Originally Posted by supcom
I don't know about California, but in Texas, if you do not respond to the ticket you will be convicted of the offense and an extra fine will be added for 'failure to appear'. A warrant will then be issued for your arrest. Although the cops won't come looking for you, the next time you are stopped by a cop, you will probably be arrested and taken down to jail until someone either comes down to pay your outstanding fines or you serve out the value of your fines at something like $50-100 per day depending on the municipality. Usually after a couple days you may get to see a judge who *might* reduce you fines and set up a payment schedule and release you.
It's the same deal in California. A "ticket" for a moving violation is usually a "notice to appear." In other words, a court summons. When you sign the ticket, you are agreeing to appear in court on or before the date on the ticket (or admit guilt and pay a fine by mail if this option is given to you). If you fail to appear, then a warrant for your arrest will be issued. If you are later identified by the police (say for another driving infraction) you will probably be arrested, and you will have to pay extra fines. Also, a "failure to appear" will be recorded on your record, and could come back to haunt if you have legal problems in the future. (For example, if you were arrested, you could be denied bail on the grounds that you have a history of not showing up for court.) So, take a close look at the ticket you were issued. If it is indeed a "notice to appear" then you should take care of it.