Defending a New Jersey Traffic Ticket

Pleading guilty to a traffic ticket could cost you thousands of dollars in fines, penalties, and insurance increases. For some of the most serious offenses, a conviction can result in your insurance company dropping you as a client, your license being suspended, and even a jail sentence.

The bottom line is that you need to protect your license. Our New Jersey traffic attorneys have an excellent record of having New Jersey traffic violations reduced if not completely dismissed.

Call us today for a free consultation. If you are from Canada and received a traffic ticket while visiting New Jersey, click here.

The Cost of a New Jersey Traffic Ticket

Fines: The fines associated with various traffic violations in New Jersey range from $25 up to $1500 and more, depending on the type of violation. The fines for some of the most common traffic violations are as follows:

$25 to $200 – Racing on Highway
$50 to $200 – Careless driving
$50-500 – Reckless driving
$85 – Speeding in excess 1-9 mph above the speed limit
$95 – Speeding in excess 10-14 mph above the speed limit
$105 – Speeding in excess 15-19 mph above the speed limit
$185 – Failure to keep right
$230 – Failure to yield to pedestrians at a crosswalk
$500 – Driving while suspended
Up to $1,000 – DWI/DUI
Up to $15,000 – Leaving the Scene of an Accident

Points: The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) imposes points on your driving record when it receives notice that you have been found guilty of what is called a moving violation. If you accumulate 12 – 14 points within two years, your license will be suspended for at least 30 days, depending on the number of points you have collected.

Once your driving privileges are reinstated, any moving violation you receive after that, including those that do not carry points, will lead to you being labeled a “persistent violator”. Standard suspension periods for persistent violators are as follows:

12 to 15 points accumulated in two years or less – 30 Days
16 to 18 points accumulated in two years or less – 60 Days
19 to 21 points accumulated in two years or less – 90 Days
22 to 24 points accumulated in two years or less – 120 Days
25 to 27 points accumulated in two years or less – 150 Days
28 or more points accumulated in two years or less – Not Less than 180 Days

To reinstate your driving privilege after a point suspension or revocation, you will have to go through an administrative process with the department of revenue. The good news, however, is that after your driving privilege has been reinstated, the MVC will reduce the number of points you have by 3.

Then for each year you drive without accumulating more points, the MVC will reduce the number of points you have by an additional 3 points. What’s more, once every 5 years, you can have two points taken off your driving record by merely completing a Motor Vehicle Commission-approved defensive driving course.

Surcharges: In addition to the fine associated with a particular traffic offense, drivers who accumulate 6 points or more on their New Jersey driving record, in three years, will also be required to pay a surcharge to the state once a year, for three years, to keep their driving privileges. These surcharges vary depending on the particular traffic offense, for example:

$85 per year – Careless driving
$100 per year – Unlicensed driver or driver with an expired license
$100 per year – Failure to insure a moped
$250 per year – Driving with a suspended license
$250 per year – No liability insurance on a motor vehicle
$1000 per year – First or second DWI (in-state or out-of-state)
$1000 per year – Refusal to submit to a chemical test
$1500 per year – Third or subsequent DWI within three years of the first DWI conviction

Auto Insurance Increases: Your auto insurance rates can skyrocket as a result of a conviction for a traffic offense. In New Jersey, traffic offenses stay on your record indefinitely. This means you could potentially be paying increased insurance rates forever after a traffic conviction.

Exactly how much your insurance rates will increase depends on the particular offense you were convicted of. However, you can generally expect your rates to increase by 11-15% for a speeding conviction and approximately 20% of severe crimes, such as reckless driving and DUI/DWI.

Court Costs: Finally, if you decide to fight your New Jersey traffic ticket in court, you will be required to pay a $34 court fee in addition to any fine or surcharge imposed.

Serious Traffic Violations in New Jersey

In New Jersey, certain moving violations are considered severe traffic violations. Examples of these include:

Speeding over 15 mph above the speed limit
Reckless Driving
Racing
Tailgating
Improper passing of a school bus
Leaving the scene of an accident
Driving a commercial vehicle without a CDL

For each of these traffic violations, you will be assessed at least 5 points or more. Furthermore, in some cases, you may be charged with two or three serious traffic violations for the same act. It is, therefore, not uncommon for someone to accumulate 10, 15, or 20 points for the same offending event.

