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.