The stress of a traffic ticket is bad enough while you are pulled over, but it can get worse when you realize just how much time and money you may have to put into the process. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission keeps track of all of your traffic infractions, and you are assessed surcharges and points as you accumulate them.
Once you reach the limit of twelve points, your license can be suspended. It is always better to avoid getting points to begin with, than it is to deal with the insurance rate increases and attempt to undertake the few methods available to remove points.
METHODS OF REDUCING POINTS
There are only a few point-reduction methods available. They are time elapsing, the Driver Improvement Program or the Probationary Driver Program, and the Defensive Driver Program, all of which are long, arduous, and costly.
TIME
The first, waiting on the passage of time, follows the rule that three points are dropped every twelve months after your last traffic violation. This means that if you are about to lose your license at eleven points, you only have to make it four years with no tickets to get back to zero. You will then have to convince your insurance company that they have fallen off rather than been removed, as many insurers do not acknowledge certain point removals.
COURT-ORDERED PROGRAMS
The second and third methods depend on whether you have just received your permit within the last two years, making you a probationary driver, or have had it for longer.
If, as a probationary driver, you are charged with two or more traffic violations that total four points or more, you will automatically get a fee-due notice to pay for your involuntary enrollment in the Probationary Driver Program (PDP). If you pass the four-hour class, you will get up to three points removed from your license. This is after a $75 state fee and whatever the licensed program-provider charges, not totaling more than $150.
As a license holder of two or more years, you are permitted a little more leniency. When you reach twelve to fourteen points in more than two years, you may be offered the Driver Improvement Program (DIP) instead of a thirty-day suspension. This program includes the same type of fees as the PDP, and they both have a one-year no violation stipulation. If you do get another ticket within a year of passing either of these classes, your license will be suspended.
VOLUNTARY PROGRAM
The Defensive Driver Program is the most commonly used program because it can be done online and at anytime. This course can take up to two points off, but only once every five years. Also, if you are ordered to attend the DIP or the PDP, you must do so before taking the defensive driver program.
FREE CONSULTATION WITH A NEW JERSEY TRAFFIC VIOLATION LAWYER
You need your license to keep working, and keeping your insurance rates low is essential, also. Removing points can be a painstaking and long process, but avoiding them altogether is both much faster and usually much cheaper.
If you have been ticketed and want to keep your driving record clear, then you need to fight your ticket. An experienced traffic lawyer from Jean Baptiste & Associates, LLC can help take care of your problems and relieve some of the stress. Please call or fill out the form below to schedule a free consultation as soon as possible.