Long Island Traffic Lawyers

Important to Know

Why should I fight my traffic ticket?

When you receive a traffic ticket, it is important to properly handle it. Avoid pleading guilty to a ticket even if your driving record is absolutely clean and you believe that one conviction may not cause major problems. You never know when you will get another ticket, so preserving clean record for as long as possible is very important. Paying fine for the offense you are charged with is the same thing as pleading guilty, so do not do it. Plus, pleading guilty to certain traffic offenses will lead to points on one’s driver license. If you get 6 or more points, you will be assessed additional penalty fee. Moreover, your insurance premium may go up. Therefore, you should always fight your traffic tickets. For those whose driving record is not great, fighting traffic tickets is even more important. We can help and handle your tickets; in most instances you won’t even have to take time off of your busy schedule to go to court. Leave it to the professionals.

What happens if I forget to answer my traffic ticket?

It is very important that you answer your traffic ticket in a timely manner. Failure to answer your traffic ticket may cause your driver license to become suspended. In addition, if you fail to answer your ticket or appear in Court on the scheduled date, after a certain period of time the Court may enter a default conviction and order you to pay fines and surcharges. If you still fail to pay fines and surcharges, the Court may enter an additional suspension of your driver’s license or driving privileges if you reside or have license from out-of-state. In addition, Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) will assess points against your driver’s license or privilege for the default convictions the same way as if you went to court and were convicted after trial. As you can see, forgetting or neglecting to answer a traffic ticket may result in compounding problems that will cause you time, aggravation, money, and possibly criminal charges if you drive while license is suspended. (see section “Suspension” for detailed information)

What is a driver responsibility assessment (“DRA”)? When does it apply?

DRA is a fee that driver must pay to NYS Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) over a period of 3 years if this driver was convicted (same as pleaded guilty) of certain traffic tickets in NY State. The same applies if driver accumulates six (6) or more points on his/her driver license for the period of 18 months. Keep in mind that this fee is in addition to any other penalties, surcharges, and/or fines that the driver must pay for a traffic ticket. It is a mandatory fee imposed on all drivers who find themselves in this situation; it cannot be negotiated, reduced, waived, etc. It must be paid. Failure to pay this fee will cause driver license to get suspended. Good news is that it can be paid online.

When points will be deleted from my driver license?

Points on your NYS driver license will generally remain there for approximately 4 years from the date of a violation; however, for the purposes of calculating the total points, DMV will add up points for the violations that occurred within 18 months from each other, counting by the violation date. This DMV point system is different from the insurance companies points as they have their own set of guidelines.

Is there a way I can reduce points on my license?

You can get 4 points off your NYS driver license if you complete online a NY defensive driving course. You can find many of them offered online. In addition to 4 points off your driver license, you will get 10% off of your insurance premium. You will need to submit a certificate of completion of such course to your insurance company. Please note that there is a limit of how often you can take such classes to qualify for points reduction.

I want your firm to handle my case but I don’t have time to travel to your office

Common scenario – a client residing in New York City gets a speeding ticket (or any other moving violation) while driving on Long Island Expressway, 35 miles from home.  Client wants to fight a ticket but does not have time to drive back to Long Island. Client can simply contact Long Island Traffic Lawyers at 516-505-2300 for a free consultation and a case analysis. We can be retained over the phone with a credit card to handle tickets and to appear on the client’s behalf in an appropriate court. Upon completion of the matter we will notify the client.

Please note that we do not handle Traffic Tickets in the five boroughs of New York City unless there is also a criminal charge which is returnable to a New York City Criminal Court. We do handle any and all criminal charges.

While we can’t guarantee a specific result, we will aggressively advocate on your behalf to obtain the most favorable disposition of your matter. In most instances, and depending on facts and prior driving history, we get a reduction to a lesser ticket, no points, lower points, parking or other non-moving violations, reduced fines, etc. In some instances, we can get a complete dismissal of all tickets. Such disposition depends on many various factors.

Contact Long Island Traffic Lawyers – Sharifov & Associates, PLLC for a free detailed consultation. In many instances, we can discuss your traffic matter over the phone and you can retain our firm over the phone. Of course, we welcome you to come in person, as well, if it is more convenient for you.

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