If you’ve been given a traffic ticket in the State of New York, you can be assured that you will probably be paying a fine and/or getting some points on your license. Some people think it’s easy to get tickets dismissed, because all you have to do is show up and hope the police officer is not there. If he/she is not there, boom, the judge throws the case out.
Unfortunately, this is not how the system works. If you plead guilty to your traffic tickets by mail, then there will be no need for a court appearance, and you will get your fine notice in the mail. If you plead “not guilty” to the tickets, then you will get a notice of conference date in the mail. Notice that the court date is for a “pre-trial conference,” not for a trial. When you go to the pre-trial conference, you will be given an opportunity to plead guilty to a lesser charge. So, if you’ve been given a speeding ticket, and the speed is not too high, and your driving record is not too awful, then you will typically be offered a parking ticket or another low-points violation, like “disobeying a traffic control device” aka crossing a white line. This is what happens whether you decide to hire a lawyer or if you show up by yourself.
It’s not hard to get a great result if you have a clean driving record and were just going 2 miles over the speed limit. However, the problems arise when you get multiple tickets, or your license was suspended, or you were going much too fast, or you have gotten many points over the past 18 months. In these situations, it’s helpful to take some additional steps in order to show the court and the prosecutor that you are taking the charges seriously.
Tips for getting great results on your traffic tickets:
- Try not to get too many tickets. It’s always easier to get a reduced plea offer if your driver history has been clean for 18 months or longer.
- Have a CDL, or be a government employee of some kind. Yep, courts and prosecutors like to favor commercial drivers and government employees. If you are either of these, make sure the court and prosecutor know about it.
- Take a defensive driving class (either online or in person) before the pre-trial conference. Yes, you can do this. As you know, this class will remove up to four points from your New York State drivers’ history, and it even works on points gained after you take the class (up to six months). Taking the class before the court date shows that court that you are taking the charges seriously and that you have spent time and money getting ready for court. Yes, it helps. A list of reputable defensive driving schools is included below.
- Do some community service work. What? Work for free in order to impress the court and the prosecutor? Yes, work for free in order to impress the court and the prosecutor! When you are facing really tough charges, then you can go to your local church, animal shelter, or food pantry and do 10-20 hours of community service before you go to court. The fact is that very few people do this, and if you do it, you will really stand out as somebody who is taking things seriously. A list of community service providers in the Orange County NY area is attached here.
All of these steps are things that you can do by yourself or in conjunction with an attorney that you hire. If you need any further assistance with your case, please feel free to call Steve Cobb, Esq., for a free consultation and kindly words of encouragement: Tel: (845) 247-5464.
Defensive Driving Classes in Orange County, NY
- Reduces up to 4 points from your license.
- Reduces insurance by 10%.
- No New York license is needed.
INTERNET CLASSES
I Drive Safely http://www.idrivesafely.com $24.99 for four hours (English only)
New York Safety Council http://www.newyorksafetycouncil.com $24.99 for four hours (English and Spanish)
IN PERSON CLASSES
Louie’s Auto Driving School
153 Temple Hill Road
Suite # 3
New Windsor NY 12553
845-569-0023
http://www.louiesautoschool.com