Nightmare end to my first week
 

So, after a brilliant start to my first week in Atl, I got myself into a car accident on Sunday and was issued a failure to yield citation which requires me to turn up in court :(

I'm just wondering if anyone knows how this will work as I was in a hire car driving on my UK licence. So i don't know how it would work with points etc. The police guy was fairly blasé, saying I'd just turn up & pay a fine, but obviously I'm a little concerned.

Needless to say I'm not remotely eager to get back in a car over here, having never before been in an accident or given any kind of ticket. I'm thinking of taking a few lessons just to get my confidence back up etc before I have to take possession of my car from IAS. Any advice anyone could give would be great, no need to berate me, I'm doing enough of that to myself.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

Get in the car and drive...don't think about it...just do it. The longer you leave it and the more you think about it...the bigger the obstacle will become.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

Was this "failure to yield" to a pedestrian?

If so, hubby did the same thing about three weeks into his entry to the US.

He was waiting for an appointment at DMV for a driving test, so was driving on his UK licence. He paid the fine by post (did not go to court, this was in CA) and had no points on his (eventual) US driving licence)

Can you just mail in the fine?

The police are somewhat zealous when it comes to pedestrians walking across the road - they are very precious - even when the pedestrian is in the wrong.

Don't beat yourself up too much - much worse things happen.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

No, it was failure to yield to traffic.

Apparently it can't be paid online or by post, I need to turn up and (I'm guessing here) plead one way or the other.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

The citation will probably be posted against your UK license since it was written against that license even if you have a state license when you go to traffic court. In most states, you can erase the record of the citation and the points against your driver's license if you attend a few hour traffic school (someone from a private company that lectures about safe driving) which normally can be done about once every 18 months.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

Are you *sure* about that?

While the notice that you signed and the citation that the court may or may not send to you (and which you may or may not receive) will go to great lengths to explain how and where you must "appear", there is usually some small print about "paying and forfeiting bail in a certain amount" - which is there way of saying "paying a fine".

Call the court and find out what you really have to do.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

I got a ticket last week (wrong lane to turn left) and freaked out about having to turn up at court too. But apparently if you do not contest the ticket, you pay the fine online (takes a few weeks to get in the system, I'm still waiting for what my fine will be). Someone told me that you can pay the fine and then there might also be an option to voluntarily do traffic school which can be done online - if you do the latter you don't get points.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

Typically that is what happens, but every state is different, so the OP needs to contact the court to find out exactly what options are available to him. Normally the court will send a "courtesy notice" in the mail within a week or two that explains what the options are, but even if you don't get one it is still your responsibility to figure out what you are required to do.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

A while back husband-chog got caught out by the pull over law. (you have to pull out a lane to give emergency vehicles space on the road or slow down to a crawl when passing if that's not possible). it was BS but that's another story.

He wasn't able to pay online. he went to court (Dekalb county I think)paid a fine and did a day of safe driving school to avoid points on his license.

I think the idea of some lessons is probably a good one.
Lx

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

Which county was this in?

Makes a difference as to where it's handled within the courthouse system. Many are handle by the Superior Court Clerk. Larger counties like Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Gwinnett, etc. may have a different department. That could make a difference as to how it's dealt with.

Also, exactly what happened? Failure to yield is obviously a worse offense if it caused a wreck (I hate the word accident, which implies that no-one was at fault!), but even still, there are degrees.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

Please don't let this affect you. It was a minor incident, no one is hurt, and the citation may not even stand up in court (cops here seemingly issue citations without any consideration or thought to the matter, unlike in the UK).

I was involved in a minor RTC within my first year of living here, I just chalked it up to not being used to driving amongst arseholes here in MA. My insurance actually went down upon renewal (I switched insurers), and now I continue to drive absolutely fine, just with the knowledge that people won't yield to let you out here.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

It's examples like this why I fit front and rear dashcams in my car. If there's any dispute I have full video evidence. They're becoming popular in England.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

I prefer the phrase 'road traffic collision.'

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

Don't worry, shit happens. I was kicking myself for a week after picking my parents up from LAX and while switching lanes in slow moving traffic to get ready for my exit, focused too much on my target lane back and front, and didn't notice the car in front in my lane had stopped. Missed it by mere millimeters. So embarrasing in front of my parents! But what do you do? Have a laugh (within reason) and get over it!

I've wanted those for some time. How's your setup, like recording device etc? Make sure you have the date/time recorded in the images.

Re: Nightmare end to my first week
 

The word accident doesn't imply no one is at fault anyway, it implies that nobody caused it on purpose.