Few of us enjoy the experience of being pulled over. It is rather embarrassing having a complete stranger, especially one with a badge, scold us for driving improperly.

But despite our opinions about being stopped for one of the multitude of reasons―from speeding to not quite making the yellow light―most of the time we are in the wrong. And the majority of the time, despite the inconvenience or the cold dose of humility, we know it.

The laws are there to keep the roads safe, whether one might agree with them or not. Besides, it is rather evident that shooting though a red light or stop sign, or speeding through a school zone, is not the best thing to do.

Yet there we are, off on the shoulder, hands on the steering wheel, with a nightclub's worth of flashing lights guiding the officer up to the window.

Hopefully, it was just a warning. But if you were issued a citation in Wyoming, you will need to take some sort of action. The most likely course will entail either paying a fine or appearing in court. But first you need to understand what the actual citation is asking of you.

Top How to Pay the Fine

If you have a fine, you will need to know where to pay it and how. Fortunately, the ticket (usually a pink duplicate) will provide the proper mailing address or an address where you can pay in person. In Wyoming, fines are paid either to the state or a local municipality.

When you were stopped, was the officer from the highway patrol, the county sheriff's department, or just a local town officer? Pretty hard to tell in most instances, but the address on the ticket should ultimately be the indicator. Most state payments go to a county, and municipal payments generally enter the town coffers though a local city hall.

If you cannot find where the fine is on the ticket, you might need to appear in court. Somewhere on the document you will uncover the answer. Generally, there is a "Must Appear" box perched above the signature line. If the officer checks it, then obviously you will want to locate the jurisdiction and get the address of the local justice center.

The ticket should specify this, but if you have any doubt, call the telephone number listed on document. The last thing you want to do is materialize at the wrong place and have a bench warrant issued on you.

Pay in Person

The ticket will direct you to a location where you can reconcile the citation in person. Depending on the ticket origin―state or municipal―the site will generally either be a county clerk's office or city administrative building. You might even end up at a local municipal court.

Just check the address, and if you are still uncertain you can call the telephone number written on the citation to find out where to go. Most of the smaller towns dotting the state only accept money orders, checks, and cash (down to exact change). So if you are looking to pay by credit card, it is also a good idea to call in advance.

Pay by Mail

Perhaps the easiest way to pay a traffic ticket is by writing a check or purchasing a money order (cash is not an option) and mailing it to the appropriate party along with the ticket.

Top How to Contest the Ticket

Some of the larger towns and cities in Wyoming (such as Jackson, Cheyenne, and Casper) have a somewhat formal process for contesting a case. In the majority of instances, you will need to notify the local court in writing that you intend to plead not guilty. This way they can request the officer who issued the citation to be there and allow the local prosecutors to review the case.

In some of the smaller towns, court is held once a week. This is the one time to go down and contest your ticket. If you are planning to contest, you might want do a bit of research on the county or municipality first. Call the number on the ticket. Give the court a heads-up that you intend to enter a plea. At that point, a plea date may actually be set for you, or at least you can get further information.

Missing a court date can be costly for a number of reasons. First, a warrant for your arrest will be issued. This will not matter too much unless you are ever stopped by an officer that runs a check on you license. At that point, there is a good chance you will be escorted to jail.

After bonding out and paying any fees, then clearing the cost of the original violation, you will wish you had shown up to see the judge in the first place. However, if for some reason you cannot make the scheduled date noted on your ticket, call the court and reschedule.

Top Traffic School

Depending on the type of ticket you received, you may be eligible to attend traffic school. While in many cases you will still be obliged to pay the fine noted on the ticket, attending traffic school might result in the charge never showing up on your driving record.

Thus, you insurance rates will be spared a rate hike. This is more than worth the negligible fee for the class and the evening or two you will spend covering road-related rules and safety topics.

Most counties and municipalities offer the classes once a month or more, but they generally accept attendance in any state-accredited program. It is best to contact the local affiliate listed on your citation to receive more information and a schedule of classes.

Of course, it is not like you can become a habitual speeder and simply use traffic school as a means to shield you from surging insurance rates. The traffic school option is only available once every three years.

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