Topic Wiki

This thread discusses speeding tickets and traffic tickets in the state of New York. For parking tickets go here http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=15090.0 or here http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=23665.msg1088489. For moving violations outside of New York, please start a new thread and add a link here.

If you have a specific question please use this template so that members will have enough information to answer.
The ticket was issued in this state:
The ticket is returnable to in this Town/Village/City:
I have a license from this state:
Regular or Commercial license:
Ticket one:
Ticket two(ex):
Accident?:
I want information on "do it yourself":
I want information on "hire an attorney":
I want both:


Please read this wiki first. I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice.

Q: Can I get a plea bargain in New York City?
A: No. Every single ticket goes to trial, guilty or not guilty, in New York City. (The 5 boroughs of NY, Kings, Queens, Bronx and Richmond.)

Q: How long does it take for points to fall off your New York State record/license/abstract?
A: For DMV persistent violation purposes 18 months from the date of offense regardless of the date of conviction. At 3 years after the date of conviction on the following January first the points are no longer visible on the driving record which insurance companies and traffic prosecutors look at. DMV always keeps a record of your conviction and if you get too many points over your lifetime you could get a "10 year" revocation, however those records are not visible to insurance companies.

Q: Does it pay to fight my NY ticket or should I just pay it?
A: In order to figure the true cost of a traffic ticket conviction (aside from figuring out the total fines and the effects on your record) you need to call up your insurance company and ask them 2 questions. 1. How much will my insurance go up over the next 4 years if I pay this ticket? 2. How much money in "good driver discounts" will I loss over the next 4 years and how much does this add up to?

The reason you need to ask these 2 questions separately is because the insurance companies "shield themselves" from the statutory requirement to not raise insurance rates for a first violation (or speeds up to 15 MPH) by granting "good driver discounts", and then taking away these good driver discounts when you get your first violation. Therefore the (technically) correct answer to the first question you ask them could be "your insurance will not be raised at all". Then when you ask them the second question the answer may be in the thousands of dollars over the next 4 years, depending on your insurance bracket.

Q: How can I find my New York ticket online? 
A: If it is New York City ticket you can find it at https://transact.dmv.ny.gov/pleadnpay if you received a ticket anywhere outside of NYC and anywhere upstate you must contact the individual Court by phone or mail. There is no way to find your ticket online. Google is not able to find most small Courts as it get confused with giving you the most popular courts and attorneys, therefore I suggest you look up your Court at at www.town-court.com.

Q: How can I get a copy of my NYS driving record/license/abstract?
A: You can buy it at the statutory minimum of $7 at https://my.dmv.ny.gov/crm

Q: Do NJ tickets show up on a regular non CDL NY license?
A: As long as you pay them, no they will not.

Q: Do NY tickets show up on NJ licenses?
A: Yes as a 2 point out of state conviction (most violations).

Q: Do NJ tickets show up on a NY license?
A: As long as you pay them, no. Exceptions 1. if you have a CDL the NJ conviction will record on your NY license. 2. DUI/DWI and criminal driving convictions from NJ do record on your NY license. 3. as stated above if you don't respond to the ticket the suspension will follow you to NY. In addition NJ issues warrants for failing to respond to traffic tickets. 4 If you are convicted of a high speed (90+ MPH, 100+ MPH) in NJ the Judge may suspend your NJ driving privileges. 

Q: Can I pay Court fines with a CC?
A: In NYC for moving violations you can use https://transact.dmv.ny.gov/pleadnpay. For NYC parking tickets you can use http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/parking/parking.shtml. As far as "upstate" Courts go, most Courts will allow you to pay with visa or mastercard in person. Many Courts have a CC sheet which you can fill in and mail back, other Courts have a third party processor such as https://www.ncourt.com to accept cc payments. Call the Court to find out what options they have. No one (so far that I have seen) will take CCs over the phone.

Q: I received a camera ticket for a red light (3 points) or speeding (3-11 points) or a bus lane violation (2 points). Do traffic tickets issued from a camera add points to my license?
A: Camera Tickets never go on your license as they are issued against the car and not the driver. Therefor a camera ticket will not add points to your license or increase your insurance.

Q: If I push a ticket off for 18 months and then I am convicted, can I still be suspended by the DMV for having more than 11 points?
A: Pushing off a ticket will not help protect you from DMV actions. The reason is as follows: if you receive 2 tickets worth 6 points each on the same day, and you plead guilty to one of them on that same day and you push the second ticket off for 5 years, and then you plead guilty to that second ticket, the DMV computer will look at the 2 dates of violation and say "the motorist accumulated (more than) 11 points within an 18 month period" and issue a persistent violator suspension against you license.