NJ Points Schedule

NJSA Section	Offense	Points
New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway
27:23–29	Moving against traffic	2
27:23–29	Improper passing	4
27:23–29	Unlawful use of median strip	2
All roads and highways
39:3–20	Operating constructor vehicle in excess of 45 mph	3
39:4–14.3	Operating motorized bicycle on a restricted highway	2
39:4–14.3d	More than one person on a motorized bicycle	2
39:4–35	Failure to yield to pedestrian in crosswalk	2
39:4–36	Failure to yield to pedestrian in crosswalk; passing a vehicle yielding to pedestrian in crosswalk	2
39:4– 41	Driving through safety zone	2
39:4–52	Racing on highway	5
39:4–55	Improper action or omission on grades and curves	2
39:4–57	Failure to observe direction of officer	2
39:4–66	Failure to stop vehicle before crossing sidewalk	2
39:4–66.1	Failure to yield to pedestrians or vehicles while entering or leaving highway	2
39:4–66.2	Driving on public or private property to avoid a traffic sign or signal	2
39:4–71	Operating a motor vehicle on a sidewalk	2
39:4–80	Failure to obey direction of officer	2
39:4–81	Failure to observe traffic signals* (Red Light Camera- 0 pts.)	2
	*No points assessed for red light camera violation	0
39:4–82	Failure to keep right	2
39:4–82.1	Improper operating of vehicle on divided highway or divider	2
39:4–83	Failure to keep right at intersection	2
39:4–84	Failure to pass to right of vehicle proceeding in opposite direction	5
39:4–85	Improper passing on right or off roadway	4
39:4–85.1	Wrong way on a one-way street	2
39:4–86	Improper passing in no passing zone	4
39:4–87	Failure to yield to overtaking vehicle	2
39:4–88	Failure to observe traffic lanes	2
39:4–89	Tailgating	5
39:4–90	Failure to yield at intersection	2
39:4–90.1	Failure to use proper entrances to limited access highways	2
39:4–91–92	Failure to yield to emergency vehicles	2
39:4–96	Reckless driving	5
39:4–97	Careless driving	2
39:4–97a	Destruction of agricultural or recreational property	2
39:4–97.1	Slow speed blocking traffic	2
39:4–97.2	Driving in an unsafe manner (points only for third or subsequent offense within five years of most recent 39:4-97.2 conviction)	4
39:4-97.3	Use of a handheld cellphone or electronic communication device while driving 3 Points are assessed against 3rd offense occurring within 10 years of a second offense and all subsequent offenses thereafter.*	3
39:4–98	Exceeding maximum speed 1-14 mph over limit	2
	Exceeding maximum speed 15-29 mph over limit	4
	Exceeding maximum speed 30 mph or more over limit	5
39:4–105	Failure to stop for traffic light	2
39:4–115	Improper turn at traffic light	3
39:4–119	Failure to stop at flashing red signal	2
39:4–122	Failure to stop for police whistle	2
39:4–123	Improper right or left turn	3
39:4–124	Improper turn from approved turning course	3
39:4–125	Improper u-turn	3
39:4–126	Failure to give proper signal	2
39:4–127	Improper backing or turning in street	2
39:4–127.1	Improper crossing of railroad grade crossing	2
39:4–127.2	Improper crossing of bridge	2
39:4–128	Improper crossing of railroad grade crossing by certain vehicles	2
39:4–128.1	Improper passing of school bus	5
39:4–128.4	Improper passing of frozen dessert truck	4
39:4–129	Leaving the scene of an accident – no personal injury	2
39:4–129	Personal injury	8
39:4–144	Failure to observe stop or yield signs	2
39:5C–1	Racing on highway	5
39:5D–4	Moving violation committed out-of-state	2

Why Hire an Attorney to Defend a Traffic Ticket?

Because traffic violations can have a profoundly negative effect on your driving record, lead to a suspension of your driving license, and cause an increase in your insurance premiums, you will always benefit from the services of an experienced attorney.

In New Jersey, traffic violations are taken very seriously. Some traffic violations can also result in criminal charges that are punishable by jail time and expensive fines.

Hiring an experienced attorney can minimize the negative impact that a serious traffic violation can have on your life. This is mainly because an attorney will be able to negotiate with the prosecutor, where you will not.

Who Should I Contact?

If you have been issued a traffic ticket in New Jersey, call our law firm today. One of our experienced and seasoned attorneys will review your case, explain thoroughly what your options are, and fight to get you the best outcome possible. Call us today, or send us a message via our contact page to arrange a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.