Author: Adam Rosenblum Esq.

New York drivers can expect to see an uptick in road work throughout the state. Municipalities across New York will receive an additional $100 million in funding for road repairs as part of PAVE NY, a new program established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature in the 2016-2017 state budget.

PAVE NY will be administered by the state Department of Transportation as part of a five-year, $21.1 billion capital program. The program offers support for the repair and reconstruction of local roads and highways in 1,600 municipalities. The aim is to both improve the physical condition of local roads and also to create jobs and enhance local economic development.

“PAVE NY funds strategic investments in local roadways, helping ensure roadways across the state are in good repair, remain reliable for motorists and able to help foster regional economic growth for years to come,” Cuomo said in a statement released in June about the program.

The PAVE NY funds are in addition to what municipalities already receive from the state through the federally funded Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program, through which New York receives $438 million each year.

Drivers should use caution and watch their speeds when driving in work zones. In addition to being extremely dangerous for the workers, speeding in a work zone also automatically doubles the fine. Under VTL 1180 (f), a work zone is any location where workers, work vehicles, equipment, supplies or other barriers are located. The extra penalties apply even when the construction site is not active, such as at night, so long as the other indicators of a work zone are present.

If you or a loved one has been ticketed for speeding in a work zone, it is recommended that you hire an attorney to help you avoid the additional costs associated with the ticket. Adam H. Rosenblum of the Rosenblum Law Firm is a skilled New York traffic ticket attorney who is experienced in handling tickets for speeding as well as other driving-related offenses. Call 888-203-2619 or email the Rosenblum Law Firm today for a free consultation about your case.

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It’s difficult enough for most drivers to get good auto insurance rates without constantly changing insurance companies every few years, but a new study from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) shows that this challenge adversely affects Americans with lower incomes.

CFA sought quotes for men and women in 15 cities across the US from the nation’s five largest car insurers: Geico, Progressive, Allstate, Farmers, and State Farm. The study first took quotes for drivers whose occupation was listed as either a manufacturing executive or a bank executive across 15 different ZIP codes. The process was then repeated using the same address and replacing the job title with a factory position or bank teller. While annual income was not directly considered, factors that often indicate income level — such as education, homeownership, and marital status — were taken into account.

CFA found that drivers with likely higher socioeconomic standing paid an average of just over $1,140, while those with lower economic status received an average quote of $1,825. GEICO charged the largest average percentage increase at 92% and Progressive had the second largest disparity, charging lower-income drivers 80% more. State Farm charged the smallest increase to lower-income drivers at 13%, but CFA noted that State Farm also includes credit scores in the final price, a factor that also disproportionately impacts lower-income drivers.

The exact increase varied by region. Queens County, NY saw the largest disparity, with low-income drivers paying 97% more while Los Angeles, CA had the lowest average difference with only a 9% difference.

Out of 280 drivers used in the study, there were 21 instances in which a company would not provide a quote to a lower-income driver, though those same companies offered quotes to the higher-income driver at the same address. Allstate rejected 13 applicants, State Farm refused quotes for 5, and Farmers denied 3. None of the high-income drivers were denied a quote.

As part of the study, CFA commissioned ORC International to survey 1,000 Americans about the use of various rating factors to determine auto insurance premiums. Eighty-three percent found it very fair or somewhat fair for auto insurers to consider traffic accidents and 84% said it was very or somewhat fair to use moving violations such as speeding tickets. However, the near opposite was true for non-driving related factors that reflect drivers’ economic status, including credit scores (only 38% said it was fair), homeownership (36%), occupation (35%), and level of education (30%).

In all cases, test subjects indicated a clean driving record. That’s likely because even minor traffic citations, including speeding and red-light violations, can cause insurance premiums to skyrocket.

If you or a loved one has been ticketed for speeding or any other traffic violation, call us to fight the ticket and avoid costly insurance premium increases. Adam H. Rosenblum of the Rosenblum Law Firm is a skilled New York traffic ticket attorney who is experienced in handling tickets for speeding as well as other driving-related offenses. Call 888-203-2619 or email the Rosenblum Law Firm today for a free consultation about your case.

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Earlier this year, Tennessee joined the list of states that are stepping up enforcement of drivers who move too slowly in the left lane. Most states have laws requiring slow-moving vehicles to keep to the right and lawmakers are beginning to impose harsher penalties for those who disregard lane courtesy.

