The law that applies to your claim
🔴 You are not in a TVB county, and that changes everything
New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and Suffolk handle tickets through the DMV Traffic Violations Bureau, where plea bargaining is not permitted — you either beat the ticket or you take the points. Westchester and Rockland tickets go to town and village justice courts, where a reduction can be negotiated with the prosecutor. That single difference is why a local ticket is worth fighting.
What the points actually cost
Eleven points in eighteen months means suspension. Speeding alone runs 3 points at 1–10 mph over, 4 at 11–20, 6 at 21–30, 8 at 31–40 and 11 above 40 — a single high-speed ticket can suspend a license on its own.
The Driver Responsibility Assessment
Separate from any fine. Six or more points in eighteen months triggers an assessment of $300 payable over three years, plus $75 for each point above six. It is billed by the DMV, not the court, and people are routinely blindsided by it months later.
Pleading guilty by mail is a conviction
Paying the ticket is a conviction. It goes on the abstract, the points attach, insurance sees it, and it cannot be undone afterward.
What we handle
- Speeding — VTL §1180, including radar and pace cases
- Reckless driving — VTL §1212, a misdemeanor, not a traffic infraction
- Red light and stop sign — VTL §1111 and §1172
- Improper passing, following too closely, unsafe lane change and cell phone violations
- Points, suspension and getting a license back
Why insurance is usually the real cost
The fine is the small part. A conviction sits on your record for years and insurers price it accordingly — often a larger total than the ticket, spread across every renewal. For drivers who need a license for work, the exposure is the job itself.
That is the calculation worth making before deciding a ticket is not worth the trouble.
Usually you do not have to appear
In most justice court matters an attorney can appear for you, so you do not take a day off work to sit in a village courtroom. Where a personal appearance is required, you will be told in advance and why.
Where your ticket is heard
Which court holds your ticket decides what is possible. The Traffic Violations Bureau does not allow plea bargaining; village and town justice courts do, and a prosecutor there can agree to a reduction.
- White Plains — city court, daily calendar, full-time prosecutor
- Yonkers — city court
- Tarrytown — village justice court
- Nyack — village justice court
- Nanuet — Clarkstown town court
- Spring Valley — village justice court
How long you have to act
- Three years from the date of the accident for most negligence claims (CPLR §214).
- Two years for wrongful death (EPTL §5-4.1).
- 90 days to serve a notice of claim where a city, county, school district, transit authority or other public body is involved (General Municipal Law §50-e), with suit generally within one year and 90 days.
The 90-day rule is the one that quietly ends otherwise strong cases. If a public entity may be involved, that is the first thing to check — not the last.
What it costs
Nothing up front. These cases are handled on contingency: there is no fee unless we win, and the consultation is free. You will be told the percentage and how expenses are handled, in writing, before you sign anything.
Common questions
Should I just pay it?
Paying is pleading guilty. If the points matter to your license or your insurance, it is usually the most expensive option available.
I already missed my court date.
That can suspend your license for failure to answer, and driving on it is a far more serious charge. It can usually be addressed, but do it now rather than later.
I got the ticket in another state.
Many out-of-state convictions still reach your New York record through interstate reporting. It is worth checking rather than assuming it disappears.
Do you handle criminal charges?
This practice covers traffic infractions and reckless driving. We do not take DWI or other criminal defense matters, and we will tell you plainly if that is what you are facing.
