THE FINANCIAL LAND MINES OF TRAFFIC TICKETS

You have just been issued a speeding ticket in New York by a police officer because you were, in fact, speeding. The worst thing you can do next is plead guilty and send in the fine money.

Depending upon the particular Court, Wisselman, Harounian & Associates P.C., may be  able to plea bargain your ticket to a lower offense with less points. The reduced offense may avoid triggering higher insurance premiums for years, protect your license from being suspended or revoked, as well as help you avoid jail time.

The financial consequences of pleading guilty to a traffic infraction are not limited solely to the fine and mandatory state surcharge. Depending upon your particular insurance company, the type of ticket to which you have pled guilty and the number of points of both the ticket and the prior points on your driving record, your insurance may be surcharged 10% or more for three years, or even canceled outright altogether.

Furthermore the New York State Department of Motor Vehicle (“DMV”) has a Driver Responsibility Program (“DRP”) which assesses a monetary penalty each year, for 3 years, for specific traffic violations. The purpose of the DRP is to prevent the repeated behavior of problem drivers and to improve traffic safety. If you receive six points on your driver record during a period of 18 months, the annual assessment is $100. The minimum amount that you must pay each year is the annual assessment. The total assessment for the three years is $300. If you receive more than six points on your driver record during a period of 18 months, the annual assessment is $25 for each point more than the original six points.