Traffic Ticket / Attorney help

[Jfoster99 80]

My son is 17 with a restricted lic... He got a speeding ticket for doing 88mph in a 55mph on RT 208 in Franklin Lakes ( Bergan County)( Violation 39:4-98 .34) fine is $240.

 

If I hire an attorney it is worth it? I'd be happy if they could get the points reduced or Maybe I should just pay the ticket online and avoid the hassle of showing up for court?

 

Do I need a good$ lawyer or just any lawyer?

Letters just started coming in the mail from attorneys citing a specific charge and summons numbers offering consultation. I guess they pull the public records.

 

Any advice, please....

[Fred2 367]

Traffic tickets, and the related insurance points, are the "gift that keeps on giving" .

If you can, hire the lawyer that is the one that plays golf with the Judge and DA.

[lilred121986 45]

Ouch thats alot of $$. might have to invest in a speed limiter in your future to avoid these speeds LOL

[InFamous 311]

88 in a 55 seems excessive. Just sayin'

[The_Matrix 105]

tell him to slow down

[ChrisJM981 924]

My son is 17 with a restricted lic... He got a speeding ticket for doing 88mph in a 55mph on RT 208 in Franklin Lakes ( Bergan County)( Violation 39:4-98 .34) fine is $240.

 

If I hire an attorney it is worth it? I'd be happy if they could get the points reduced or Maybe I should just pay the ticket online and avoid the hassle of showing up for court?

 

Do I need a good$ lawyer or just any lawyer?

Letters just started coming in the mail from attorneys citing a specific charge and summons numbers offering consultation. I guess they pull the public records.

 

Any advice, please....

NJ has an option to pay a higher fine, but no points. I was told Geico(my insurer) assessed a 5 insurance point surcharge to anyone who took the no points ticket. Check with your insurance company before making a decision. You might be able to plead it to a lower speed if it's his first run in (no warnings or other moving violations).

 

NJ used to make it mandatory to attend a driver improvement class if a new driver obtained 4 points in his/her first year of driving. That was almost 20 years ago though. Check the MVS website. Again, worth trying to plead it down.

 

I'm not going to tell you how to raise your child, but if you're not familiar with 208, it's mostly 2 lanes of traffic with a fair amount of places to get on with minimal acceleration lane space. 88 mph on 208 for an inexperienced driver is a good way to get himself or someone else killed. I'd advise making him work it off and learn from it.

[brucin 923]

88 in a 55 seems excessive. Just sayin'

I was once clocked at 112 in a 55 but that was in Wyoming.

[Matroskin 29]

I don't know if my advice will help, I'm in bergen county and had experience with traffic ticket with my friend. It was $150-200 +3 or 4 point for moving violation. We went to a court and spoke with DA. The guy was "friendly" he agreed to switch moving violation to non-moving one. Very standard procedure. In the end my friend had to pay about $500. So expect to pay but if just plea guilty it would be a ticket, NJ surcharge ~$300, insurance penalties +/- $100 a year for 3 years... IMO you better fight it. Now about attorney, they would take between 300 and 500 but the outcome would be not much different if talk to prosecutor by yourself.

Sorry traffic tickets are expensive in PRNJ.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[InFamous 311]

I was once clocked at 112 in a 55 but that was in Wyoming.

 

Probably a little different. I would assume this is like me doing 88 on Route 15 in Sparta. You're not getting out of that ticket. That's just a young kid being a young kid and driving too fast. My father NEVER went to court for me. I either went to court for myself or paid my fines. That's my suggestion here. 

[67gtonut 847]

Or you let him be a man and take the punishment..... then maybe he will slow down before he hurts himself or someone else.....

 

This is the snowflake mentality we are all bitching about.....

 

Sorry if I am being blunt.....

 

But I got plenty of speeding tickets at his age..... I never went to my Daddy to get me off..... I paid the tickets and dealt with the insurance premiums myself.....

 

Let him man up...... you might be saving his life.....

[Bt Doctur 188]

In my earlier days I got tagged in Jutland, NJ by a State Trooper doing 96 in a 55. The fine was excessive even though I went to court and it was dropped to 75 in a 55.

Man up , pay the fine and let it be a lesson

[T Bill 649]

Ticket shows 30 mph over the limit. If he has a clean record before this the prosecutor may let him plead to 19 over the limit to keep his license. Being on a probie license is not his favor. Talk to the prosecutor before court and see if they offer a deal.  Given age and license type they may not.  Bergen County is tough.  Doubt the unsafe operation of motor vehicle will be offered this time.  Lawyer will not be much help for the money either.  Sorry.

