NJ Speeding Ticket Question

Hey guys, hoping some of you NJ folks can clear some questions up for me regarding NJ and speeding tickets. I got my first one today, doing 40 in a 25. It's my first offense and according to NJMCDirect, it calls for 2 points to the license. But, I also read somewhere else that there is a clause somewhere stating if it's your first offense, you can opt for the "No Penalty Points" option and just pay the fine. Anyone ever heard of this? Does this mean I go to court, make my case, and plead guilty? If anyone has any input, it'd be great as I've never dealt with anything like this before.

 

Another option I thought about was pay the ticket, eat the points on my license, and then go take a defensive driving course to cancel out the 2 points.

 

Any thoughts?

No help?

 

Anyway, I did some Google searching and came across this site with some helpful information. I'll just link it here for anyone that might be in a similar situation or just want to know more about speeding tickets in general for NJ.

call the court plead not guilty they will give you a new date. then go there talk to the prosecutor he will make a deal to drop the ticket to "unsafe driving" this offense has no points but a high fine.

call the court plead not guilty they will give you a new date. then go there talk to the prosecutor he will make a deal to drop the ticket to "unsafe driving" this offense has no points but a high fine.

 

Thanks for the input. So you mean I just can't go to the court date that's on the ticket and speak to the prosecutor then?

Thanks for the link

 

No help?

 

Anyway, I did some Google searching and came across this site with some helpful information. I'll just link it here for anyone that might be in a similar situation or just want to know more about speeding tickets in general for NJ.

Thanks for the input. So you mean I just can't go to the court date that's on the ticket and speak to the prosecutor then?

 

There is no need to adjourn the court date. Go to court on the day noted on the ticket. You will have a chance to speak to the prosecutor at that time. If it is a busy municipality, be ready to wait though. you should be able to plea a 2 pt violation down to an unsafe driving, no pt. violation. PM me if you have any questions...

Definitely PM specinvstr. He is a great guy that can deal with the system on your behalf

 

While with a minor ticket you have a good chance of talking down to 0 pts, I'd still recommend hiring a professional

 

Don't mezz up with the roadside mafia yourself!

Thanks for the advice guys!

Thanks for the kind words unclemat!

 

PM'd you back MonkeyHermit...

previous suggestions are absolutely correct. make sure you plead not guilty first, and then be prepared to take the whole day off if you will be representing yourself, as those with lawyers go first, while the plebes wait until the end.

 

find the prosecutor day of, and ask if you can plead down the violation to a non-points one, in this case, unsafe driving. that zero points fine runs you about $400+ (ask me how i know)...

 

also, depending on municipality, the court/judge may ask to see your driver's abstract-this is basically your driving history. i had to bring mine for my day in court at the pip in alpine.

 

anyways, good luck-it is not as bad as everybody makes it out to be. and if youre feeling especially weak-kneed, hire a lawyer. they will make it a very painless experience-i can recommend one that got me out of a 9 pts offense on the palisades pkwy. tailgating + speeding on that whack 50mph road. of course, ymmv..

Pay $300 for a lawyer, get no points, no increase in insurance, save thousands over the next couple years

I believe 2 points will not increase you insurance premium in NJ. Like others have mentioned, talk to the prosecutor (change to a unsave driving - no points). I don't know if the price of an attorney is worth it for 2 points and your first offense. Also, take a defense driving course. A defensive driving course his should be the equivalent to knocking off 2 points and it's good for 3 years.

You want to ask for a 39:4-97.2, "unsafe operation". If this is your first ticket ever, you should have no problem getting the plea from the prosecutor. Just FYI, 40 in a 25 zone is a 4 point ticket. THe fine for a first offense is $150, plus a one time state surcharge of $250, and about $33 in court costs. Make sure to keep track of the use of this plea as it can only be used 2 times in a five year perior for zero points. The third use results in an automatic 4 points. I have had many clients that I represented after the fact accidently plead to "unsafe" for a third time b/c they had a lawyer do it for them the first two times, or they read about it in a board like this and no-one warned them about the third use. I am constantly in NJ municipal courts.....

 

Get their early, but realize lawyers that show up a minute before the prosecutor arrives will still go first (benefit of the position.) If you have any further questions fell free to PM me. Also where did u get the ticket? B/c some towns are tougher than others and may not give you a zero pointer on a four point ticket without an Attorney. If you go and the prosecutor will only reduce to 2 points...ask for an adjournment to contact a lawyer...

 

LG

I believe 2 points will not increase you insurance premium in NJ. Like others have mentioned, talk to the prosecutor (change to a unsave driving - no points). I don't know if the price of an attorney is worth it for 2 points and your first offense. Also, take a defense driving course. A defensive driving course his should be the equivalent to knocking off 2 points and it's good for 3 years.

 

good suggestion-the course also reduces your premium.

I believe 2 points will not increase you insurance premium in NJ.

 

True, but having a ticket on the record is invitation for more tickets in the future.

 

Start the fight with THE FIRST TICKET.

Oh, right, this a 4 pointer. GET A LAWYER!!!!

 

Looks like you got two to choose from in this very thread.

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies. I was actually ticketed for 39:4-98.19 which is 15-19MPH over the limit. On NJMCDirect it states 2 points for 39:4-98, but the .19 I am not sure of. I also got the ticket in Secaucus, NJ, Hudson County. Any other thoughts with this extra info? Thanks guys!

