VEHICLE & TRAFFIC:

Traffic Tickets, Auto Insurance, and the Department of Motor Vehicles

Most everybody who drives a car gets a traffic ticket sooner or later. Some traffic tickets are crimes with criminal penalties, such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or reckless driving. If you have one of these traffic criminal charges, you should click the criminal law hyperlink and and treat the case as you would any crime. But most traffic tickets are violations resulting in fines for things like speeding, running red lights, equipment violations, and illegal passing. As a practical matter, few people ever go to jail for those types of offenses. So why bother hire an attorney for traffic infractions?

There are two primary reasons to have an attorney for traffic tickets: points and insurance.

If you get a traffic ticket and you plead guilty, the department of motor vehicles (DMV) will assign you a certain number of "points" which go on your driving record. The table shows how many points you get for various offenses. Too many points and DMV will revoke your license, whether or not the judge gives you a break. It is always good to have as few points as possible on your driving record. If you live outside of New York State and get a ticket in New York, all other states and Canadian provinces have access to your New York ticket conviction information and will assess you points. Whenever you get a ticket, it is advisable to see if you can get the charge reduced or dismissed so you don't accumulate points.

Your auto insurance rate is the other major reason for you to fight a traffic ticket. The Department of Motor Vehicles in New York has a computer which keeps track of your moving violations, and insurance companies across the country and in Canada have access to this data base. If you have a license from a state other than New York, the New York motor vehicle computer shares its information with your state. Your insurance company will access all of the state and provincial computers across the US and Canada and will rate you based on your driving record of accidents and moving violations wherever they occurred and increase your insurance rates accordingly. The worse your record, the higher your insurance rates will be. With a really bad record, your insurance company can cancel your auto insurance policy.

If you are involved in an auto accident and you get a ticket, it is absolutely essential that you have an attorney represent you. Auto accidents result in lawsuits. If you just plead guilty to the charge, your admissions and conviction can be used against you in the civil suit. Depending on your level of insurance, that could cost you a lot of money. We can help you avoid serious financial liability.