New Jersey is a main corridor for traffic between New York and Washington D.C., with Philadelphia in between. Thus, we get a lot of visitors who are “just passing through” and get speeding tickets. The penalties for speeding vary from state to state, usually based on how fast you were going when you were stopped.
What to Expect If You Get a Speeding Ticket in New Jersey and Live Out-of-State
You know what to expect if you are ticketed for speeding in your home state. Unfortunately, if you are ticketed in New Jersey, you may face some nasty surprises when you get home. This is because your home state will reciprocate the penalty based on its laws and not those of the state where the ticket was issued.
Speeding tickets have graduated “point tiers” that determine penalties. For example, in New Jersey, the penalties are as follows:
- 1-14 mph over the limit: 2 points
- 15-29 mph over the limit: 4 points
- 30+ mph over the limit: 5 points
However, if you are from one of these states, going 14 mph over the limit could have different penalties:
Thus, a two-point ticket in New Jersey could be a three-pointer in Pennsylvania or a four-pointer in Delaware or Virginia! This is not the only potential problem. If you have a Delaware or Pennsylvania license, pleading to New Jersey's no-point "unsafe operation" statute would be a bad idea.
No matter what, if you are an out-of-state driver who has received a ticket in southern New Jersey, you should contact me to see how I can help you as a New Jersey traffic court lawyer. Most matters can even be resolved without you appearing, so you can save the expense of traveling to New Jersey. You owe it to yourself to look into it.
