Harlem Speeding Ticket Lawyer

By working with a Harlem speeding ticket lawyer, you might be able to avoid the worst of the penalties you face or possibly even get your speeding violation dismissed entirely.

Speeding is a heavily penalized moving violation in Harlem and the rest of New York City, especially in light of the city’s Vision Zero program. The punishments for speeding, both monetary and otherwise, can drag a family into debt and cost you your drivers license.

Trying to fight a ticket on your own doesn’t usually work out, either. You may not be taken seriously, you may be too nervous to effectively argue your case in court, and you may not have the experience with evidence-gathering to find the proof you need to win.

If you have been charged with a speeding infraction, your first step needs to be speaking with a Harlem speeding ticket lawyer from the Law Office of James Medows.

Harlem Speeding Penalties

The potential fines and jail time that you face increase with the amount over the speed limit you were allegedly driving at. These are the penalties in New York and the speed thresholds they apply to:

• At ten mph over the speed limit, you will be fined between $90 and $150, sentenced to spend up to fifteen days in jail, and receive three points on your drivers license.
• At between eleven and thirty mph over the speed limit, your fine and jail sentence are doubled and you get between four and six points.
• At anything above thirty mph over the speed limit, the fine doubles once again, the jail sentence stays at up to thirty days, and you will receive between eight and eleven points.

These penalties will all include other fees, like the court surcharge fee of $88 to $90. There are places where these fines can be increased significantly, such as work zones, school zones, and sections of highways.

All of these penalties are for the first offense within eighteen months. If you receive another speeding ticket of any severity, the penalties could be greatly increased, and you will lose your license if you get three speeding violations within that same eighteen months.

Once your license is suspended or revoked, your troubles can keep piling up. The fees, fines, surcharges, and other costs for losing your license are substantial, which is why you should contact a Harlem speeding ticket lawyer from our firm immediately.

Other Consequences of a Harlem Speeding Conviction

Too many people never fully consider the consequences they face when charged with a traffic violation like speeding. A great many drivers will plead guilty to their tickets before fully appreciating how that conviction will impact their lives—until it’s far too late.

Being convicted of a moving violation isn’t a light and fluffy thing. You could be forced to spend time in jail, experience financial hardship, and ruin your driving record.

Here are some of the negative ways a speeding conviction of any kind can impact your life:

Your Financial Stability

Speeding tickets are expensive. Not only must you pay the fine, but often there are surcharges that go along with the ticket. If you don’t have a lot of money to spare, one speeding ticket could rock your financial world, leading to other issues in all areas of your life.

Your Employment

All traffic violations could affect your employment. Many jobs require a clean driving record, and nearly all of them require you to have a drivers license. If you lose your license, you could also lose your job.

Even if you don’t get fired because you lost your license, you could begin struggling to get to work on time because you have to rely on public transportation or rides from not-so-reliable friends. But you can avoid a speeding ticket conviction altogether by teaming up with a speeding ticket lawyer in Harlem.

Your Family Life

When your finances become unstable and you lose your job, it affects your loved ones. Your entire family will suffer because you pleaded guilty to a speeding ticket when you might not have needed to. At least if you fight your ticket, you’ll know that you did everything you could to protect your family.

Insurance Rates

It should come as no surprise that insurance companies don’t like speeders. They will view your speeding conviction as a risk, and they will raise your insurance rates. Some insurers will raise rates so much that, once again, your finances will be greatly impacted.

Speeding Infraction Defenses

Many people don’t realize it, but it is actually possible to defend against a Harlem speeding ticket and get your charge reduced or dismissed completely. Which course of action is best will depend on your specific circumstances, but here are a few of the more common examples:

• Emergency – If you had a valid emergency at the time you were pulled over, it might be possible to persuade the traffic court to empathize with your situation and be lenient.
• Faulty Equipment or Method – Depending on how the officer determined you were speeding in Harlem, it might be possible to question the accuracy of the method used. Perhaps the radar gun wasn’t properly calibrated, or maybe the officer’s use of pacing can be questioned.
• Heavy Traffic – If the traffic was particularly heavy, we might be able to argue that you are the victim of mistaken identity. Alternatively, it might be that traffic was moving so fast that it would have been dangerous for you to drive any slower.
• The Driving Conditions – In many cases, it can be argued that your driving was safe for the conditions of the roadway. For example, if you suddenly veered into another lane of traffic, but you did so to avoid colliding with an object in the roadway, your lane departure could be considered reasonable.
• Mistake of Fact – Sometimes, drivers are ticketed for things they simply didn’t do. Maybe an officer confused your vehicle for another, or perhaps a photo camera wasn’t working properly, but you can challenge the facts of the case.
• The Officer’s Opinion – Police officers are human, right? We aren’t using a robotic police force just yet, so that means they can make mistakes. It’s possible to prove to the court that the officer made errors in judgment or errors on the paperwork and that convicting you would be unjust.

Get Help from a Harlem Speeding Violation Attorney

All of the costs and consequences associated with speeding will keep adding up, so fighting your ticket is the only way to protect your future.

If you have been ticketed for driving too fast, you should speak with a Harlem speeding ticket lawyer from the Law Office of James Medows about the best way to formulate your defense. Call or text us at 917-856-1247 to schedule your free, confidential consultation. You can also fill out the form on this page to have us contact you later.

Contact James Medows