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No matter how much planning goes into an errand or event, many New York drivers could agree that rushing on the road is all too tempting. Even when punctuality is not a concern, the speedometer can travel higher than speed limits in the blink of an eye. As for New York speeding laws, there are a few details drivers can keep in mind to avoid trouble on the road. The New York Post is quick to argue that traffic tickets are simply a way of business in today’s world. New York is not alone, either, as most states enforce strict penalties for seemingly insignificant traffic offenses. The results? According to The Post, unreasonably high ticket prices cause a severe imbalance in the country’s wealth. While speeding can certainly prove dangerous, most drivers will violate speed limits at some point in their lives, and many will face the frustrating obstacles of exorbitant fees and, in some situations, traffic school and revoked licenses. All the while, states continue to issue increasingly high tickets to drivers. Many drivers can agree that state speeding laws are difficult; learning the ropes, however, can help one prevent a ticket that can take months to pay off. The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee of the state of New York shares the basic regulations surrounding speeding laws, first noting that speed violations range from 3 to 11 — a driver could lose his or her license with an 11 point ranking. Safety, as most New York residents would expect, is the Committee’s top priority, as driving at high speeds naturally makes slowing down harder for drivers. There may be an ongoing debate on New York’s speeding laws, but the website for traffic safety also shares that the state has no plans of raising speed limits to 65 mph on additional roads. For now, drivers must drive at enforced speed limits or possibly face a mountain of traffic fees.

Even if you’re a safe and considerate driver, distractions can still occur. In some cases, even a moment’s inattention behind the wheel can lead to grave injury, property damage, or even loss of life. As a result, New York drivers must make every attempt at remaining focused on the road, which is why Geico recommends the following safe driving tips to do just that. Never Drive While Drowsy Not only can driving while drowsy be a distraction, it can also impair your judgement and ability to make good decisions. As a result, falling asleep behind the wheel can be deadly, for both yourself as well as other drivers. If you’re feeling sleepy behind the wheel, it’s best that you pull over and get some rest until you’re good to drive again. Don’t Eat and Drive In general, eating while driving isn’t necessarily viewed as a very risky behavior. However, eating and driving can result in a crash, especially if you happen to spill food or drink in your vehicle. Make time for meal breaks when you can, and refrain from eating on the go in an attempt to keep up with your hectic lifestyle. Save Smart Phones for Emergencies Not only is using a smart phone while driving dangerous, it’s also illegal in many states (including New York). Accordingly, either turn off your phone or set it to do not disturb while you’re driving. If you absolutely need to use your smart phone for an emergency, it’s best to pull over to the side of the road if at all possible.

Many stoplights in Nassau County, New York are equipped with red light cameras. These cameras snap a picture of your vehicle if you run a red light. Once captured, the system issues you, if you are the owner of the vehicle, a Notice of Liability, according to the Nassau County website. If you receive one, you can go to the county website and enter the NOL number to find out the exact violation that triggered the NOL. You also can watch the actual video footage taken. If you agree that you are guilty of the crime, then you can pay your fine via the website. You may also request a hearing if you do not believe you are guilty of the violation or if you were not driving the vehicle at the time. Do note that reduced fines for NOLs are not permitted, so requesting a hearing in the hopes of getting a lesser fine is not advisable. Any action you take has to be done before the date on the NOL. If you do not respond before that date, you may have to pay additional fines and fees. You may also have your vehicle towed or booted. If you schedule a hearing, you must go unless you submit paperwork explaining you already paid a ticket assocaited with the violation on that same day and time or to explain your plates were stolen. You should receive a response before the hearing. If you do not, then attend the hearing. If you do not go to the hearing when you are required to do so, you will be found guilty and an additonal fine for failure to appear will be assessed. NOLs may be issued for running a red light, turning right on red in an area where it is not permitted, making a turn after the light turns red, not stopping completely before turning right on red or not stopping at the stop line. This information is for education and is not legal advice.

Many in Mineola may not even consider leaving the scene of accident in which injuries are involved. Yet what about those single-car crashes that only result in property damage? The temptation may be there (especially in accidents where there were no witnesses and that do not render vehicles inoperable) to simply drive away and leave the property owner to guess as to what caused the damage. Given that no one else was hurt by a driver’s actions in such cases, he or she may not classify leaving the scene as a hit-and-run. Unfortunately, that is not how the law sees it. Section 600.1 of the New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law states that when one is involved in a motor vehicle accident that involves damage to property, he or she must show his or her driver’s license and insurance verification card to the property owner before leaving. On top of that, he or she must also provide the property owner with the following information: Name Address Insurance carrier name Insurance policy number and effective dates If the property owner cannot be found, the driver must give the aforementioned information to a law enforcement officer or officials at the nearest police station as soon as possible. A failure to follow these regulations is considered to be a traffic infraction and could result in a 15-day imprisonment and/or a $250 fine. Authorities treat cases of leaving the scene of an accident very seriously due to the potential expenses such incidents leave property owners having to deal with. The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association reports that the average auto liability claim for property damage is $3,231. Drivers might only end up feeling that extra expense in an increase in their insurance rates, which most would agree is preferable to facing the penalties for leaving the scene.

