When should you go to court for a ticket or pay it off? What NJ experts recommend

No one wants to see those red and blue blinking lights behind their vehicle, knowing they are about to be pulled over by police.

Not every ticket needs to be fought in court, but some more serious tickets could have many consequences for a driver, according to the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall. The office, which has locations across the state, said “pleading guilty or being found guilty of a traffic offense in New Jersey could cost you a fine and jail time, driving privileges and years of higher auto insurance premiums.” The site also pointed out that if a crash left someone injured, it is possible to be sued.

Key points:

• Jersey City-based attorney Joel Silberman said people should call an attorney to see if a ticket carries points.
• Speeding and driving with a suspended license are two common tickets people seek attorneys for.
• The number of tickets issued between July 2023-June 30, 2024 dropped 4% from the year before.

Joel Silberman, a Jersey City-based attorney, said most people would want to fight tickets that will put points on their licenses. Silberman said if there are enough points, a person’s license could be suspended, and points also increase car insurance costs.

“Sometimes people don’t even know that a ticket carries points when they get it and they pay that because some are payable,” Silberman said. “And then they end up with points on their license and they didn’t even know how or why.”

When to fight a ticket or just pay it

Silberman sees a lot of cases for speeding tickets and driving with a suspended license. He said sometimes people retain a lawyer for a reckless driving ticket, which typically carries five points, and for driving without insurance.

He said people could retain a lawyer to fight other tickets, such as improper lane change or failure to use a traffic signal. People can receive multiple tickets on a traffic stop that could give them six to 10 points, and he sometimes gets clients who fight those.

It takes between two to four months to fight most of these tickets while a DUI and driving with a suspended license take longer.

For DUI, which is considered a traffic ticket in New Jersey, Silberman said to retain an attorney to fight that because it is “highly technical.”

“Defenses are based on analyzing the machinery that was used and whether it’s in working order, whether the instructions that an officer gave are proper, things of that nature,” Silberman said.

“I would think that any time you’re pulled over, it’s wise to contact a lawyer to see if the ticket that you got will have any points if you pay them,” Silberman continued.

He said it can be “very, very difficult” to reverse paying a ticket with points attached to it and that a quick call to an attorney could determine if the ticket has points.

“I think you should always pick up the phone and speak to an attorney,” Silberman said.

Number of tickets in New Jersey

With COVID, the number of tickets issued was lower with people staying home, said Rutherford Deputy Court Administrator Maria Aguilar. But, Aguilar said, tickets increased as people began to drive again.

According to an article from My Central Jersey, from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, there were 1,879,135 tickets written, a 4% drop from 2022-2023 and 34.5% less than 10 years ago. The numbers do not include parking tickets or driving while intoxicated arrests.

Essex, Bergen and Middlesex counties had the highest number of total tickets.

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