What Happens If I Fail To Pay Or Lose My Traffic Ticket In New York? Possible Consequences That Require Legal Representation
Life gets busy, making it easy to misplace—or to forget about—your New York traffic ticket. Losing a traffic ticket you received in New York City (NYC) or missing your court date in New York State can result in serious consequences for you and your ability to drive. There are severe consequences for failing to answer or paying a speeding ticket. A traffic ticket is an inconvenience yet it is a serious matter that requires prompt attention. If you are unsure what to do about your lost New York traffic ticket, or if you missed your court date, contact an experienced New York traffic ticket lawyer without delay.
I Lost My NYC Traffic Ticket!
New York City is home to five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island. Traveling in and around NYC requires skillful driving. A traffic ticket is a real possibility as you navigate congested streets while in a hurry to reach your destination. Whether it is a quick trip to the store or your morning commute to work, a ticket issued by an NYC police officer is a bad way to start your day.
Your day can go from bad to worse when you realize later that you lost your NYC ticket. During the hustle and bustle of your day, you deal with multiple phone calls, text messages, emails, regular mail, and notes on your desk. Store clerks hand you receipts for your morning coffee and lunch meeting. It is easy to misplace a traffic violation ticket.
You know you received a traffic ticket as part of your day—after all, that’s kind of hard to forget—yet you have no idea what you did with your ticket. If you’ve lost your ticket, don’t panic but do take immediate steps to obtain a copy. First, if a police officer issued the ticket your outside the NYC limits, contact the court associated with the ticket. If you don’t remember, contacting the DMV is one way to research your ticket.
For tickets issued within one of the five boroughs of NYC, contact the DMV’s Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB). The bureau offers an online feature that allows for the printing of substitute tickets. All five boroughs are covered by the TVB online system. In order to use this feature, you must provide certain information, like that of the ticket number. If you do not have that information, then you must submit your DMV ID number, or full name, date of birth, and gender.
Tracking down your lost NYC traffic ticket is sometimes not easy to do. At Weiss & Associates, PC, we are highly skilled in researching lost NYC traffic tickets. Let us do the research to find your lost ticket so that you can concentrate on other important matters.
License Suspension
NYC traffic tickets do not just disappear or hang around for you to eventually pay; what does disappear is your ability to drive. Suspension of your license occurs when you do not address your traffic ticket within the allowed period of time. You will get a notice of impending suspension that gives you a final 30 days to answer. Often you can convince a NYC traffic court judge to lift your suspension in exchange for posting a $40 bond.
Driving when you know or should know that your license is suspended is a serious offense. If caught, you may face a misdemeanor conviction resulting in high fines, a criminal record, and possible jail time or probation. It is important to note that a driver’s license is suspended for each ticket not answered and for each fine not paid. The more suspensions one has, the less lenient a judge will be.
If you were originally charged with speeding and did not pay your speeding ticket, getting stopped for speeding again, with a suspended license, is not good. You can be arrested and “run through the system”. You car can be impounded too.
A license suspension for failure to answer a NYC traffic ticket does not indicate that you are guilty of the charge. It is possible to remove the suspension by answering the ticket. However, after a short time, you will have to pay a suspension termination fee to get it lifted.
If you still do not respond after the suspension, you face conviction by default. This equals a guilty plea and you must pay the fine along with mandatory surcharges as well as the suspension termination fee. While it is possible to pay a speeding ticket or other traffic tickets late, it generally costs you more money to do so.
Should you answer your ticket by entering a not guilty plea, the court will assign you a hearing date. Missing your DMV court date for your NYC traffic ticket is a bad idea. The DMV Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) take failure to appear very seriously. Your absence essentially becomes an admission of guilt. You face serious consequences including stiff fines, points added to your record and possibly higher insurance rates.
Be Proactive With Your Defense
Having your license suspended is scary and stressful. While a New York driver’s license is a privilege and not a right, it is essential to your daily life. If you feel you were unjustly charged with your NYC traffic violation, or you need legal assistance finding your ticket, contact us. At Weiss & Associates, PC, our experienced legal team can fight any New York State moving violation ticket (not parking or camera tickets) issued anywhere in New York State.
If you have lost your NYC traffic ticket, missed a New York State traffic court date, or face license suspension because of paying a speeding ticket late, contact us for free advice. Our team of traffic lawyers covers all of the 600+ traffic courts in New York. When it comes to navigating the traffic court and DMV systems, we understand what needs to get done to minimize your downside.
Do not entrust your right to drive to just any lawyer. This important matter requires a legal team that has extensive experience in NYC and NYS traffic ticket law. To learn more about how we can help you, reach out today. The consultation and advice is free. Time is not on your side so do not delay.
Contact us if you have lost your ticket, do not understand how to answer your ticket, lost your traffic ticket, or you think it is too late to answer. Knowledge is power and we happy to share it with you.