Tennessee joins Indiana, Georgia, Florida, and New Jersey in cracking down on left-lane slowpokes in an effort to reduce congestion, road rage, and accidents. Slow drivers in the left lane add additional risk, disrupt the flow of traffic, and can cause frustration among other drivers that can lead to dangerous decisions. In fact, data from the Institute of Transportation Engineers reveal that driving 10 mph slower than the prevailing speed is six times more likely to cause an accident than going 10 mph over the limit.

According to the New York Times, the National Motorists Association (NMA) blames the national speed limit set in the 1970s for the rise of left-lane slowpokes. The limit was set in 1973 by President Nixon in response to oil shortages. Though it was repealed in 1995, NMA says the change ultimately disenfranchised drivers as to the merits of both speed limits and overall lane courtesy.

In 2013, New Jersey upped the ante on left-lane enforcement. Drivers in the Garden State are required to remain in the right lane and only use the left lane for passing. Violators now face fines between $100 and $300. While New York is not specifically targeting left-lane hogs, drivers going below the posted minimum speed could get a ticket of up to $150.

If you or a loved one has been ticketed for driving below the minimum speed limit, it is advisable that you consult an attorney. Adam H. Rosenblum of the Rosenblum Law Firm is a skilled New York traffic ticket attorney who is experienced in handling tickets for driving-related offenses. Call 888-203-2619 or email the Rosenblum Law Firm today for a free consultation about your case.

An Ogdensburg, N.Y. man was arrested on July 9 after he blew through 27 stop signs while evading police. Andrew Guimond, 20, was taken into custody after he led police on a pursuit that covered 60 blocks. He was reportedly drunk at the time.

According to authorities, Guimond was driving more than 60 mph through residential neighborhood streets where the limit is 30 mph. Officials also allege he nearly struck two different police vehicles responding to assist with the pursuit.

Police apprehended Guimond after one officer used his vehicle to strike and stop Guimond’s car. There were no injuries. Guimond was charged with reckless driving, unlawfully fleeing a police officer, reckless endangerment, driving while intoxicated, and unlawful possession of marihuana. He was also charged with several vehicle and traffic law violations, including speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, failure to comply, and 27 counts of failure to stop for a stop sign.

If you or a loved one has been ticketed for speeding or any other traffic offense, it is advisable that you consult an attorney to help you avoid the costs associated with a ticket. Adam H. Rosenblum of the Rosenblum Law Firm is a skilled New York traffic ticket attorney who is experienced in handling tickets for speeding as well as other driving-related offenses. Call 888-203-2619 or email the Rosenblum Law Firm today for a free consultation about your case.

Recently, news broke about a new technology that allows Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) officers to seize assets from prepaid cards during a traffic stop. The 16 new portable devices were implemented based on what Oklahoma officials say is an increase in the use of prepaid debit and gift cards among drug dealers.

The announcement brought with it renewed controversy over the right of law enforcement officials to confiscate money and property from those suspected of a crime, a practice commonly referred to as asset forfeiture. Critics argue that, like traffic and parking tickets, asset forfeiture has become a business that too many law enforcement agencies rely on to buy things like armored cars and coffeemakers.

Since 9/11, the use of asset forfeiture has skyrocketed. It’s estimated that between 2008 and 2014, police agencies across the U.S. spent $2.5 billion in seized assets.

This is still a small fraction of the income generated from traffic tickets. While exact data is hard come by, it is believed that Americans spend $6.2 billion annually on speeding tickets alone. Reports reveal that while there has been a steady decline in traffic citations in the U.S, overall revenue from traffic tickets is up, primarily as a result of fines going up in cost.

According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the vast majority of traffic stops are for speeding and 80% of drivers pulled over by police say they were pulled over for legitimate reasons. Furthermore, only 3% of all traffic stops lead to a search of the driver or the vehicle. That said, an investigation by the Washington Post found that asset forfeiture affects the way police officers fight crime. A car headed into a major metropolitan area is likely to be carrying drugs; a car driving away is probably carrying money from the deal. Cops know this and take it into account when combating crime.

Could law enforcement’s ability to seize digital assets lead to a shift in police priorities away from traffic tickets? It seems unlikely, though it’s not impossible. Asset seizures ultimately represent a tiny portion of total revenue generated by police agencies. In addition, not all asset seizures are from traffic stops – many also come from raiding homes of suspects, sting operations, and the like – and speeding tickets alone generate 14 times more revenue than total asset seizures.

For most people, assets seized by police are extremely difficult to get back even if the person was never charged with a crime. The process is often complicated, time consuming, and expensive. Conversely, it is much more cost effective for most people to fight traffic tickets.  In fact, the Rosenblum Law Firm offers free consultations for any traffic stop, so call 888-434-0406 today for help with your traffic violation.

