Receiving a traffic ticket in Clifton is only slightly less annoying than getting one elsewhere, and only because Clifton is such a nice place to live and visit. We all make mistakes, and sometimes they happen while we’re driving and are witnessed by a police officer.
Traffic tickets can have costs far beyond the immediate fines and the general hassle of dealing with the courts. You really need to fight every ticket you receive, and to do that, you should contact a Clifton traffic ticket lawyer from Jean Baptiste & Associates, LLC immediately so that we can start building our case to get your charge reduced or dismissed.
NEW JERSEY MOTOR VEHICLE VIOLATIONS AND POINTS
Traffic violations are penalized with expensive fines, annual surcharges, insurance and license points, license suspension or revocation, and even with jail time. The punishments are intended to be proportional to the severity of the infraction, and your Clifton traffic violation lawyer will help you determine how your ticket will affect you.
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) tracks these violations through the use of a point system that is very common to the other points systems used by most other states. Points are added to your license for every infraction and can range from two to eight, but you can always get more than one citation at a time, as well.
If you reach six or more points within three years of your last violation, then you will be assessed a surcharge of $150 plus an additional $25 for every point over six. Worse than that, if you reach twelve points, you will lose your privilege to drive for thirty days, plus you will have additional fees to pay and driving programs to attend.
CAN DRIVING POINTS BE DROPPED?
Points do not expire, but they do fall off over time. If you make it one year without any traffic violations, three points will fall off your license. However, one speeding ticket on day 363 will reset that one-year clock.
There are also defensive-driver programs that will reduce your points by two, but this method can only be used once every five years. If you want to explore your options for reducing points, your Clifton traffic ticket lawyer can explain your most viable and efficient options.
INSURANCE COMPANIES LOOK AT POINTS, TOO
Insurance companies track violations using their own point systems, and these can have even longer-lasting negative effects on your life. They will likely raise your rates for any violation that has MVC points, but they may also assess insurance points for violations that do not carry any MVC points. They also do not always recognize point reductions earned through defensive-driving programs.
AVOIDING DRIVING POINTS IS KEY
These are all reasons to avoid receiving points in the first place by challenging every traffic ticket you receive, regardless of severity. The financial and mobility concerns can be both immediate and long-term, so it’s best to explore your options with the counsel of a Clifton traffic ticket lawyer from our firm.
LEGAL EVALUATION WITH A CLIFTON TRAFFIC VIOLATION LAWYER
After receiving a traffic ticket, please do not hesitate to contact us and begin the process of challenging the citation immediately. To successfully avoid the worst of the penalties, you should contact a Clifton traffic ticket lawyer from Jean Baptiste & Associates, LLC as soon as you can.