New York City Speeding Ticket Lawyer
Many New York City drivers view speeding tickets as a pain in the neck more than anything else. While speeding tickets can certainly be a hassle, they are more serious than most people think.
Conviction on a speeding ticket can negatively impact your driving record and can lead to high fines based on prior traffic violations.
It is important to protect your driving record because too many points on your record could lead to a driver’s license suspension. Moreover, insurance companies base coverage rates in part on your record. A speeding ticket can become very costly in many ways.
Rather than accepting the conviction, or trying to contest it yourself, call a New York City speeding ticket lawyer. A skilled traffic offenses attorney will go to traffic court on your behalf, and fight for a dismissal or reduced penalties.
Speeding Tickets and Driving Records
New York City drivers accumulate driving record points for each traffic violation conviction. A negative driving record can hurt a New York driver in many ways. Drivers who accrue 11 or more points in an 18-month period may face license suspension and costly fees.
A point-filled driving record may also affect a driver’s auto insurance rates. Many insurance companies screen New York drivers’ DMV records to calculate premium and coverage rates.
Additionally, many drivers need a clean DMV record for work if they have to operate their employer’s vehicle. To avoid these and other negative consequences, anyone facing a speeding ticket in New York City should call an attorney.
A New York speeding ticket lawyer can represent the driver in court, push for delayed adjudication or dismissal of the ticket, and help the driver avoid point accumulation and fines.
New York’s Speeding Points System
Many drivers’ DMV points are the result of a speeding ticket. Drivers can accumulate multiple points from a single speeding offense. According to the New York DMV, motorists earn the points for speeding tickets based on how fast they were allegedly driving:
- 1-10 mph over the posted speed limit: 3 points
- 11-20 mph over the posted speed limit: 4 points
- 21-30 mph over the posted speed limit: 6 points
- 31-40 mph over the posted speed limit: 8 points
- 41+ mph over the posted speed limit: 11 points
Reckless Driving Charges
Sometimes, speeding motorists may face criminal reckless driving charges. New York’s Vehicle & Traffic Code Section 1212 prohibits reckless driving, which is defined as interfering with the use of public highways or causing unreasonable risk of harm to those on public highways.
There is no single form of reckless driving under this law. Rather, police officers can charge a motorist with reckless driving based on the situation at hand.
Often, reckless driving involves traveling at unnecessarily dangerous speeds that actually endanger others on the road. Going over the speed limit does not, in and of itself, qualify as reckless driving.
However, when someone drives so far over the speed limit that other drivers are at risk, they could face a reckless driving charge.
For example, if someone is driving on a busy public highway 50 MPH over the posted speed limit, they are subjecting others to an unreasonable risk of a crash. Reckless driving is a misdemeanor charge, and is punishable by a $300 fine and up to 30 days in jail for a first conviction.
New York City Speeding Ticket Lawyers Can Help You
If you were recently ticketing for speeding, or are facing reckless driving charges, call a New York City speeding ticket lawyer, who can make you aware of all of your legal options, and the best next steps forward.