deferral
dih-FUR-uhl
/dɪˈfɜːr.əl/
A postponement of an action or event; in traffic court, an agreement where a ticket is put on hold and eventually dismissed if the driver avoids further violations.
A deferral is a conditional grace period. The ticket doesn't go on your record immediately; it is held in limbo, pending your good behavior.
The story behind the word. Deferral comes from the Latin 'deferre', which means 'to carry down' or 'to carry away'. In legal terms, it refers to carrying a decision away to a future date. Instead of dealing with the weight of the ticket right now, the court 'carries it down' the road to see how you behave.
Word relationships
- postponement: Postponement is a general delay of an event, while a deferral in court is a specific legal arrangement with conditions for dismissal.
- probation: Probation is a criminal sentence involving supervision, whereas a traffic deferral is usually unsupervised and administrative.
- enforcement: Enforcement is the immediate application of a penalty, while deferral is the temporary suspension of it.
Commonly confused with
- continuance: A continuance delays the court hearing to a later date, while a deferral delays the entry of a conviction on your driving record.
Word family
- defer (verb): To put off an action or event to a later time.
Collocations
- request a deferral
- granted a deferral
- deferral period
- deferral program
Example sentences
- "The judge granted a six-month deferral, meaning the ticket would be dismissed if he kept his driving record clean during that time." An explanation of a court program for clean drivers.
- "I requested a deferral because I couldn't afford to have my insurance rates go up after another speeding ticket." A driver discussing their legal strategy.
Memory hook
To defer is to 'differ' the timing. You are making the punishment happen at a 'different', much later time (or never!). Deferral delays the danger of a ticket.
When not to use
Do not use for an unconditional postponement of a court date (which is a continuance).
Fun facts
- Many states only allow drivers to use a traffic deferral once every seven years, making it a precious card to play only when absolutely necessary.
Related words
Also appears in
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