My daughter received a summons for a rear end accident

[Calista241]

8. If there is an accident, there is always a violation.

Following too close, failure to yield, speeding, whatever.

Unless your daughter has been charged with something, for which she'll have a ticket, not showing up will cause the prosecution to drop the charges against the other driver.

The other driver is probably hoping your daughter won't show up, which means he won't have to pay a fine, and the points won't go on his license. This is a common strategy to try and get out of a ticket, show up to court and hope the other party does not.

Personally, I've had a fair few run ins with traffic cops. Consequences of being a motorcycle rider I suppose. When I get a ticket, I always show up to court. If the cop doesn't show up, the prosecution drops the charges. Cops are paid to show up though, so they're more likely to do so than a civilian involved in an accident.

In the same situation your wife paid the citation and admitted guilt. The guy that rear ended your daughter clearly wants to make the state prove it's case.