Many of us, I am sure, have a bad habit of hanging things from our rear view mirrors. I am not talking about parking garage passes and smaller items; I mean those things that hang down a ways from the mirror itself. This can be a problem. New Jersey law states that "[N]o person shall drive any vehicle so constructed, equipped or loaded as to unduly interfere with the driver's vision to the front and to the sides." In other words, you can get pulled over for hanging on your mirror those beads from last Mardi Gras.  Best not to do it.

Even more so because this stop could lead to bigger trouble. The New Jersey Appellate Court has ruled ruled (in State v. Barrow) that a pair of tiny boxing gloves, measuring 3 ½ inches by 3 ½ inches that were hanging from the defendant's rear-view mirror, provided a police officer with sufficient reasonable suspicion to stop of the defendant's car. This stop ultimately resulted in the discovery of drugs in the defendant's possession.

If you have been stopped for a ticket in New Jersey, please contact my office for a free consultation.  In many cases, that ticket may spell problems that you didn't know you had!