After you receive any traffic ticket (or parking ticket, for that matter), you should always carefully check the ticket for any and all errors. Check, for example, for the following:
- Is the date of the citation correct?
- Is the citation signed by a police officer?
- Is your name and date of birth correct?
- Is your driver’s license number correct?
- Is the description of your car correct?
- What statutes are listed on the citation? Were these actually violated?
- Is the location of the alleged violation occurred correctly identified?
Sometimes, the entity that issued the citation will realize and rectify its own error(s) by simply re-issuing a modified citation. If the error is not rectified before trial, courts will often excuse minor errors on a ticket, such as a misspelled name, incorrect address, or difference in opinion on whether your car is turquoise or green in color. But major errors, such as citing the wrong statute, seriously misidentifying your vehicle, or listing the wrong intersection as the site of the violation should provide justification to dismiss the ticket. After all, if the officer wrote that you ran a light at Stockton and Bay, but you were actually pulled over after driving through another intersection two blocks away, what else could the officer be wrong about?
An experienced New Jersey traffic ticket lawyer can do the research to find out whether you actually violated the statutes listed on your citation. A lawyer can also advise you whether it is advantageous to say nothing about any errors until your trial. Dan Matrafajlo is an dedicated New Jersey traffic ticket attorney. Call him today for a free consultation.
