As a lawyer who’s served the taxi and for-hire vehicle industry for decades, I have frequently encountered drivers who simply pay traffic tickets they receive outside of New York City – without seeking professional advice – only to find themselves in dire circumstances. I get it: Drivers don’t want to travel three or more hours to a strange court to fight a ticket, and they may be concerned a lawyer will be too expensive, so they simply pay the fine.
Unfortunately, this is the equivalent of pleading guilty, so the maximum points will be assessed, costing much more in the end. This is especially true if the driver has other offenses on their driving record.
Plea bargaining is allowed for most traffic offenses, in most local criminal courts in New York state. That means it’s possible to obtain a reduction in points for a ticket (or tickets) received in the State, but outside of NYC. This is ESSENTIAL to understand, because under the TLC’s Critical Driver Rules, if a TLC operator/driver receives 6 DMV points (combined with TLC points) within a 15-month span, the TLC will suspend that driver’s license for 30 days. If a driver receives 10 or more DMV points (combined with TLC points) in that same time span, the driver will have their TLC license revoked for a minimum of one year.
The clock on the 15-month span begins the day a judge enters the most recent guilty verdict.
The TLC’s Critical Driver Rules make it clear drivers must ALWAYS do everything possible to minimize the points they receive for a given ticket. My advice: Consider your options. Consider your future. Consider the financial damage that losing your license for a year would do – along with the inevitable fines and insurance rate increases. A knowledgeable lawyer can often obtain favorable plea bargains and point reductions in most upstate NY traffic ticket cases.
A legal fee may cost more than a specific traffic ticket received in New York City from the NYPD, but any point-reductions can significantly decrease the long-term financial weight of tickets issued outside NYC. Seeking a plea-bargain, with the help of an industry-focused lawyer, can SAVE YOUR JOB and countless dollars in many instances.
Thanks for reading this article…
