Whats the punishment for a failure to appear in traffic court in virgina?

Answer 1

Quick Answer: Nothing

Expanded Answer: Unless it's a criminal/traffic type charge (e.g. DUI, Driving on Suspended, Reckless Driving, etc...) the court will most likely try you in your absence and give you the standard fine. If it is a criminal/traffic type charge the court could issue a capias for your arrest and punish you under the contempt statute where you would face up to 10 days in jail.

Answer 2

All i can answer for is the state of Tennessee and in Tennessee when you miss a court date or get behind in your payment of fines for a violation a capeous (or warrant) for your arrest is put out. If you are pulled over you will be taken straight to jail or you can turn yourself in and you will appear in court at the next available court date. The standard penalty is ten days in jail counting from the moment you are arrested or turned in. There are no additional fines for the capeous just whatever the initial violation was for. However there are ways of getting out of some of the jail time. If you hire a lawyer most of the time you will only do 2 to 3 days. Turning yourself in vs. getting caught is also a good way to shorten your time, just be sure the judge knows this is what you did. Missing court is never a good idea even if simply because judges hate this more than anything.

Answer 3

A bench warrant is issued, meaning if the police happen upon you sometime in the near future for an unrelated incident, you will be taken into custody. A bench warrant is an order issued by a judge for the arrest of a person. Bench warrants associated with petty crimes and civil disputes won't usually result in arrest or jail if the offender has enough cash on them. More often than not first-time violators who skip a court date can pay a large fine, promise not to miss their next appearance, and go about their day.