[panteramatt 27]

Or you let him be a man and take the punishment..... then maybe he will slow down before he hurts himself or someone else.....

 

This is the snowflake mentality we are all bitching about.....

 

Sorry if I am being blunt.....

 

But I got plenty of speeding tickets at his age..... I never went to my Daddy to get me off..... I paid the tickets and dealt with the insurance premiums myself.....

 

Let him man up...... you might be saving his life.....

This pretty much sums it up. Im sick of the parents nowadays including almost all of my friends. All these kids are pu$$ys now and its mostly the parents fault. I was a hell raiser and still am but my parents were very firm and strict and let me learn the hard way which stuck with me. My father would have straight punched me in the face if I took their car and was caught at that speed. Hell I probably wouldnt have even came home!

[maintenanceguy 510]

My kid would pay the fine herself and reimburse me for the insurance surcharges for the 3 years.  She might even go to court just to plead guilty in person.

[DSD1026 48]

88 in a 55 zone with a restricted license at 17 years old..  lol..  wow.  

[remixer 1,645]

My son is 17 with a restricted lic... He got a speeding ticket for doing 88mph in a 55mph on RT 208 in Franklin Lakes ( Bergan County)( Violation 39:4-98 .34) fine is $240.

 

If I hire an attorney it is worth it? I'd be happy if they could get the points reduced or Maybe I should just pay the ticket online and avoid the hassle of showing up for court?

 

Do I need a good$ lawyer or just any lawyer?

Letters just started coming in the mail from attorneys citing a specific charge and summons numbers offering consultation. I guess they pull the public records.

 

Any advice, please....

 

Im most cases a Lawyer will be able to get the points lowered or removed but the fine will be higher. in the case of a restricted Lic that might not be the case.

[remixer 1,645]

88 in a 55 seems excessive. Just sayin'

Umm Yea

 

tell him to slow down

Yup

 

I was once clocked at 112 in a 55 but that was in Wyoming.

 

Yes but you were the only car in the state at the time.

 

Let him man up...... you might be saving his life.....

 

^^^^ The second part should be an eye opener.

[Malsua 1,422]

208 in Franklin Lakes is pretty wide open.  I travel the entire length of 208 twice a day during work days.   At 6:30 in the morning, I've been traveling well past the speed limit and have been passed by people, easily doing over 90.  

 

The issue is, cops very rarely do speed control in rush direction during rush but heavily patrol the rest of the time and in the opposite of rush direction.  If I leave work early, I don't push it at all...the V1 barks constantly.   Of course, I've been driving that road for 17 years and I know the patrol habits very well.   

 

This will be a good lesson for him.  

[Frank Rizzo 59]

 In most cases you can speak with the prosecutor beforehand and plea this down to a 15-29 over the limit, you do not want a 30mph+ on your record, insurance will have a field day with that.   Back in '98 I was in similar predicament, 90 in a 50.  The prosecutor was an ass, refused to lower it under 30mph over.  He actually tried to trick me saying he would lower it to 80mph which still left me in the 30+ category, no way.  Came back with a lawyer and he agreed to lower to 79mph, 4 points.  

[Fred2 367]

Traffic laws are basically BS. They are a game the state plays, to make people think they are trying to keep you safe, but are designed to separate you from your money as quickly as possible.

 

This event is going to cost you $600. The only question is do you give it to the lawyer and the court, or the insurance company and the court.

 

Since the kid has a heavy foot, I would try to keep as many points off the license as possible. The insurance fines are worse than the ticket.

 

and

 

Make him buy a Valentine 1

[kirk2022 43]

As A restricted driver, Your son has A handful with this citation. 33mph over by statute is An immediate revocation offense, Subject to Judges ruling.  

This one requires an Attorney. Due to Age and severity of offense.

One thing to realize for sure is the letters of advertisement from Lawyers, Are from ambulance chasers. A qualified Attorney that can do the best in this situation doesn't have A paralegal sitting at the clerks office milling for business.

 

That being said, Maybe there is some soul searching to be done as to whether driver privleges should be stopped at the home level.

Is your son ready at 17 to handle A situation behind the wheel at 55 mph let alone 88mph? 

 

We were all kids we all did dumb things. But we paid the price and learned.   Today it seems more than ever that the price of learning is basically nothing.

Good Luck and hopefully this is A lesson that sticks with your Son for the future.