Who in Mineola has not been cited for some sort of traffic infraction before? Something like a speeding ticket or a citation for failing to completely stop at a stop sign is not likely to land you in jail. Unfortunately, the perceived triviality of traffic infractions often prompts people to believe that they do not need to be taken seriously. Such people may end up coming to us here at The Law Firm of Michael R. Franzese shocked that they are now facing a license suspension. If you hope to avoid such a penalty, you may want to educate yourself on New York’s traffic points system. According to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, you accumulate points depending on the nature of your traffic violation. The point totals for some of the more common infractions include: Reckless driving, texting while driving, failing to stop for a school bus: 5 points Following too closely: 4 points Ignoring a stop or yield sign, failing to yield the right-of-way, seatbelt violations: 3 points Speeding violations have different point totals depending on how fast you were allegedly going. Driving up to 10 mph over the posted speed limit will result in 3 points, while driving over 40 mph over the speed limit will get you 11. It should also be noted that infractions due to failing to maintain current insurance or registration on your vehicle and parking violations will not result in points. Point totals are counted over an 18-month period. Accumulating 11 points during that period will result in the suspension of your license. You can, however, appeal traffic infractions with the court. You can also take a DMV-approved point reduction program in order to avoid a license suspension. More information on dealing with traffic violations can be found here on our site.

Drivers in New York who leave the scene of an accident can expect some major consequences if they end up getting caught. Drivers who are involved in a crash, whether it is with another vehicle, a pedestrian or physical property, are required to stop and exchange information with the other parties involved. Although it may seem easier to flee in a chaotic situation, doing so is not a good idea. According to YPD Crime, the punishment involved with hit-and-run accidents varies depending on the situation. In circumstances in which the accident causes injury to another person, the fine can range from $250 to $500 and is considered a class B misdemeanor for the first offense, and $500 to $1,000 and a class A misdemeanor for subsequent violations. These fines are in addition to other penalties such as jail time. Serious injury constitutes a class E felony, and death is considered to be a Class D felony, and these fines can be thousands of dollars. Not everyone who is around a hit-and-run accident is required to report the incident. According to FindLaw, the above consequences do not apply to individuals who are not directly caught up in the crash. This includes other drivers just passing by, witnesses and even passengers of the vehicles involved. If these people choose to leave the scene there will be no penalties associated with it. However, law enforcement personnel depend on the help and information from those who witnessed the crash and can provide identifying information, so they are encouraged to stick around and share any helpful data they can.

“The federal and state governments treat motorists like disciplinarian ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ parents,” says the head of the National Motorists Association, “except that motorists aren’t children and there is scant evidence that the penalties inflicted by forced ticketing campaigns improve highway traffic safety,” The group recently sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, urging her to appoint someone to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who will oppose federal policies that pressure law enforcement into using traffic ticket quotas. The position of NHTSA chief has been empty since the beginning of the Trump administration. The National Motorists Association, or NMA, says that current federal policy has the effect of pressuring state and local law enforcement agencies into focusing much of their time writing tickets. The reason is that about half of NHTSA’s annual $1.2 billion budget goes to highway safety grants. Unfortunately, the success of these grants depends on law enforcement tracking the number of speeding tickets each agency issues. This is pernicious, according to the NMA, because there is no solid tie between issuing large numbers of speeding tickets and improvements in highway safety. It also encourages law enforcement leadership to set quotas for tickets, which violate motorists’ rights. “What isn’t debatable is that making funding contingent on meeting certain activity levels is a direct incentive for state and local law enforcement to implement a quota system,” wrote the head of the NMA. Furthermore, more effective options exist for promoting traffic safety, according to the group. One is providing advanced driver skills training to young or novice drivers. Another would be to have states reevaluate the goal of trying to maintain a posted speed limit in favor of trying to maintain uniform traffic flow. Or, Section 402 and High Visibility Enforcement grants could be redirected to road construction projects, which are desperately needed. “At a time when we desperately need stronger bonds of trust and respect between the nation’s 250 million licensed drivers and police agencies, the current system is only making the situation worse.” The NMA hopes Chao will appoint a NHTSA administrator who is willing to “shake up the status quo.”