Improper Passing Ticket in Clifton, NJ

[captne76]

Originally Posted by angerinthenation

Prosecutor? They have prosecutors handling traffic offenses?

Yep they sho nuff do. At the prices they rake in, they can easily afford it. The prosecutor is kind of the deal maker and the judge slams the gavel down to okay it.

[VeradoDan]

Originally Posted by captne76

Yep they sho nuff do. At the prices they rake in, they can easily afford it. The prosecutor is kind of the deal maker and the judge slams the gavel down to okay it.

Well, it's just municipal prosecutor. It's not a county ADA, as some people have alluded to. Most municipal prosecutors are just regular lawyers from town that work for the municipality on a part-time basis. Many towns get them on a discount. The Manasquan/Brielle municipal prosecutor actually works for free and instructs the towns to put the salary they would've paid him into recreation and services for the taxpayers.

[VeradoDan]

Originally Posted by petecheng

For those who are just wondering

I called a lawyer, and they do charge a flat fee of $450, no guarantees whatsoever. They will just represent you.

You'll get a sweetheart deal if you hire a lawyer. But unless you're facing something serious like a DWI charge or the loss of your license for your violation, it's really not worth it. The "system" wants to get you in and out, lightening your wallet as much as it can in process. You don't need a lawyer for average minor, run-of-the-mill traffic ticket.

[petecheng]

okay, just an update.

I just got back from the court, everyone who got a traffic ticket had a chance to talk to the prosecutor, the prosecutor offered to drop the points for more fee.

In my case, "improper passing" is a 4 point offense. I was offered

option 1) $200 with 2 points or
2) $420 with no points...

I picked the $420 option so did 5 other people I talked to in the court.

Just a piece of advise, if you got a traffic voilation, don't ever get a traffic lawyer unless it's "DWI" or "License suspension", because people who had a lawyer for regular tickets ended up paying

$135 fine + $35 court fee + Lawyer fees.

Mine was $135 fine + $35 court fee + $250 NJ Surcharge.

--------------

Judge doesn't give you a chance to fight the ticket, if you plea not guilty, you need to go home and waiting for a trial date, when you come to court on your trial date, you better hope the cop showed up, other wise, it will be re-scheduled which mean you'll have to come back again.

Careful driving folks, try not to get a ticket, because the nj system will try to suck your blood.

[johnzfre88]

I got a ticket today for improper passing on rt 80 in Rockaway, NJ. this particular part of 80 has four lanes. i was in the fast lane behind some jerk going less than the speed limit. i changed to right lane and continued along my way (without ever returning to the left lane) until a cop came up behind me w/ his lights flashing. Is this actually improper passing and is there anything i can do?

[captne76]

As I remember the NJ laws on passing, there was an exception where if you are in a line of traffic, maybe it's supposed to be a continuous line, if your lane is going faster than the lane on the left, you are allowed to pass.
You're gonna have to research this since I'm going back a few years. See if the court will switch it to one of the lower cost no pointers otherwise. I think obstructing traffic is no points no record, but they dont often offer that.
I got that once by coming in late, by chance, being the last case, advising the prostitutor I already had 2 of the higher cost deals, he presented it to the judge and that was accepted.

[captne76]

Maybe if you can get it postponed to around next Halloween you can show up in court in a cop uniform, lol.