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies. I was actually ticketed for 39:4-98.19 which is 15-19MPH over the limit. On NJMCDirect it states 2 points for 39:4-98, but the .19 I am not sure of. I also got the ticket in Secaucus, NJ, Hudson County. Any other thoughts with this extra info? Thanks guys!

 

im not a lawyer so i wont pretend i know the law.

you might want to just call one up and get a free consultation on your situation, or wait for Bigltfp to reply.

 

if you are going to hire an attorney, a good rule of thumb is to find a lawyer that practices in the general area from which you got your ticket-try online or the yellow pages, or you may even have gotten/will get unsolicited letters in the mail as i did.

 

by doing so, this pretty much ensures that the lawyer knows the prosecutor, judge and officers as well. being chummy w/ the law helps in spades and will be of great benefit for ya in the courtroom. of course, it doesnt come cheap, but typically, you get what you pay for.

 

for future reference, invest in a radar detector. ive had success w/ mine, and it pays for itself instantly. pba cards are good to have as well.

You'll probably get many letters from attorneys once you ticket is in the system.

Thanks again guys, really appreciate all the input as it'll help me cope with the fact I got caught speeding when I shouldn't have been...I don't know what I was thinking that day as I know there's usually police that radar traffic there. I was just out of it I guess. As soon as I saw him, I knew I was a goner.

did a search on line and found this website.

 

I have the same question.

 

I got pulled over on the parkway today by a state cop.

 

I was doing 80 but he said i was doing 87 in a 55.

 

So my statute is 39: 4-98 which states to be 2 points and 4-99 can be from 4-5 points. So I am pretty sure they will hit me with the 5 points.

 

About 2 years ago i got pulled over and got a careless ticket which I got dropped to a using a veh. in an unsafe manner no points.

 

Not sure if I can get this dropped to no points but I need help with this. I am planning on going and saying that I was speeding but not what the officer has put down and would like to fight the ticket. ? Smart move or no? What should I say? Will i get my lic suspended? will i do jail time? Do I need a lawyer? Sorry for all the questions but I needed some help here.

 

BTW this is my 2nd ticket, last ticket was almost 2 years ago with no points.

did a search on line and found this website.

 

I have the same question.

 

I got pulled over on the parkway today by a state cop.

 

I was doing 80 but he said i was doing 87 in a 55.

 

So my statute is 39: 4-98 which states to be 2 points and 4-99 can be from 4-5 points. So I am pretty sure they will hit me with the 5 points.

 

About 2 years ago i got pulled over and got a careless ticket which I got dropped to a using a veh. in an unsafe manner no points.

 

Not sure if I can get this dropped to no points but I need help with this. I am planning on going and saying that I was speeding but not what the officer has put down and would like to fight the ticket. ? Smart move or no? What should I say? Will i get my lic suspended? will i do jail time? Do I need a lawyer? Sorry for all the questions but I needed some help here.

 

BTW this is my 2nd ticket, last ticket was almost 2 years ago with no points.

 

It won't matter what you say. I was going to try this a few years ago when a cop pulled me over in NJ when I was no where near speeding... he apparently pulled over the wrong car - seriously.

 

I approached the prosecutor about my innocence - he laughed and told me the judge would take the cops word over mine. I knew I was innocent but took the plea instead... nice system, eh?

 

A lawyer may have been able to get me out of it, but the plea was much cheaper than a lawyer's fees.

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies. I was actually ticketed for 39:4-98.19 which is 15-19MPH over the limit. On NJMCDirect it states 2 points for 39:4-98, but the .19 I am not sure of. I also got the ticket in Secaucus, NJ, Hudson County. Any other thoughts with this extra info? Thanks guys!

 

The .19 means 15-19 over. As I said 15-29 over is a 4 pointer, 1-14 over is a two pointer. The judge in secaucus is fairly tough, I have appeared before her before.

 

I doubt she will allow you to get a zero without an att. So it's either try to get two points or find a lawyer. The prosectutor is a nice guy, but the Judge dictates the pleas and she is very strict.

 

 

LG

did a search on line and found this website.

 

I have the same question.

 

I got pulled over on the parkway today by a state cop.

 

I was doing 80 but he said i was doing 87 in a 55.

 

So my statute is 39: 4-98 which states to be 2 points and 4-99 can be from 4-5 points. So I am pretty sure they will hit me with the 5 points.

 

About 2 years ago i got pulled over and got a careless ticket which I got dropped to a using a veh. in an unsafe manner no points.

 

Not sure if I can get this dropped to no points but I need help with this. I am planning on going and saying that I was speeding but not what the officer has put down and would like to fight the ticket. ? Smart move or no? What should I say? Will i get my lic suspended? will i do jail time? Do I need a lawyer? Sorry for all the questions but I needed some help here.

 

BTW this is my 2nd ticket, last ticket was almost 2 years ago with no points.

 

You were 32 over, this is a five point ticket. I highly doubt you can reduce it pro se (w/o a lawyer) to zero without trying the case yourself. Best you'd probably get is a 2 pointer, but I've seen many instances where people w 5 points only get offered a 4 pointer....

 

LG

I have a lawyer, he said with my record he can def get it to 2 points and all i have to do is go to defensive driving school to remove the other 2 points