[jackandjill 683]

Or you let him be a man and take the punishment..... then maybe he will slow down before he hurts himself or someone else.....

 

This is the snowflake mentality we are all bitching about.....

 

Sorry if I am being blunt.....

 

But I got plenty of speeding tickets at his age..... I never went to my Daddy to get me off..... I paid the tickets and dealt with the insurance premiums myself.....

 

Let him man up...... you might be saving his life.....

I hate to pile on, but ^^^^^ THIS.  Tell HIM to go through all that lawyer mail, ask him to make calls, to get estimates on lawyer fees, negotiate fees, goto court and negotiate and finally PAY THE BILL. 

 

When all this is said and done, HE should be out with $700 or so. Good lesson if you ask me. 

[AMScott 3]

Meet with the prosecutor before things begin.... It will be announced and everyone has an opportunity to meet before seeing the judge...... Standard procedure.... Be remorseful..... Try to get it reduced to less than 15 mph over posted limit.....  Your kid pays the fine.... All done....

[BlueLineFish 615]

When I got my license if I screwed up it was on me. I went to court, I paid the fines. If my parents insurance went up I paid the difference. If my kid did that not only would he be paying for everything but he would be looking on Craigslist for a nice used bike. Actions have consequences, sometimes serious. Sometimes lessons have to be taught the hard way

[45Doll 5,877]

If my 17 year old son did that and was driving one of our cars, the ticket, court and insurance would be the least of his problems.

 

I know full well we (the adults on the title) would be on the civil suit hook if he killed or maimed someone with that behavior.

 

He would however subsequently be in excellent shape walking everywhere he went.

[Fred2 367]

For the Just Pay the fine people.....

 

Times have changed, and what was a small fine back in the day, is now an punishment that hangs around your neck forever.

If Gov Christie was good with getting his tickets reduced or dismissed, there is absolutely no reason that we should not do the same thing.

 

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/neither_gov_corzine_nor_chris.html

[Jfoster99 80]

Thanks for all the legal advise.... Got a lawyer lined up and a court Date set for April....

 

As for my son, He was the only senior on the school bus this morning and he will be on it for the foreseeable future.

[myhatinthering 462]

Or you let him be a man and take the punishment..... then maybe he will slow down before he hurts himself or someone else.....

 

This is the snowflake mentality we are all bitching about.....

 

Sorry if I am being blunt.....

 

But I got plenty of speeding tickets at his age..... I never went to my Daddy to get me off..... I paid the tickets and dealt with the insurance premiums myself.....

 

Let him man up...... you might be saving his life.....

agree

[45Doll 5,877]

As for my son, He was the only senior on the school bus this morning and he will be on it for the foreseeable future.

Good for you. If my previous post sounded sanctimonious I apologize. I know it's easy to spout off advice to other parents who are trying to do the 'right' thing. It was just my initial reaction.

 

Teenagers, especially boys, frequently have no clue about the risks they run on behalf of their parents. 

 

How do I know? I was one. And I'm totally familiar with the possibilities.

[DaveR 42]

These probationary periods look tough, glad it wasn't like this when I was a kid.

 

http://www.nj.gov/lps/hts/downloads/gdl-bro-eng.pdf

 

• May  not  plea  bargain  any  point  carrying  offense  to  a  0  point  carrying offense

• Effective September 17, 2008, the Attorney General banned municipal prosecutors from offering 0 point plea agreements to all GDL holder

 

39:3-13.4d.

In addition to any other penalties provided under law, the holder of a probationary license who accumulates more than two motor vehicle points or is convicted of a violation of R.S.39:4-50; section 2 of P.L.1981, c.512 (C.39:4-50.4a); P.L.1992, c.189 (C.39:4-50.14); R.S.39:4-129; N.J.S.2C:11-5; subsection c. of N.J.S.2C:12-1; or any other motor vehicle law the chief administrator deems to be significant and applicable pursuant to regulation shall, for the first violation, be required to satisfactorily complete a remedial training course of not less than four hours which may be given by the commission, a driving school licensed by the chief administrator pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1951, c.216 (C.39:12-2), or any Statewide safety organization approved by the chief administrator. The course shall be administered pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the chief administrator and subject to oversight by the commission. The authority of the chief administrator to suspend, revoke, or deny issuance of an initial or renewal license to operate a driving school or an instructor's license, and to assess fines, pursuant to P.L.1951, c.216 (C.39:12-1 et seq.) shall apply to any violations related to the administration of a remedial training course. The license holder shall also remit a course fee prior to the commencement of the course.