[TJoeT]

My friend and i were driving back from Vermont and got pulled over for doing 20 over the sped limit somewhere in NY, my question is, being that we live in NJ, does anyone know if we have to goto court to pay it, or if we could just forget about it????

p.s. this was 3 weeks ago and the court date was missed

[pyro9862]

Originally Posted by TJoeT

My friend and i were driving back from Vermont and got pulled over for doing 20 over the sped limit somewhere in NY, my question is, being that we live in NJ, does anyone know if we have to goto court to pay it, or if we could just forget about it????

p.s. this was 3 weeks ago and the court date was missed

Usually when you miss a court date they put out a warrent for your arrest. I'm not sure if these warrents are interestate between NY and NJ. Get pulled over again in NY though and they will arrest you and impound the car. It's not a big deal but you'll waste the day be out about a grand and never be able to check no in the "have you ever been arrested?" box .

Normally I would say check innocent and mail the ticket in then go to the court and they'll give you a lesser ticket. With the court date passed the best thing you can do is call up the court and ask what to do.
You might have a default judgment against you (automatically guilty on failure to appear). In that case they'll probably tell you to check guilty on the ticket (or send you something else to sign) and ask you to mail it in with a check. If they're in a bad mood they'll make you show up there to pay the fine and fill out some papers.
The other thing they might do is give you a new court date.

What you defiantly don't want to do is just forget about it. You'll end up driving through NY ten years from not not thinking about it and that old warrent will come up. Or you'll get a letter in the mail from the DMV that your license has been suspended due to an unpaid ticket two years from now.

[XJ2000]

My parents grew up in NYC, and a few years ago (5 to 6 years ago) my dad got pulled over in Long Island for 15 over. Needless to say, the Trooper wrote him a ticket. My dad spoke to one of his NYPD friends and said to mail a check to whomever it was supposed to be mailed to, for 1 dollar more than what the designated amount was. This does a couple things (according to he cop), the state cannot deposit your check because it is for an amount greater than the fine, they have your check on file so there is proof that you paid your fine (albeit 1 dollar extra), and finally no points or warrants out for you because you mailed the check. The check never gets deposited so you never lose your money. My dad followed the cops direction and then he got pulled over again this past summer (a headlight was out), and there was no warrant or record of any violation. I guess his friend was right...

Anyway, this is just one instance so it could be luck or it could be true but I figured you're looking for advice so here are my

[rjt36]

Originally Posted by Dassc612

My parents grew up in NYC, and a few years ago (5 to 6 years ago) my dad got pulled over in Long Island for 15 over. Needless to say, the Trooper wrote him a ticket. My dad spoke to one of his NYPD friends and said to mail a check to whomever it was supposed to be mailed to, for 1 dollar more than what the designated amount was. This does a couple things (according to he cop), the state cannot deposit your check because it is for an amount greater than the fine, they have your check on file so there is proof that you paid your fine (albeit 1 dollar extra), and finally no points or warrants out for you because you mailed the check. The check never gets deposited so you never lose your money. My dad followed the cops direction and then he got pulled over again this past summer (a headlight was out), and there was no warrant or record of any violation. I guess his friend was right...

Anyway, this is just one instance so it could be luck or it could be true but I figured you're looking for advice so here are my

I got that in a chain e-mail several years ago. I think it's bogus.

[ROUGHSHOD]

Originally Posted by pyro9862

Normally I would say check innocent and mail the ticket in then go to the court and they'll give you a lesser ticket.

Just FYI - I think in NYS now, there is no negotiating your tickets down...what you see is what you get.

[dz1087]

Originally Posted by ROUGHSHOD

Just FYI - I think in NYS now, there is no negotiating your tickets down...what you see is what you get.

Yay! Another case of zero tolerance! Go NY!

[ChaoticBastard]

Originally Posted by ROUGHSHOD

Just FYI - I think in NYS now, there is no negotiating your tickets down...what you see is what you get.

