Improper Left Turn

[nwpaggi]

My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: New Jersey

I was driving on a two lane road, made a u turn and then turned right off an exit lane in the opposite direction to my original velocity.

I was pulled over and given a ticket for improper left turn.

Would I have any chance arguing that i made a uturn then a right and not an improper left turn.

Thanks

[Mr. Knowitall]

Apparently that's not what the officer perceived. (Have you verified that it would be legal to perform a u-turn at that location?)

Have you checked to see if the officer recorded video of the traffic stop?

[DonaldKnows]

Some important questions:

Where was this in New Jersey (what city)?

Was this the only ticket you received, or did the officer give you other tickets?

Do you have time to go to 2-3 court appearances, or do you need to settle this ASAP (like if you have work)?

PM me with this info, or reply in the thread, and I will try to give you a step-by-step for your best case scenario to get this dismissed.

[nwpaggi]

South toms river. only one ticket, ticket is marked that court appearance is not required.

Im not sure if a uturn is illegeal, but there are no signs forbidding either a left or u turn.

[Mr. Knowitall]

Except as otherwise provided in this article, the driver of a vehicle intending to turn at an intersection shall do so as follows:

(a) Right turns. Both the approach for a right turn and a right turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.

(b) Left turns on two-way roadways. At any intersection where traffic is permitted to move in both directions on each roadway entering the intersection, an approach for a left turn shall be made in that portion of the right half of the roadway nearest the center line thereof and by passing to the right of such center line where it enters the intersection and after entering the intersection the left turn shall be made so as to leave the intersection to the right of the center line of the roadway being entered. Whenever practicable the left turn shall be made in that portion of the intersection to the left of the center of the intersection.

(c) Left turns on other than two-way roadways. At any intersection where traffic is restricted to one direction on one or more of the roadways, the driver of a vehicle intending to turn left at any such intersection shall approach the intersection in the extreme left-hand lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the direction of travel of such vehicle and after entering the intersection the left turn shall be made so as to leave the intersection, as nearly as practicable, in the left-hand lane lawfully available to traffic moving in such direction upon the roadway being entered.

I would venture that the officer perceived you as performing a continuous, wild left turn, in a manner inconsistent with the statute; not as performing two separate turns, a U-turn followed by a right turn.

[DonaldKnows]

The law quote from above does nothing to help here... The OP is not posting here trying to figure out WHY he got the ticket. He's trying to figure out what his best option is in dealing with it.

WHY you got the ticket does not matter. Whether you really made some wild turn, or just very cautiously followed the law to the letter -- doesn't matter. The cop perceived that your actions broke the law (for whatever reason, legitimate or not) -- and he wrote the ticket. Don't be naive in thinking that if you just go to court and tell your side of the story everything will be OK. It won't.

When you go to court -- the judge, prosecutor, even your own lawyer (if you have one), are basically just there to get paid and are trying to find the quickest solution to benefit all parties involved. Notice I said quickest. They value their time (more people go through the traffic court system -- more $$$ the township makes). You can use this against them by WASTING their time. The point where the hassle it takes them to deal with you is worth less than the $$$ they could be making from other people in that time period, is the point when they will start to compromise.

39:4–123 Improper right or left turn -- This is a 3 point ticket. You can pay this without going to court. It will cost you ticket price + dmv surcharges + insurance premiums. Add this up and see if it is worth missing a day of work.

If you go to court to fight this: Since you only have one ticket, it should be easy.

(Step 1): Talk to the prosecutor, and explain your story. Try to be a nice guy -- be VERY apologetic, sell him a SOB story about financial troubles, kiss his ass, etc. Ask him if there is any way he can drop the ticket, and just have you pay the court costs ($33). If he says no, ask again, be VERY sincere. If he, again, says no, you tell him that you want to take this to trial and plead not guilty and have your day in court because you're not pleading guilty to something you didn't do, and you can't afford it. You have to sell this. Make it seem like your ONLY other option is a trial. (They hate this, since trials take time). The prosecutor might reconsider, and let you just pay the court costs and dismiss the ticket. If the prosecutor does not reconsider, and sets you up for a trial (calling your bluff), you can always change your mind and just go to Step 2. (Success rate -- in your situation, about 50/50).


(Step 2): Ask for the ticket to be downgraded to "OBSTRUCTION OF TRAFFIC". You will pay a minor fine, and you get no points for this. Again, if prosecutor refuses to do this, ask SEVERAL times. Waste. Their. Time. The more you ask and plead and give sob stories, the more likely they are to just give in to your request. Be a nice guy, but don't budge. Talk slowly, speak eloquently, make sure you express your full thoughts and feelings to the prosecutor. If this still does not work, go to Step 3. (Success rate -- about 60%)

(Step 3): Ask for the ticket to be downgraded to "Driving in an unsafe manner" or just plainly "Unsafe Driving". Good news -- You will not get any points on your license. Bad news -- Its loaded with a huge surcharge to the State, and the total you will pay for this will be around $500. **YOU CAN NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE HAD 2 OF THESE TICKETS WITHIN THE PAST 5 YEARS** (Success rate -- In your case, 99%. You only have one ticket, and they will always downgrade a ticket for the sake of TIME. It takes them 2 seconds to do it, and they are still getting the same amount of money from you.)

If you reached Step 3, you're probably taking that deal. However, if you REALLY don't want to pay that much money, you can always go to trail. The cop will not always show, and you will get this ticket dismissed. However, this may, and probably will take you 2 days in court (they usually schedule the trial to another date, so you have to come back again). If you do this, and the cop DOES show up, there are a variety of delaying tactics to get the case postponed again several times. The cop will have to show up every time, otherwise they have to dismiss it. This may take SEVERAL (more than 2) days in court. As you can imagine, most people don't do this, because most people don't have that much time on their hands.

Ok, hope my 20 minutes helps you save some cash. Let us know how it goes! You can reply or PM if you have questions about anything I wrote.

Good Luck!