The new payment system began in Scotland County Thursday and can be found online at www.payNCticket.org.
It will allow residents to make online payments with credit or debit card for many traffic citations.
"I think it will have the greatest benefit for people that are passing through the county," Scotland County Clerk of Court Philip McRae said. "When people come from Charlotte or somewhere going to beach and they get a ticket, rather than having to come back and pay it here, they can take care of it over the Internet."
The program is expected to provide a more convenient payment option and decrease courthouse traffic and wait time for those still needing to pay fees in person.
McRae said that the program in not for those that want to dispute traffic citations.
"It's a good system, but only cases in which the person wishes to admit responsibility to the original charge," McRae said. "If a charge is modified by the District Attorney or someone actually appears before a judge in court, this payment method cant be used."
McRae also said that most traffic citations can be legally avoided and to always seek legal council for traffic violations because often time having a lawyer can save you hundreds of dollars.
"In just about every traffic citation, you've got to consider what does it it do to your license and insurance and just about in every single case if you have an attorney you can avoid consequences," McRae said. "This program doesn't cover that. If someone gets a ticket, they should still talk to a lawyer. They can save you thousands of dollars."
Last year, 2,463 waivable offense citations were paid in Scotland County. Before the new program, citations were paid at the courthouse or by mail.
The new payment method is now running in 49 total counties, with the rest of the North Carolina counties expected to have the program by the end of the summer.
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