Insurance companies work the other way around. They can only raise your premium after your date of conviction. Therefore in our example the insurance companies will increase your insurance after the first conviction appears on your record when they renew your policy (which will stay on your record for 3 years and then until the next January 1st) and then they will increase your rates again after the second ticket conviction shows up on your record when they renew your policy, (once again this second ticket will stay on the record for  3 years plus until the next January first. It follows that pleading/being found guilty in December saves 11 months of policy increase, and if there is a way to lock in a one year policy right before a conviction in December you can be looking at a car increase for only 2 years and 1 day, instead of 4 years minus one day.)

Travelers Insurance offers 1 year rates.
Geico is 6 months.

Traffic Ticket Lawyers:

State
New York Attorney Matisyahu Wolfberg http://www.speedingdefense.com/
New York Attorney Zev Goldstein www.zevgoldsteinlaw.com 845-356-7770
New York Attorney Benjamin Goldman https://www.benjamingoldmanlawoffice.com/ 212-203-3810
New Jersey and New York Attorney Adam H. Rosenblum www.ticketdefenselaw.com
New Jersey Attorney Leib Klein www.avvo.com/attorneys/08701-nj-leib-klein-1602182.html 732-987-7040

Great Upstate NY lawyer at very cheap prices. http://jaydrillings.net/

Not that many parking ticket lawyers!
Parking ticket Non Lawyer (NYC)
Cathy Mei She takes 50% to fight the parking or camera ticket
Office Number 212-349-4978
Email 329ticket@gmail.com
Fax 646-699-3630

Parking Expert non attorney (718) 384-5052

Non attorney runner http://www.myticketsnyc.com/

Non attorney runner http://www.wefighttickets.com/

10+ Counties in upstate NY have diversion programs, allowing you to dismiss the ticket for a fine and defensive driving class. Conditions and restrictions apply. Check the District Attorney's website for your county: Allegany, Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Clinton, Franklin, Livingston, Orleans, Otsego, Tioga, and Wyoming.

This wiki is not legal advice, nor the advice of an attorney.

Author Topic: Moving Violation Tickets  (Read 997203 times)

Offline plainbachur

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1180 on: May 22, 2014, 01:30:09 AM »

Offline Hirshthg

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    • Zev Goldstein Esq. New York Traffic Ticket Lawyer
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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1181 on: May 22, 2014, 01:07:30 PM »
Yesterday court in south fallsburg NY for a cell phone ticket (5 points) prosecutor gave me a fire hydrant ticket instead $175 no points
Nice:)

Offline theberk

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1182 on: May 22, 2014, 11:18:02 PM »
A violation and not a misdemeanor however it still goes on your criminal record and carries jail time. Do both of us a favor and don't fight it yourself. You can get a cheap attorney who can plead it down.
I went to court and he told me to pay a $50 fine and that's it. He said if I want to argue I should come back for trial. I asked if it will go on any record and he said no so I just paid the $50 and the heck with it.

Offline Hirshthg

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    • Zev Goldstein Esq. New York Traffic Ticket Lawyer
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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1183 on: May 25, 2014, 03:03:01 AM »
Who was "he"? The judge? a prosecutor? a clerk?

Offline theberk

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1184 on: May 25, 2014, 11:28:07 AM »
Who was "he"? The judge? a prosecutor? a clerk?
The judge.

Offline rng

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1185 on: May 25, 2014, 03:24:30 PM »
Have 3 different tickets.
1) seat belt driver which I missed court date and already postponed it and they now want $40 cash bond for postponing again.
2) seat belt back seat child
3) cell phone
For which of these do I get points?
Does anyone have a good lawyer who would take this on pro bono as I don't have any income right now.
Thanks for any suggestions and help 

Offline Hirshthg

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1186 on: May 25, 2014, 03:43:09 PM »
The judge.
Lets hope he was saying the truth:)

Offline Hirshthg

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1187 on: May 25, 2014, 03:44:30 PM »
Have 3 different tickets.
1) seat belt driver which I missed court date and already postponed it and they now want $40 cash bond for postponing again.
2) seat belt back seat child
3) cell phone
For which of these do I get points?
Does anyone have a good lawyer who would take this on pro bono as I don't have any income right now.
Thanks for any suggestions and help
1. 0 points but does go on the record.
2. 3 points
3. 5 points
Which Court are you in front of, TVB?

Offline skyguy918

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1188 on: May 25, 2014, 04:34:05 PM »
1. 0 points but does go on the record.
2. 3 points
3. 5 points
Which Court are you in front of, TVB?
Wow! My first ticket was a cell phone ticket in Nassau, when they first put the law in place and it was only a fine. 5 points is ridiculous.

