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New York drivers who receive a summons to appear in court are required to show up on the date and time indicated on the ticket. Should someone fail to attend court when they are supposed to, he or she may end up dealing with a situation more serious than a simple traffic ticket.

Chances are, if that person misses their court date, a judge will issue a bench warrant. This type of warrant does not mean that police officers will actively be seeking that person out to arrest him or her, explains Soapboxie. Rather, should that person get pulled over or be in any other type of situation where their name will be run through the system, the warrant will show up on his or her record and he or she will be arrested on the spot.

This is the court’s way of guaranteeing that the person will show up in front of the judge. Once finally before the court, the person will likely have a chance to explain the situation and work out a way to pay any fees or costs that he or she may owe.

Sometimes this can be avoided if the person knows ahead of time that he or she will not be able to make it to the assigned court date. According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, it is possible to contact the court and have a hearing date postponed. A postponement will likely be granted as long as it is submitted timely. If a second request for a postponement is made, the person will have to provide a reason and have the adjournment approved by a judge.