No not true,I got 2 tickets in NY last year.One would have effected my insurance for going 14mph over.The other was for no seatbelt.I wrote the DA in the county a letter saying I was trying to start a towing business and this would greatly effect my insurance premiums.He sent me a letter back dropping it to a failure to yield or something like that with no points and a minimal fine.I was honest that I had no other tickets in any other state etc.So diplomacy worked for me in NYS

[rustywrangler]

Best thing to do is call the number on the ticket and ask what to do. I NYS if you check the guilty box you can just mail them payment but if you want to contest it or get a lower charge you have to go to the court.

[pyro9862]

Originally Posted by ROUGHSHOD

Just FYI - I think in NYS now, there is no negotiating your tickets down...what you see is what you get.

Maybe in some places. Three years ago I got 22 over knocked down to failure to obey a traffic control device. That was in a small town upstate given by a trooper. About two years ago my father in a local department on Long Island got a ticket for going around a police barricade and plead it down to a parking ticket.
So unless their is a new state law againsts plea bargaining in the past two years it's up to the court to decide if they want to allow it.

[nj666z]

Hey OP: Fellow NJer here.

1) The whole pay $1.00 more is laughable at best. There is no merit or truth to it. Pay no attention to it and ignore it completely.

2) NJ and NY do have reciprocity. You are not in the clear.

3) A speeding ticket in NY for 20 over is probably 4 points or so. NJ ONLY takes 2 points for your license for out of state tickets. You will get points on your license and your insurance will go up b/c of that ticket. You can not just pay it and forget about it. It is NOT like a parking ticket and will not go away.

4) You need to contact the court immediately. Because you missed the court date, they won't be happy, and that irresponsibility may leave a bitter tatse in teh jduge or prosecutor's mouth. After all, you just wasted their time! For this to go away and not cost you money in the long run you need to contact the court and the prosecutor. Talk to the prosecutor and hope he is lenient with you and willing to plea bargain. The prosecutor has the authority to plea any ticket and any violation. He can even say "You know what, you seem like a nice kid, let's forget it" or he can try to stick it to you hard, so you need to kiss his rear royally and hope he keeps the case from a judge. Tell him you will be happy to pay a fine for a non moving violation if you can. Also the suggestion of you making a charitable donation, possibly to an organization recommended by the prosecutor, the judge, or the trooper that pulled you over instead of pleaing to a citation resulting in a vioation that has points might not be a bad idea either. But first, you need to get in touch with the court, b/c you probably do have a warrant following you around right now.

[Jammin Jeep]

From what I know, everything is nationwide with tickets now. My boyfriend had an unpaid ticket in MA. We live in NH. He got a letter from NH telling him that his license would be suspended if he didn't pay the ticket and there would be a $100 reinstatement fee to get his license back.

[ArloGuthroJeep]

Originally Posted by Jammin Jeep

From what I know, everything is nationwide with tickets now. My boyfriend had an unpaid ticket in MA. We live in NH. He got a letter from NH telling him that his license would be suspended if he didn't pay the ticket and there would be a $100 reinstatement fee to get his license back.

Nah, only certain states share tickets between neighboring states.

[blakdot]

just check the guilty box and mail it in... when you get the bill, write a check and send it in. Take the points and deal with it. Any reduction in NY State has to be done road -side with the trooper, if he/she is in a good mood. Going to court does little or nothing anymore and ends up costing you more in the end when you lose and have to pay the court fees.

[pyro9862]

Originally Posted by blakdot

just check the guilty box and mail it in... when you get the bill, write a check and send it in. Take the points and deal with it. Any reduction in NY State has to be done road -side with the trooper, if he/she is in a good mood. Going to court does little or nothing anymore and ends up costing you more in the end when you lose and have to pay the court fees.

Apparently you didn't read the whole thread. I saved $400 and four points by plea bargaining about three years ago.
My father saved himself two points by plea bargaining about two years ago.

It's up to the court in the jurisdiction in which you received the ticket to decide whether they want to plea bargain or not. Their is no statewide law against pleading down a traffic ticket.

[stathunter]

20 over.........yipes. I can tell you that they do not like it when you do a U turn on a bridge though......dont ask.