Click here to fight your New York traffic ticket.
Don’t want to pay that speeding ticket? Plead not guilty! In order to contest a speeding ticket, you have to plead not guilty.
If you plead no contest or guilty, that ticket will hit your record faster than you can say, “Oops.”
Then come the fines, fees, surcharges, and more. But in order to plead not guilty to a speeding ticket, you’re first going to have to know how to read that ticket.
Breakdown of a NY Traffic Ticket
New York traffic tickets are usually one sheet of paper broken down into a few individual sections. Those sections include the ticket number, ID number, charges, location where the violation took place, the officer’s information, and more. There are sections for every aspect of the violation, including obscure details like whether the vehicle was carrying hazardous materials.
The first step in reading a ticket is knowing where to find the ticket number.
Ticket Number
Also known as the citation number, the ticket number is an 11-character code made up of numbers and letters. This is what the government will use to identify the ticket. That makes it the most important part of the ticket. If you lose your ticket, knowing the ticket number will enable you to easily pull it up in an online system.
You can find the ticket number in the top left corner of your ticket, right above your name. That section also includes the name of the police agency that wrote the ticket, your address, and your ID number.
ID Number
Your ID number is right under your address, which is under your name. That’s all in the same section just below the ticket number. This information neatly arranged side by side to make finding it as easy as possible. Of course, how possible does the DMV really make it to do things easily?
Your driver license ID number is the nine-digit number in the top center of your driver license. If the ID number on your ticket does not match the ID number of your license, be sure to tell your lawyer. This might give them an edge in the legal process.
Charges
The section just below that which contains your personal information details the charges against you. You’ll see the time and date of offense as well as a box that says, “section sub section.” That’s the legal charge code for the exact line of the law that you are accused of having broken. Next to that is information on whether the alleged violation is an infraction, misdemeanor, or felony.
Location and Officer’s Information
The section in the bottom left of the ticket shows the officer’s information and the court’s information. It’s important to note that the court on the ticket is always the court that has jurisdiction in the area where the ticket took place, not the court that is closest to your home.
This section will tell you whether your ticket comes with a mandatory appearance. It will also list the time and date when you will be able to contest your ticket in court, if you want to. And, since you’re trying to plead not guilty, that date is important to remember.
How To Plead Not Guilty
There are a couple of ways to plead not guilty to a speeding ticket in New York. You can do so either by mail or online.
Plead Not Guilty by Mail
The instructions for how to plead not guilty by mail can be found in the top right of the ticket. Simply read the instructions, fill in the required information, and make a copy for your own records. It is absolutely critical that you make a copy before mailing your ticket. If your ticket gets lost in the mail and the city never receives it, you could be charged with failure to respond.
Plead Not Guilty Online
To plead not guilty online, you will need your traffic ticket number, driver license ID number, and your full name, date of birth, and gender. That information must match the information as written on your traffic ticket. Once you have that information, enter it into the DMV’s online portal and schedule a hearing.
Should You Ever Plead Guilty?
This is a trick question. The answer is almost always no. If you’re considering pleading guilty, ask yourself, “What’s more important: Getting this ticket thing over with or saving thousands of dollars?” Would you pay thousands of dollars to avoid having to go to court? If not, then you’re probably better off pleading not guilty and contesting the ticket in court.
