NYC Traffic Ticket Lawyer

Traffic violations might seem minor, but they can cause real problems for your life and finances. Beat your ticket by working with an NYC traffic ticket attorney.

People often underestimate just how much a traffic ticket can negatively affect their life. While it might seem like you can simply pay the fine and be done with it, this often isn’t the case.

By signing the ticket and paying the fine, you’re admitting guilt. New York tracks these violations, and enough tickets can result in additional fines, annual surcharges, insurance rate hikes, and even the loss of your drivers license.

While one ticket might not cause all of this, you never know when you’ll be cited for a violation next. And the next time might not be a violation you can successfully have dismissed.

By working with an NYC traffic ticket lawyer from the Law Office of James Medows, you can be proactive and protect your finances and future driving rights.

Traffic Tickets in New York City

As any NYC resident knows, driving in the city isn’t exactly a stress-free experience. While some moving violations are certainly more serious than others, at a minimum, any traffic ticket is going to result in a monetary fine and driving points assessed to your license.

Jail time, while rare, is also a real possibility. However, incarceration is usually reserved for repeat offenders, truly egregious traffic violations, and additional problems that occurred during the traffic stop.

While many people assume that a traffic violation can’t be beaten, the truth is that there’s always a defense that can be used. A traffic attorney from our NYC firm will have experience defending against a number of different moving violations:

• Speeding
• Cell phone use while driving
• Blocking an intersection (blocking the box)
• Failing to yield to pedestrians or oncoming traffic
• Failing to stop at a sign or traffic light
• Tailgating
• Improper passing

Penalties and Points for NYC Traffic Violations

Just as the fine varies according to ticket type, so do the number of driving points you’ll be assessed for each violation. New York uses these points to track how many violations you’ve committed in the past, and accruing too many can result in serious consequences.

For example, if you reach just six points within an eighteen-month period, you’ll have to start paying an annual surcharge—called a driver responsibility assessment fee—just to maintain your driving privileges. This surcharge continues for three years and is $100 with an additional $25 for each point over six.

Reaching eleven points within eighteen months—something that a single serious speeding ticket can do—will cost you your license. After a revocation, you’ll need to pay additional fees and take classes in order to have it restored.

Every point puts you that much closer to a license suspension. By fighting your charges with help from a New York City traffic ticket lawyer, you might be able to avoid ever reaching this point. The table below shows how many points are added to your driving record for the different types of driving infractions listed:

Car Insurance Companies and Traffic Violations

The negative repercussions of a traffic ticket don’t stop there, however. Your insurance company will be paying attention to any violations that appear on your driving history.

Even a single citation might be enough to cause your premiums to skyrocket. Making matters worse, most insurers have their own internal system for tracking traffic violations and don’t adhere to the New York State system.

This means that, even if you take a class to get points removed from your license, your insurer might not care. This could leave you paying high insurance rates for a very long time.

It’s best to avoid this situation by being proactive and disputing every ticket you receive. Even getting a minor violation dismissed can save you substantial money in the long run.

Other Ways a Conviction for an NYC Traffic Infraction Can Impact Your Life

In addition to points on your record (which could lead to you losing your driving privileges) and insurance premium hikes, your traffic ticket in NYC could negatively affect your life in other ways. One of the reasons your driving record is so important is because you need to be able to get from point A to point B.

Most of us don’t live in a place where we can walk everywhere; driving is an essential part of getting around and accomplishing all the daily chores and activities we need to get done in our lives. The following list shows some of the ways your life could be impacted by a traffic ticket conviction.

• Your Job – When you lose your license, you may have a tough time getting to work. Too many missed days because of transportation issues, and you could lose your job. If you drive for work, things are even worse for you because you may lose your job on the spot as soon as your employer learns of your driving infraction.
• Your Free Time – The loss of your driving privileges can force you to find alternate means of transportation, such as walking long distances to get to work or the grocery store. You may be forced to take public transportation, which can take a lot longer to travel from one place to another, depending on the situation and where you live.
• Financial Impact – Tickets are expensive. For some people, even one infraction can set them back months on other bills, putting them in a huge financial hole that can be difficult to climb out of.
• Your Family Life – When you’re convicted of a traffic infraction, you’re not the only one impacted. Your family will suffer from your transportation issues, your loss of employment, and the monetary cost associated with tickets.

Defending Against Your NYC Traffic Violation

While a speeding violation or a lane-change offense might seem impossible to dispute, this often isn’t the case. Moving violations are often assessed purely according to the officer’s discretion, which provides ample opportunity to introduce reasonable doubt.

For example, you might be ticketed for tailgating simply because traffic suddenly slowed down and you were in the middle of adjusting to the new conditions. The officer might not have been receptive to your plea at the time you were pulled over, but the traffic judge might.

From poorly calibrated radar guns to simple errors in the ticketing officer’s judgment, there are a number of ways to contest any ticket. It’s important not to lose hope and not to simply assume there’s no way to beat your citation. For an idea about some successful defenses against traffic violations, see below:

• Challenge the officer’s subjective opinion of your driving behaviors.
• Challenge the officer’s observations.
• Show that there was a mistake of fact.
• Demonstrate that your driving conduct was justified, given the driving conditions. (For example, you could use this defense when driving at the speed of surrounding traffic.)
• Show that an emergency or other circumstance out of your control forced your driving behaviors.

When you decide to fight your ticket in New York City, you will most likely need some kind of evidence to convince the judge of your innocence. After all, he or she isn’t going to simply take your word for it. Here are some examples of evidence you can use to support your arguments in traffic ticket cases:

• Witness statements, such as passengers in your vehicle at the time of the collision, who will back up your version of events
• Photographic evidence, such as images of a crooked stop sign or faded lines on the roadway
• Easy-to-understand diagrams of the position of your vehicle in relation to other objects or vehicles, which proves the officer’s point of view was obstructed, that you couldn’t have done what the officer said, or other points that demonstrate that you aren’t guilty of the traffic infraction

While the best defense will depend on your specific ticket type and the circumstances you received it in, your NYC traffic ticket lawyer will be able to determine how best to approach your case in order to see your violation dismissed.

Connect with a New York City Traffic Ticket Attorney

There’s no such thing as a traffic ticket that can’t be challenged in court. No matter what happened, it might be possible to get your charge dismissed or reduced. The key is to not give up.

The Law Office of James Medows has in-depth knowledge of traffic law in New York City and the practical courtroom experience to put it to use. We know how to challenge a traffic violation, and we’re tenacious in pursuing the best possible results for our clients.

If you’ve been ticketed for a moving violation in NYC, you don’t have to simply accept the ticket and everything that follows from it. Instead, schedule a free and confidential consultation with a capable NYC traffic ticket lawyer and start building your defense. Arrange a time for yours by calling 917-856-1247, or simply complete the form below.

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