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What Happens If I Lose My Traffic Ticket?

Receiving a traffic ticket is frustrating. If you’re now unable to find your traffic ticket, you might be especially frustrated and worried about the consequences. Losing a traffic ticket could lead to some trouble if you don’t act now to deal with that.

If you received a traffic ticket, and now you’ve lost it, reach out for help with your case. Your lawyer can help you take the right steps to deal with your case as soon as possible. 

Don’t Ignore the Situation

When you’re dealing with a traffic ticket, it may be tempting to just let it go. You lost it, so what can they really do about it? The answer is that ignoring your lost traffic ticket can impact your future and your license. 

Just because you couldn’t find your ticket doesn’t stop the case from proceeding. The judge will go on without you, and you may be found guilty and convicted. That means you’ll receive driving points and penalties on your license anyway. 

Worse, you could face other consequences for failing to respond to a ticket, too. If you ignore your ticket long enough, a bench warrant may be issued for your arrest because you failed to appear in court or respond to the ticket. 

Get a New Copy 

Because of the major penalties, it’s best to talk to a traffic ticket attorney and request a new copy of your ticket. Fortunately, that process should be simple. You’ll need to take your information to the police station in the area you received the ticket. There, they can look up your ticket and issue you a new copy. 

It’s best to act now to do this, not later. Your ticket will be your key to pleading guilty or not guilty, as well as getting your court date. The longer you wait, the less time you’ll have to make a decision. It also means less time you have to prepare for traffic court. If you’ve lost your ticket, you may still have time to act now and move forward with your case. 

Fight Your Ticket with a Brooklyn Traffic Ticket Attorney

If you’ve been issued a traffic ticket, there’s a possibility that you lost it, it was accidentally destroyed, or it’s otherwise gone. In these cases, you may need to act now to get a new one, before you face penalties for missing court dates. 

Fortunately, a lawyer from the Law Office of James Medows can help. We understand that you might struggle to get your traffic ticket, and once you have it, you need to get your traffic ticket reduced or dismissed. Getting a lawyer on your side can help your chances of a successful outcome. 

Start with a free consultation about your next steps with a traffic ticket case by calling 917-856-1247 or visiting our website to learn more. 

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Unexpected Effects of Traffic Tickets

When you’re pulled over, you’re expecting a traffic ticket and the fine that goes with it. You know that you could be paying some serious out-of-pocket expenses if you choose not to fight back. You might be thinking, however, that that’s the end of the story.

Unfortunately, your traffic ticket might come with some unseen effects. Before you decide to just pay your fines and be done with your ticket, speak to your NYC traffic ticket lawyer about the unexpected consequences of your traffic ticket.

Driving Points Hurt Your License

You might already know that you’ll be facing fees for your traffic ticket. But it’s not so simple as paying the fine and being done. You’ll also have points on your license, which can vary, depending on the violation.

These points will stay on your license for a while, and they can add up if you have more than one violation. If you reach eleven points over the course of eighteen months, you could have your license suspended, which leaves you with more unpleasant effects of your traffic ticket.

Unfortunately, these points can add up fast if you don’t fight back. For example, a cell phone violation will put five points on your license, so just two violations will put you near a license suspension.

A suspension is especially serious because it adds to your expenses. You can’t stop paying for your insurance or parking, but now you’ll need public transportation or will have to rely on family or friends to get to work, school, and everywhere else.

Insurance Costs

If you accept a traffic ticket and plead guilty, it can affect your insurance costs, as well. While you might not have caused an accident, pleading guilty to a ticket will look like you were irresponsible or careless on the road. Insurers can see this, and it makes them think you’re a bigger liability.

As such, a traffic ticket could leave you with higher insurance premiums if you don’t fight back. This means that, if you choose to take the fine now, you might be paying for it later, when you get the bill for your car insurance.  

Avoiding the Consequences of Your Ticket

A traffic ticket may not immediately seem like a major problem. You might be sure there’s no way to fight it, so you’re thinking about just pleading guilty and paying the fine. Unfortunately, the expenses for a traffic ticket go beyond the initial fines and charges listed on the citation.

But that doesn’t mean you simply have to pay your traffic ticket and deal with the consequences. Instead, reach out to an attorney from the Law Office of James Medows. We can review the consequences you could face and fight back to have your ticket dismissed.

If you’re concerned about the true cost of your traffic ticket, contact us. You can connect with us by calling 917-856-1247 or by reaching out on our website.

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Do You Know All of the Current Cell Phone Traffic Laws for New York?

In 2013, there were over 424,000 injuries due to distracted driving, nearly a 10 percent increase from 2011, and over 3,154 deaths were recorded. In 2001, New York became one of the first states to ban holding a cell phone while driving, but the laws regarding technology and distracted driving have evolved over the last fifteen years.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has been a tireless crusader against distracted driving accidents, pushing hard for state legislation. He has also used Distracted Driving Awareness Month as a time to staff the roads with unmarked police vehicles and to hand out thousands of cell phone tickets.

Since there have been so many updates to the laws over the last few years, it is important to stay up to date on these changes. If you have received a New York cell phone traffic violation, please contact the Law Office of James Medows as soon as possible.

What Are the Laws in New York?

There are two laws that pertain to illegal use of technology while driving, 1225-c and 1225-d. They are basically the same except “c” stands for “cellular” and usually only applies if you were in the process of making or receiving a call while driving.

In 1225-d, the “d” stands for “devices” and only requires the officer to think that you were using a “portable electronic device” in some way. This includes global positioning systems (GPS), cameras, video games, tablets, mobile phones, and any other electronic interactive devices.

What Does “Use” Mean?

It would be wise to not even hold a device when your car is moving and you are in the driver’s seat. It is illegal to hold a portable electronic device and talk, compose, send, read, access, browse, transmit, save, or retrieve electronic data like email, texts, or webpages.

This can also include using a camera or another device to view, take, send, or receive images. Of course, playing video games, either portable or mounted, is also illegal.

Fines, Surcharges, and Points

If you get caught using any of these devices while driving—unless you are calling 911 or another emergency service—you will receive a ticket and be subject to a fine, a surcharge, and significant points on your license:

Offense Number

Minimum Fine

Maximum Fine

First Offense

$50

$200

Second Offense in 18 Months

$50

$250

Third Offense in 18 Months

$50

$450

Surcharge for All Violations

N/A

Up to $93

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) uses the Driver Violation Point System to track violations and identify high-risk drivers. Points are assessed for each traffic violation, and if you reach eleven points within eighteen months, your license can be suspended.

Insurance companies also track traffic points and often base your premiums on that information. Both of the distracted driving via talking and texting laws carry a five-point penalty, the second most of any traffic violation besides speeding more than twenty miles per hour over the speed limit.

Free Legal Evaluation with an NYC Traffic Violation Lawyer

If you have questions regarding any of the current cell phone traffic laws for New York or have been ticketed for one, you deserve to know all of the facts. Please contact a New York City traffic ticket lawyer from the Law Office of James Medows to get the assistance you need.

Call or text us at 917-856-1247 or reach us online to schedule a free consultation today.