A traffic tribunal deals with traffic law and may be housed separately from ordinary courts. Most cases involve routine matters, with penalties established by the state code. Offenders who are fined usually don’t have to appear in court unless they contest the charge. The most common interaction is paying fines. Serious cases, such as drunk driving or manslaughter, may be handled in traffic court or a higher court depending on jurisdiction.
A traffic tribunal is a judicial institution that mainly deals with traffic law. In some cases, the traffic court may be housed in a completely separate facility from the ordinary court. This is often the case in larger cities. In other cases, it might be a certain day or a courtroom where a judge only deals with trafficking cases. Most cases involve routine matters, such as simple traffic fines, which is why it can also be referred to as fines court.
Most of the matters dealt with in court are so-called planned crimes. This means that the penalties are established by the state code, according to a certain “schedule”. Often, the penalty given will be based on how serious the violation was, whether it caused an accident, and whether the driver has a previous violation. In the vast majority of cases, the penalty includes a fine, plus some court costs. There is very little scope for judges to waive prescribed penalties.
Accused offenders who are fined usually won’t have to appear in court unless they want to contest the charge. Like any other court, the prosecutor, usually referred to as the “state,” bears the burden of proof. Traffic court violations, if the accuser persists, should be treated like any other civil lawsuit. In the US, this could mean a jury trial. Most charged drivers do not go to this length, due to the time and expense involved, as well as the fact that fines are usually relatively small. Even if a person takes their case to court without an attorney, significant court costs could be incurred if the individual loses the case.
The most common interaction with a traffic court that most people will have is using it as a place to pay any fines. The individual can send the fine by post or can go in person to pay. Clerks will process payments and provide a receipt. Most people who go to such a court to pay a fine can only do so because they waited until the last minute to pay and don’t trust the mail to arrive on time. They will never go before a judge, nor will they see the inside of an actual courtroom.
There are times when a traffic tribunal can handle even more serious cases. This mainly applies to drunk driving or manslaughter charges. Whether this will be handled in the traffic court division, or a higher court, depends largely on the administrative law procedures in the jurisdiction. If the case rises to the level of a felony, which is possible for repeat offenders, it is normally handled in a higher court.
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