or you fail to hire an attorney to appear on your behalf, the court will notify you within ten (10) days of the date on which you failed to appear and you will have thirty (30) days within which to resolve your tickets before the court notifies the Department of Revenue of your failure to appear. If this happens, the Clerk for the Court sends a notice to the Department of Revenue in the state capitol, and your driving privilege will be immediately suspended for failure to appear. Likewise, a warrant will typically be issued for your arrest, which will then be placed in the state Law Enforcement Computer System (Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System or MULES) as well as the Regional Justice Information System (REJIS) so that police and law enforcement are aware of the warrant for your arrest.
In order to reinstate your driving privilege for a failure to appear suspension, you must initiate another administrative procedure through the Department of Revenue.
We can help you to have the arrest warrant withdrawn and to avoid the failure to appear suspension. It is always better to consult with an attorney specializing in traffic cases well in advance of the initial court date, but even so, we can help you in many cases even when a warrant for your arrest has been issued.
You should always try to protect your driving privilege and your license with the assistance of an attorney who specializes in traffic law.