Watchung Speeding Lawyers Providing Experienced Advocacy for Drivers Charged with Speeding

Any driver, from New Jersey or out-of-state, who is charged with speeding on a New Jersey road will be given a ticket detailing how many miles per hour over the speed limit they were traveling, the amount of the fine, and a hearing date if they wish to contest the speeding ticket. Guilty pleas or findings will result in hefty fines, points on your driving record, and a possible surcharge if you go too fast. Your insurance premiums will likely increase significantly for several years. Your license may be suspended if you accumulate too many points.

The New Jersey point schedule can be seen here: http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Violations/penalties_pointSchedule.htm

Aggressive defense for drivers who are charged with exceeding the state speed limits

The Watchung criminal lawyers at Aiello, Harris, Abate Law Group PC have been helping New Jersey drivers contest speeding charges since 1955. We challenge speed-tracking device readings if these devices are improperly inspected or operated. We’d like to point out reasons that justify the speeding when warranted. Often, we can convince the police officer or prosecuting attorney to reduce the amount of your speed so your points, fines, and surcharges will not be too high.

Consequences of failure to respond to your ticket or to show up at court

Normally, speeding tickets are heard in municipal court unless there were other offenses involved, such as driving while intoxicated (DWI). If a driver fails to appear at the designated hearing date, and has not paid the fines, the Watchung municipal court judge will likely issue a “failure to appear” notice and relist your case for a future date. The notice will be mailed to the driver’s address and will allow the driver time to comply with any instructions on the notice.

The judge could issue a warrant for your arrest (a bench warrant) either at the original hearing date or at the time set forth in the failure to appear notice if you fail to appear again. In addition to the humiliation of being arrested, the judge could order that your driver’s license be suspended until the warrant and the underlying speeding ticket are resolved. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will receive immediate notice of the suspension.

If you ignore the bench warrant, the warrant can stay open for years and you may be arrested at work, at home, or anywhere the police find you. If you drive while your license is suspended, you could be arrested or your license could be revoked, requiring you to respond to both the speeding ticket and the license suspension charge.

Drivers who have a legitimate reason for not being able to attend a hearing should let the municipal court know before the hearing date. Often a continuance will be granted. If the court denies a continuance request, you will be required to appear at the hearing.

If a bench warrant is issued, you can explain why you failed to appear. If you had a legitimate reason such as a death in the family, the judge may excuse your failure to respond. Otherwise, the judge can order the driver to pay a contempt of court fine and then proceed with the speeding ticket violation.

Talk with a Watchung speeding lawyer who has handled ample speeding ticket cases today

At Aiello, Harris, Abate Law Group PCour Somerset County criminal defense lawyers can guide you through the speeding ticket process.  Our speeding ticket attorneys are former municipal prosecutors.  We inform drivers of the fines, penalties, points, and likely insurance increases that will apply if they are convicted. We explain that many cases can be negotiated and that there are legal defenses that may apply. For strong advocacy, please call our Watchung speeding ticket attorneys at (908) 293-7548 to arrange an appointment in our Watchung, NJ office. You can also complete our contact form to arrange to speak with us.