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1189 on: May 25, 2014, 05:23:15 PM »

Wow! My first ticket was a cell phone ticket in Nassau, when they first put the law in place and it was only a fine. 5 points is ridiculous.
ridiculous until a distracted driver on his cellphone runs over a child.....

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1190 on: May 25, 2014, 06:21:31 PM »
Wow! My first ticket was a cell phone ticket in Nassau, when they first put the law in place and it was only a fine. 5 points is ridiculous.


ridiculous until a distracted driver on his cellphone runs over a child.....
+1. A cousin of mine was almost killed and was in the hospital/rehab for months because he drive while on the phone.
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline theberk

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1191 on: May 25, 2014, 07:07:24 PM »
Lets hope he was saying the truth:)
How would I be able to tell? (My license is from Ohio)

Offline skyguy918

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1192 on: May 26, 2014, 11:30:57 AM »
ridiculous until a distracted driver on his cellphone runs over a child.....
+1. A cousin of mine was almost killed and was in the hospital/rehab for months because he drive while on the phone.
I'm not saying it should be legal, I'm just saying 5 points is excessive. Here are the only other violations that get you at least 5 points:

21 mph over the speed limit and up
Reckless driving
Failing to stop for a school bus

Offline Yehuda25

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1193 on: May 26, 2014, 12:18:57 PM »
IMHO anything involving distracted driving e.g. talking on the phone (I don't know about anyone else, but every time i'm on the highway whenever there is some else veering into my lane and I have to honk, invariably they are on the phone) texting should be a MINIMUM of 5 points probably a suspension. When one is speeding, at least if they have their attention on the road and are in the left lane, what is the big deal ? It should just be a fine !!!
“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”


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Offline Hirshthg

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1194 on: May 26, 2014, 06:12:48 PM »
How would I be able to tell? (My license is from Ohio)
You can buy a certificate of disposition from the court for $5, and if you really want to be safe you can check your criminal record.

Offline theberk

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1195 on: May 26, 2014, 09:33:34 PM »
You can buy a certificate of disposition from the court for $5, and if you really want to be safe you can check your criminal record.
How can I check my criminal record? (Sorry for all the questions.)

Offline skyguy918

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1196 on: May 26, 2014, 10:23:43 PM »
IMHO anything involving distracted driving e.g. talking on the phone (I don't know about anyone else, but every time i'm on the highway whenever there is some else veering into my lane and I have to honk, invariably they are on the phone) texting should be a MINIMUM of 5 points probably a suspension. When one is speeding, at least if they have their attention on the road and are in the left lane, what is the big deal ? It should just be a fine !!!
Texting is no doubt the worst of the bunch, but I was talking more about talking on the phone. The ticket lumps them together if I'm not mistaken, which probably makes sense from a practical enforcement standpoint, but less so from a 'fairness' standpoint.

Offline Yehuda25

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1197 on: May 27, 2014, 10:04:06 AM »
Texting is no doubt the worst of the bunch, but I was talking more about talking on the phone. The ticket lumps them together if I'm not mistaken, which probably makes sense from a practical enforcement standpoint, but less so from a 'fairness' standpoint.
True and not true, because while there is no doubt that texting is worse, the phone is within they same category of not paying attention to the road, and that is when the accidents happen. Plus there is no reason why one wouldn't be using a bluetooth or similar device which is such an easy fix.
“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”


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Offline skyguy918

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1198 on: May 27, 2014, 11:35:32 AM »
True and not true, because while there is no doubt that texting is worse, the phone is within they same category of not paying attention to the road, and that is when the accidents happen. Plus there is no reason why one wouldn't be using a bluetooth or similar device which is such an easy fix.
You're not getting a ticket for not paying attention to the road, the ticket is for talking on your cell phone, and you can get one even if you are absolutely paying attention to the road. Say I place a call at a red light and now I'm driving along with one hand on the wheel and one hand holding my phone to my ear. How is that any different from driving a manual transmission car (ie only one hand on the wheel), while talking to a passenger in the car? You're definitely more likely to be distracted at some point in the process, but it can be done with less distraction than other non-ticketed activities.

I don't want you to get the wrong idea, when I drive I use the bluetooth in my car, and I certainly don't text. But if I didn't have built-in bluetooth, I'd be much less likely to connect to an earpiece (especially on short rides), and probably pick up a call.

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Re: Traffic Tickets
« Reply #1199 on: May 27, 2014, 02:33:47 PM »
Got a cell phone ticket two years back in NY, on a Florida license, will the points post to my FL license even though it isn't illegal to talk on a phone in FL, secondly (i know this has been discussed) if i push it off long enough is there any chance it wont be caught by my insurance company?