You didn't get the alert icon at the left side of cockpit? Or you just didn't pay attention? You should get my Volume Button mod, it will tell you the status of your volume (mute or not) and how loud the settings are currently. Also it will tell you if the master/phone volume is high enough via colors.
I do agree that the "Garmin style" alert banner at the top is nice to have; I'll look into it when I have some time.

P.S. How much was your fined?