(914) 220-1086White Plains NY Traffic Violations Attorney
Receiving one or several traffic violations can lead to serious consequences, including the suspension or revocation of your driver’s license. The consequences can be even more severe if you drive a commercial vehicle in order to earn a living. In either instance, it is important that you contact an attorney who will aggressively defend and protect your rights in court.
Attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC defend individuals facing traffic violations in the greater New York area, including Westchester, Rockland, Bronx, Brooklyn, New York, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Our attorneys will guide you through the traffic court/Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) process and will effectively and efficiently represent your rights.
New York traffic violations can result in severe consequences, such as:
- Fines
- Points on your license
- Suspension or revocation of license
- Jail time
- Increased auto insurance premiums
Westchester County (NY) Traffic Violations and Traffic Tickets
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC will fight to help you achieve the best possible result. Regardless of the situation, do not automatically plead guilty by mailing in a check if you have received a traffic ticket for any of the following violations:
- Speeding
- Drunk Driving (DWAI)
- Running a Red Light
- Improper Lane Change
- Failure to Obey Stop Sign or Traffic Signal
- Reckless Driving
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident
In New York, each moving violation is assigned a certain point value. If a driver accumulates 11 points, their driver’s license can be suspended or revoked.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS THAT YOU HANDLE?
We see a number of different types of traffic violations, ranging from speeding or moving unsafely in a lane, to driving without a license to reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. We also handle a lot of cases involving people who received tickets for driving while texting or talking on the phone without a hands-free device. Those are a few of the most common types of traffic violations that we see.
How Long do I Have to File for a Hearing if I Have Received a Traffic Violation Ticket?
The ticket itself will list the date by which you must respond with either a guilty or a not guilty plea. It’s usually two to three weeks after receiving the ticket, but you want to confirm the specific date and know to which court you will be assigned. Generally, we enter a not guilty plea on our client’s behalf. The specific court will then assign a pre-trial conference date. Once our clients sign an affidavit giving us authority to appear in court, and negotiate and enter a plea on their behalf, we can do so without our client even being present. This is a huge benefit to our clients who do not have the ability to miss a day of work to answer a ticket/summons.
What Happens if I Simply do Nothing With a Traffic Violation? What am I Looking at?
If you simply do nothing after being cited for a traffic violation, you will get yourself into trouble. If you fail to answer the summons either by entering a plea of not guilty or guilty, the court or the DMV will suspend your license. So, it can be a big deal. You don’t want to simply do nothing.
How Does the Points System Work in Reference to Traffic Violations in New York?
Different traffic violations result in different amounts of points on a driver’s record or license. A lot of the violations in New York come with a two or three point consequences. The cell phone tickets are now five points. Speeding tickets can be severe as well, ranging from three to ten points. If a driver gets 11 points on their record their license is automatically suspended in New York. So, the points are a big deal and are therefore something that we pay close attention to on each case.
What are the Short-Term and Long-Term Consequences of Having Traffic Violations on Your Record?
The short-term consequences of having traffic violations on your record are that they can be expensive and result in points. If a driver is facing two or more points on their license, it will almost always make sense to enter a plea of not guilty and request a conference. In Westchester County, we handle a lot of traffic violations all over the county, and can usually negotiate a reduction of those points on behalf of our clients.
The long-term consequences of having traffic violations on your record are getting points on your license or having your license suspended. This can obviously impact your day-to-day life. Even if you are able to drive, the points in and of themselves can result in an increase of your auto insurance payments. So, there are some pretty significant consequences of having traffic violations on your record.
Protect Your Rights and Your License
Contact a defense lawyer at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC today to discuss your traffic ticket(s). We will evaluate your options and seek to avoid the assessment of points on your driver’s license. We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
