Regardless of what citation you received, you owe it to yourself to fight that ticket as far as you can, and to do that successfully, you will need the help of a Paterson traffic ticket lawyer from Jean Baptiste & Associates, LLC.
PATERSON TRAFFIC CITATION PENALTIES
Traffic laws are important to the safety of everyone in the community—yourself included—although we all make mistakes from time to time. Traffic tickets carry several penalties depending on the offense’s severity. You could face monetary fines, surcharges, license and insurance points, license suspension or revocation, and possibly even jail time.
NEW JERSEY DRIVING POINTS
Fines are fairly self-explanatory and surcharges are similar, but the point system is part of how the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) tracks driver infractions and the status of a driver's license. Your Paterson traffic ticket lawyer will be able to explain the variety of charges you may be facing and how they differ from similar violations.
You will face a surcharge of $150 if you make it to six points or more within three years of your last violation, with an additional $25 for any points over six. These surcharges will apply annually for three years. This could amount to as much as $825 for eleven points.
Worse, if you earn twelve points, your license will be suspended until you run through all of the hoops to earn it back and avoid any other citations immediately after recovering it. A Paterson traffic violation lawyer from our office will be able to help you understand how these issues apply to your case.
REMOVING OR REDUCING POINTS
These points do not expire, although, for every year you are violation-free, three points will drop off. There are a couple of ways to reduce your point total, but they are expensive, time-consuming, rare, and generally unpleasant.
This means that avoiding points in the first place by fighting the ticket is extremely important to both your finances and your mobility.
INSURANCE AND POINTS
Insurance companies will usually raise your rate for any points acquired and often do not observe when points are removed for utilizing defensive driving programs, but all companies have their own unique policies.
All of these programs have specific eligibility criteria and the frequency that they can be used is limited. A Paterson traffic ticket lawyer will know exactly when these options should be utilized.
LEGAL CONSULTATION WITH A PATERSON TRAFFIC TICKET LAWYER
If you have received a traffic ticket, you should absolutely fight it. The immediate costs are one thing, but the long-term costs can be high as well. You will need an experienced partner to fight and win. With the help of a Paterson traffic ticket lawyer from Jean Baptiste & Associates, LLC, we can build a solid defense and possibly protect you from these harsh penalties.