Chances are, if that person misses their court date, a judge will issue a bench warrant. This type of warrant does not mean that police officers will actively be seeking that person out to arrest him or her, explains Soapboxie. Rather, should that person get pulled over or be in any other type of situation where their name will be run through the system, the warrant will show up on his or her record and he or she will be arrested on the spot.

This is the court’s way of guaranteeing that the person will show up in front of the judge. Once finally before the court, the person will likely have a chance to explain the situation and work out a way to pay any fees or costs that he or she may owe.

Sometimes this can be avoided if the person knows ahead of time that he or she will not be able to make it to the assigned court date. According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, it is possible to contact the court and have a hearing date postponed. A postponement will likely be granted as long as it is submitted timely. If a second request for a postponement is made, the person will have to provide a reason and have the adjournment approved by a judge.

The post Those who fail to appear in court face consequences appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

This means that some fines would be more than double what they are now. For instance, if the increase is successful, a ticket for a red light camera infraction will be $200. This is substantially more than the current fee of $95.

The Island Now reports that some legislators are opposed to the increase and have proposed to cap the amount of future fee increases at the lower of the rate of inflation or 2 percent. They are also proposing to limit how often fee increases can occur. The 2 percent fee cap already applies to property taxes. The proposed budget that includes the fee increase keeps the tax rates in the county flat and instead relies on the fee increases to raise revenue.

Representatives of the county say that the fee increases will make only traffic violators pay for the cost of hiring additional police officers, as opposed to a tax increase which would affect Nassau County residents across the board. Increases are also being proposed for certain business licenses, alarm system permits and park use permits. An agreement will likely be reached soon as the county budget is required to be approved by October 31.

The post Increased fees for traffic tickets proposed in Nassau County appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

Energy drinks do not necessarily make you more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors. Rather, researchers suspect that energy drinks can affect the parts of your brain that help you determine rewards versus risks. Alcohol is a depressant and when mixed with taurine or caffeine, common energy drink ingredients, it may affect you differently or more severely than just drinking alcohol alone. That, in turn, can lead to a false belief that you are not as drunk as you think you are.

Interestingly, the study also found that people who like to drink alcohol combined with energy drinks imbibed more often than those who consumed alcohol only. They were also more likely to consume more alcohol in a single sitting. However, that does not necessarily mean that energy drinks are to blame since those people may have been prone to drink more anyway.

Therefore, if you are someone who likes to consume energy drinks and alcohol, you may want to practice caution and refrain from driving if you have been drinking, as getting behind the wheel when you are above the legal limit can have serious legal consequences. This is general information on this topic and should not be considered legal advice.

The post Is there a connection between energy drinks and drunk driving? appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

As Complex points out, most cars driven by law enforcement do not have hubcaps. Since police vehicles are often driven roughly and are subject to a lot of wear and tear, hubcaps may become loose and cause a safety issue. They can also be expensive if they have to be replaced often. Therefore, many unmarked cars have only black rims.

While many new cars come equipped with a lot of technological gadgets, police cars in particular need a lot of equipment. Therefore, a lot of displays lighting up the dashboard or more than the usual number of antenna may be a giveaway. Because of this, some unmarked cars also have tinted windows in order to make it harder to see inside.

While unmarked cars do not have lights on their roofs, if a police officer wants to pull someone over they will need to have emergency lights. Therefore, some cars may have lights that are inside the vehicle or are recessed into outside parts of the car. According to USA Today, spotting lights on unmarked may be getting even more difficult as Ford is producing police cars with rear lights that are built in to their spoilers and front lights that are located in the visors.

The post Tips for spotting unmarked police cars appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

However, a recent study is causing controversy after it found that drivers with higher incomes are not penalized as heavily by insurance companies for traffic violations as those on the lower end of the income scale, reports USA Today. The study requested quotes for two hypothetical customers who were the same age, same sex, drove a similar car and had similar driving habits. One was unmarried, not college educated, did not own a home and had previously been insured. The other was a married, home owning bank executive.

It was found that 70 percent of insurers charged a higher-income driver who had been convicted of DUI less than the lower-income driver with no blemishes on his or her record. In addition, in circumstances where the higher-income driver had been involved in an accident that caused another person to be injured and the moderate-income driver’s record was clean, the higher-income driver was charged less in 20 out of 38 rate comparisons.

Some representatives of the insurance industry take issue with the results of the study, which looked at rates offered by five different insurers in 10 cities. Companies do not consider income, they argue, but how great a risk a driver poses when deciding on what rates to charge. Therefore, regardless of their socio-economic status, New Yorkers who are shopping for car insurance and are worried about infractions on their record may be wise to get quotes from multiple companies before purchasing a policy.

