I got pulled over because I had no tail lights. Fine. So I stopped driving the car altogether and now I have to appear in traffic court for not getting the car fixed and showing it to the police. This sucks as I was planning on getting a new car but if this goes on my driving record my insurance will go way up. So I've been riding my bicycle in the cold to what end? I thought I was responsible for keeping my illegal car off the road. FML.
It is called a fit-it ticket and they generally done have any reflection on your insurance rate.
I would google the state driving laws for where you live. They typically tell you what they are written up as.
And because it isn't a moving violation I don't believe that you have to report it to your insurance. As Janet said it's basically just a warning to fix whatever they have cited you for.