Have you recently missed a day in court for a traffic citation? If so, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise – a suspended license. Also called an FTA suspension, the FTA stands for a person’s “failure to appear.” This type of suspension is one that’s imposed each day all across the country. The purpose of the FTA suspension is to solve the issue related to drivers failing to go to court when they are supposed to. 
The fact is, many drivers forget or overlook their tickets, which results in a high number of FTA cases.
The FTA Suspension Incentive
When the court suspends a person’s license for missing a court date, it presents a pretty compelling incentive for the person to go to court and address the ticket they have received. The main issue with the FTA suspension is that drivers are usually unaware that they are driving with a suspended license. If they were aware of this situation, it’s highly likely they would have dealt with the ticket immediately.
Very rarely does the court find a case where drivers are purposefully driving around on a license that’s suspended due to a missed court case. This is one of the most common reasons that this suspension is often a total surprise to the driver when they happen to be pulled over. When this happens, the driver is charged with a suspended license, which is also referred to as “no license.” In some cases, the driver may even be arrested, and their vehicle impounded.
Handling Your Situation of an FTA Suspension
After you are released from jail, you need to find out what traffic court sent the FTA suspension for you to the Department of Driver Services. The best way to do this is by obtaining a copy of your driving record, which should display the suspension details, and the court that issued it
However, depending on the court, the suspension may not be lifted until the original citation is taken care of. This will usually require you to enter a guilty plea.
Unfortunately, this is when the situation can become more complicated. If you have a simple citation for a non-reportable type of traffic offense, then the guilty plea typically won’t have too many negative consequences, besides the additional fine.
There are other situations, though, where this guilty plea can have extreme consequences, including a newly issued license suspension. Also, because you didn’t attend your first court date, the ability to negotiate a better outcome is low.
Getting Help with Your FTA Suspension Situation
The bottom line is, an FTA license suspension can be challenging and messy. In some cases, they lead to an unexpected suspended license charge and getting them cleared up is often expensive and extremely time consuming for a driver. As a result, one of the best options for you, if you are in this situation, is to hire an attorney.
Keep in mind, because of the complexities in these cases, finding the right attorney for the job is paramount. If you need help, be sure to contact the team of professional attorneys and other legal staff at Schnipper Law, P.C. by calling them at (404) 465-2878. By getting legal assistance you will have the best chance possible of having this situation taken care of without dealing with serious, negative consequences.
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