The post Study finds wealthy drivers with violations pay less for coverage appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

Regardless of whether a person uses prescription medication or illicit drugs, the effect on his or her body can be more than enough to impact the ability to drive. According to the New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, many types of drugs affect a person’s ability to react, the ability to accurately read situations on the road and his or her coordination and motor skills. These affects are similar to the way that alcohol affects the body.

One of the main differences between alcohol offenses and drug offenses is that it can be much harder for law enforcement to detect when a person has been using drugs. 

One of the main differences between alcohol offenses and drug offenses is that it can be much harder for law enforcement to detect when a person has been using drugs. While field sobriety tests and chemical tests can show whether a person has been using alcohol and how much, there are no such tests and no universal limit that tells at what point a person’s ability to drive becomes impaired.

From a legal perspective, however, those caught driving while on drugs are treated similarly by New York courts as those who are convicted of drunk driving. In, fact, according to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, the penalties for both offenses include substantial fines, possible jail time and license suspensions or revocations. Penalties for drugged driving also increase for multiple offenses and there are specific penalties for drivers who are caught under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol.

The post Drugged drivers face similar consequences as drunk drivers appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

While fully autonomous cars are not yet widely available, many cars are increasingly coming equipped with features that aid in safety. According to Digital Trends, one such feature currently in development is the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety.

The DADSS works similarly to an ignition interlock device. Cars equipped with it would have a sensor the driver would touch and his or her blood alcohol content would be calculated. If the driver’s BAC exceeds the legal limit, the car will not start. Cars with DADSS would also be equipped with a breathalyzer that would prevent the car from starting if a high BAC was detected.

Another innovation being developed by a company in New Mexico is a skin patch called ONUSBlue, reports WHEC. A person puts on the patch and it detects how much alcohol is in his or her system through their sweat. If a person imbibes more than the legal limit, the patch would turn a certain color that indicated he or she was no longer safe to operate a vehicle.

The post Advances in modern technology aim to put an end to DWI appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, some newly eligible applicants may be able to apply for a new license online. However, if you do not qualify for an online application you may need to complete your application in person. You can also apply by mail; however, that process will generally take longer.

You will need to ensure that any outstanding fines are paid before you apply. Your application for a new license is also dependent on approval from the Driver Improvement Unit. The DIU will review your file to determine whether all requirements have been met. Any necessary paperwork will need to be submitted to the DIU in advance of its review. If your revocation was drug or alcohol related, proof that any required rehabilitation was completed may be necessary.

It is important to note that you cannot get behind the wheel of a vehicle until your application has been approved and your new license issued. The application process may involve having to take either or both driving and written tests, just like you did the first time you applied for a license. This is general information on this topic only and is not intended to be construed as legal advice.

The post What do I need to do to restore my license after a revocation? appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

Certain types of large vehicles give their drivers a good vantage point over other drivers on the road. According to Yahoo News, New York police were given modified sport utility vehicles that sat higher than passenger cars and successfully nabbed thousands of texting drivers. In Tennessee police have been known to use 18-wheel semi trucks to spot texters and radio them in patrol cars.

You may also see what looks a homeless person or a panhandler on the street, only to later realize that he or she was an undercover officer looking to catch texting drivers. In addition, certain behaviors on your part may be a dead giveaway to an observant officer. If you are looking down and your phone’s backlight is lighting up your car, there is a pretty good chance that a law enforcement officer could deduce that you are on your phone.

Finally, in nearby Connecticut, officials have tried placing spotters on highway overpasses to look out for texting drivers. They are then able to accurately describe the car they observe to another officer who tracks the driver down and issues a ticket. While some of these methods may seem underhanded, they are all lawful and have been successful at catching texting drivers in the act.

The post What tactics do police use to catch texting drivers? appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.

In some states, you can only be ticketed for a seat belt violation if you are pulled over for another reason. However, in New York, failure to buckle up is considered a primary offense and an officer can pull you over for that reason alone, according to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles.

New York as a strong history of compliance with seat belt laws and in fact, was the first state to enact a seat belt law. Based the results of a recent survey, your chances of receiving a ticket for a seat belt violation may be going down if you were among the 92 percent of New Yorkers using seat belts on a regular basis in 2016. That number is higher than the 2015 national average, which was 88.5 percent.

Seat belt laws in New York cover you not only if you are the driver, but also if you are a passenger. You may also receive a ticket if you are driving with a child who is not properly buckled in an age-appropriate restraint system. For more information on tickets for violating a seat belt law, please visit our web page.

The post More New Yorkers using seat belts then ever before appeared first on The Law Offices of Zev Goldstein, PLLC.