If you are planning on
representing yourself in Cortlandville Traffic Court, it is important that you
read every document given to you by the officer and court. A careful review of their instructions
could save you a lot of time and aggravation.
THE FOUR-HOUR DRIVE
A driver called our office
because he appeared in court on the date listed on the front of the
ticket. He had driven 4 hours only
to be turned away when he arrived in court. The court clerk advised him that court was not in session
and he merely needed to enter a plea on or before the date listed on the front
of his ticket.
Clearly frustrated, the
driver drove an additional 4 hours home. This driver missed one day of work,
drove over 400 miles, and paid a ton in gas just to appear in court. This could have been avoided if he had
carefully read the instructions on the ticket or hired our firm in advance. The lesson learned, is that is
important to read every document carefully or call our experienced Cortlandville
traffic ticket attorneys for a confidential consultation at 800-893-9645.
READ THE DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY
It is important to read
everything given to you thoroughly. A careful review of the court date listed on
the front of the ticket will indicate that this is the “reply by” date. The driver is required to appear in
court or respond by mail to enter their plea. This is not necessarily the date to meet with the cop,
prosecutor, and judge. Ultimately,
the date on the ticket may end up being the court date but that is not always
the situation.
Further, a careful reading
of the back of the ticket will state that the driver has 48 hours to respond to
the ticket. This seemingly
conflicting information often confuses ticketed drivers. They are uncertain whether or not they
need to respond within 48 hours or by the date given on the front of the
ticket. There are very long legal
reasons why the ticket has this information. In brief, the most prudent thing for a driver to do is to
enter the plea of not guilty within 48 hours of receipt and to do so with some
kind of return receipt requested. At our firm, we advise pro-se
litigants to respond via return receipt because courts can be subject to human
error. It this should occur, a
driver may receive a notice of suspension for their failure to Answer the
ticket. The only way to prove a plea
was properly entered is to produce the receipt.
BENEFITS OF HIRING OUR FIRM
Our law attorneys have
represented hundreds of drivers in Cortlandville and throughout New York
State. Our result-oriented firm has
helped us gain a superb reputation among our peers.
If you should hire our firm,
we work to make the process as simple as possible. For example, in most cases, our clients never have to appear
in court.
While we cannot guarantee a
specific result, we have consistently reduced our client’s exposure to fines,
penalties, and insurance increases; hereby, saving them money.
TOP 5 FAQs:
What would happen if I
ignore my ticket?
A driver who ignores their
moving violation will eventually have their privilege to drive submitted to DMV
for suspension. It is important
that you stay on top of your traffic matter because driving with a suspended
license can lead to significant problems including criminal charges.
How will a speeding
conviction affect my insurance?
There are many different
things insurance companies take into consideration when they determine a driver’s
insurance rate. For the most part,
the algorithm used is proprietary in nature and the average driver will not be
privy to this information.
Some things considered in an
insurance policy can include but is not limited to a driver’s age, their
accident history, the type of car driven, and any convictions to moving
violations.
When are traffic ticket
fines payable?
In local court, the
customary practice is for drivers to pay their fines the same day they appear
in court. Some judges will use
their judicial discretion and allow a driver to pay a few days after the court
appearance.
Do local courts take credit
card payments?
Some town courts accept
payment by online services and other take credit card payments through a credit
card form. Most village courts do
not accept credit card payment.
How many points are allowed
until a license is suspended?
There are many reasons why a
driver may have their privilege to drive suspended. With respect to points, a driver will suspended upon
receiving 11 or more points within an 18 month period.