Driving is one of the privileges people have accustomed to so much that they don’t pay attention to it. We drive cars every day when we go to our workplaces, on the way to entertain ourselves, etc.
Basically, we take it for granted. However, we always need to remember that this is one of the privileges in the 21 century.
One of the uncomfortable things we can come across when we drive is getting a parking ticket. We’re sure you understand the situation pretty well. Let’s say you’re in a hurry, and you need to finish the obligation that requires 5 minutes of your time. You park for a second, and when you get back you see a parking ticket on your windshield.
Naturally, there are some, let’s say, smaller towns where you will not come across these problems. However, when you are in a big city, chances are you will experience it at least once. Today, we would like to take the city of Chicago as an example. If you want to learn more about this situation, read debtstopper.com.
Now, we would like to talk about the situations when they can occur and the possible consequences of not paying for them.
When Can You Get a Parking Ticket?
Every driver out there is probably perfectly aware of the situations that can lead to getting a parking ticket. Probably the commonest one out there is when someone is parking on a yellow line, right? There’s practically no person in the world who hasn’t experienced it at least once. You can be sure about that.
The second commonest reason is when a parking time expires. In every big city, parking is limited to a certain period. It is also important to mention that the time depends on the part of the city we’re talking about. Many people either tend to forget about this limitation or them not being aware of how long it is.
When that happens, chances are high that you will find a ticket when you return to your vehicle. Naturally, it can also happen someone isn’t aware of any limitation for a wide array of different reasons. Parking in a location where this is prohibited can also lead to the same conclusion.
Those we’ve mentioned are surely not the only situations where you can expect this to happen. Of course, the regulation can differ from country to country or state to state. However, these three are the commonest out there by far. Still, we want to focus only on the city of Chicago, as we’ve already stated.
The Situation in Chicago
As you all know, Chicago is a large city, and finding a parking spot can be quite a challenge due to the immense traffic. That’s why many people find themselves in a problem regarding parking tickets. We are not sure that many people out there are not aware of the complete idea of how big of a problem this is.
It needs to be said that almost three billion US dollars have been collected by the city itself since the mid-nineties. We are talking just about the amount of money that is collected through the payments of parking tickets, without including any potential fees that can occur for various reasons.
One of the reasons why the amount has become so high during this time is the fact that this is a city that has experienced a significant rise in popularity during this period. So, nobody should be surprised by the situation we’ve described in this segment of this article of ours.
What Happens if You Don’t Pay the Ticket?
Now, we would like to provide you with a couple of outcomes of not paying a parking ticket in Chicago.
1. Higher Fines
The most likely outcome of not paying for a parking ticket is receiving a higher fine. Of course, the amount you can experience will depend on the initial one. However, be aware of the fact that these can rise quite significantly over time. For example, it can reach a thousand US dollars before you know it.
A good thing to know is that these tickets will not appear on your driving record by any means. Plus, they will not have any influence over the insurance premium for you. Though, you should be aware of the fact that they can be doubled or tripled if you are not careful about these situations.
2. License Suspension
Besides being required to pay a significant price for avoiding your parking tickets, it can also result in your license being revoked. We are certain that you wouldn’t like to experience something like this. Many are not aware of the fact that this can happen even in the case of out-of-state tickets.
Also, we would like to stress that the circumstances of this outcome depend vastly on the state when this has occurred. Nevertheless, the chances of it resulting in a license suspension tend to be quite high. So, you need to pay attention to this element to avoid it completely.
3. Car Towing
The final situation we want to point out is the situation when your vehicle has been towed by the authorities. Those who have experienced it know just how expensive this can be. Not to mention that this is a highly unpleasant situation you would want to avoid for numerous reasons.
In the city of Chicago, this fee can be as high as five hundred US dollars, which is pretty hefty. A significant chunk of this fee can be a boot-removal fee, which can amount to up to fifty US dollars. Therefore, this is something you would want to avoid.
The Bottom Line
We all know how inconvenient and unpleasant it can be to receive a parking ticket. As we’ve stated, the situation can be much more complicated in situations like Chicago. Here, we’ve discussed all the situations when this can happen. Plus, we’ve provided our readers with a couple of outcomes of not paying for these. We’re sure you will find these useful.
