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Wrong. The motorist's signature on the traffic ticket means only (a) he has received a copy of the ticket and (b) he promises to appear in court on the date set forth on the ticket. I have been told that the ticket forms used in some (perhaps all) states have an explicit statement to this effect above the blank for the signature. The ticket serves essentially as a summons and a release from arrest on his own recognizance while awaiting the court date.
In some states (maybe most) the refusal to sign for the ticket is, itself, an offense and the motorist may be arrested for his refusal to sign, and it is possible that he could be convicted and penalized for the refusal to sign even if he is acquitted on the original traffic charge for which the ticket was written.
Such a law exists, for example, in Florida, as 23 Fla.Ann.Stat. sec 318.14(3), which has been upheld in State v. McDonald (Fla.Supreme 1978) 357 So.2d 405. It also exists in Louisiana as La.Rev.Stat. 32:391(B), and has been relied on in Moss v. Maryland Casualty Co. (La.App. 1980) 392 So.2d 772. In Alabama it is Ala.Code 32-1-4 (which actually says that the cop would take the motorist in unless the motorist signs the ticket promising to the show up in court) and has been relied on in Wood v. Kesler (11th Cir 2003) 323 F.3d 872 cert.denied 540 US 879. In fact, in Alabama, the cop could arrest the driver and bring him to the police station because the cop had forgotten his ticket book and therefore had nothing for the motorist to sign; Daniels v. State (Ala.Crim.App 1982) 416 So.2d 760.
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