New York Criminal Attorney Blog
If you are charged with a “Traffic Infraction” such as speeding, passing a school bus, red light violation, etc, you should not plead guilty but instead should hire an attorney skilled in defending such charges. The lawyers at the New York Law Firm of Tilem & Campbell have experience in fighting thousands of tickets. The Website trafficticketexpess.com is also a great resource to find out more about your ticket and your right. Tickets issued in New York City (Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island), Rochester, Buffalo and parts of Brookhaven, Babylon, Islip, Huntington, Smithtown and Riverhead, in Suffolk County, your case will be handled by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Traffic Violations Bureau. If you received your ticket anywhere else in the State such as Westchester County, White Plains, New Rochelle, Mt. Vernon, Mamaroneck, Larchmont or other municipality, your ticket will be handled by the local criminal court. Below is a brief definition and explanation of a “Traffic Infraction”.
Traffic Infraction: A Traffic Infraction is any offense defined as a “traffic infraction” by VTL § 155. A “traffic infraction” is any violation of the VTL (except Articles 47 & 48) or of any ordinance, law, rule, regulation or order regulating traffic which are not misdemeanors or felonies. VTL § 155. Traffic infractions are not crimes and the punishment imposed for committing a traffic infractions shall not be deemed a penal or criminal punishment nor shall a conviction for a traffic infraction impair one’s credibility as a witness. Id.
A conviction for a New York traffic infraction can result in fines, the remote possibility of jail and points imposed under the New York State Point System.