Next time you get a speeding ticket, take a moment to think of Mr. Jacob German – the first man in America to be pulled over for speeding.

On May 20, 1899, German, a New York City cab driver, was charging down a Manhattan street in his electric car when he was pulled over by a bicycle cop. It was then that German became the proud recipient of the first-ever speeding citation in the U.S.

His speed? A whopping 12 mph. (The limit was 8 mph.) His punishment? A night in the slammer.

While there is some contention, most agree that German did not receive a paper ticket. It took some years before legislators decided that jail time was an impractical solution to speed infractions so it wasn’t until 1904 that an Ohio man by the name of Harry Myers became the first person in the U.S. to receive a speeding ticket. He was also doing 12 mph in an 8 mph zone. It is unclear how much the ticket was for.

The concept of a speed limit had been in place in the U.S. for more than three centuries.  As early as 1652, the colony of New Amsterdam (which we now call New York) had passed a law that “no wagons, carts or sleighs shall be run, rode, or driven at a gallop.” The penalty for speeding started at “two pounds Flemish.” Interestingly, this is estimated to be about the same price as some speeding fines today: $150.

Nowadays, police officers use technology to monitor and calculate traffic speeds, but in the days of Myer and German, they used watches. A cop would use a stopwatch when a vehicle passed one of two artificial markers or landmarks that were a known distance apart and a little grade school math would determine the speed.

Brian Traynor of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Enforcement and Emergency Services offered one particularly interesting story of how early cops would catch speeders:

“New York City Commissioner William McAdoo set up a series of three dummy tree trunks at one-mile intervals along the Hudson Drive. A police officer equipped with a stopwatch and a telephone was concealed inside each fake tree. When a car sped past the first station, the officer inside telephoned the exact time to the officer in the next tree. The second officer set his watch accordingly. When the car passed his post, he computed its speed for the mile. If the speed was above the limit, he telephoned the officer in the third tree, who lowered a pole across the road and stopped the car.”

Speed traps, lofty fines, and even possible jail time — it seems that the centuries have not changed much about the way police treat speeding.

If you or a loved one has been caught speeding, it is advisable that you consult an attorney to help you avoid the costs associated with a ticket. Adam H. Rosenblum of the Rosenblum Law Firm is a skilled New York traffic ticket attorney who is experienced in handling tickets for speeding as well as other driving-related offenses. Call 888-203-2619 or email the Rosenblum Law Firm today for a free consultation about your case.

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Kit Harrington, the actor who plays Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, recently went on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and revealed that he told a police officer a major spoiler from the show in order to get out of a speeding ticket.

The officer who pulled over Harrington allegedly told him, “You can either follow me back to the police station now and I book you in, or you can tell me whether you live in the next season.” In a moment of decisiveness, Harrington revealed that Jon Snow is indeed alive and brought back in the Game of Thrones season six premiere. The officer responded, “On your way, Lord Commander,” and let Harrington go without a ticket.

Unlike Kit Harrington, most people don’t have the option to trade Hollywood secrets to get out of a ticket. A person who receives a speeding ticket in New York is punished with fines and license points, which vary based on the location of the offense and the speed the person was going when pulled over. A person caught speeding may expect a fine of up to $600 and anywhere from 3 to 8 points added to his or her license. In addition, moving violations can cause insurance rates to rise dramatically and drivers that accumulate 11 points on their licenses will also face a license suspension

If you or a loved one has been caught speeding, it is advisable that you consult an attorney to help you avoid the costs associated with a ticket. Adam H. Rosenblum of the Rosenblum Law Firm is a skilled New York traffic ticket attorney who is experienced in handling tickets for speeding as well as other driving-related offenses. Call 888-203-2619 or email the Rosenblum Law Firm today for a free consultation about your case.

Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that New York State will invest over $300,000 to outfit 235 police departments with radar equipment. The funding will be used to maintain the equipment already in place in smaller upstate departments and to provide new replacement devices as needed on a case-by-case basis.

The state Division of Criminal Justice Services Highway Safety Technology Unit identified the need for new radar devices when doing their annual maintenance and repair performance on radar equipment across the state. The technicians found that many of the units were too expensive to be worth repairing and some of the older devices were also too large for newer-model police cruisers.

The Governor’s office pointed out that the last time New York paid for new radar units was in 1999, making this the first time in almost 20 years that the state has provided funding for new speed enforcement equipment. A typical unit costs $1,500 to replace and budgetary restrictions have made it difficult to replace broken and outdated devices. However, critics of the new radar equipment say this investment is simply a way to generate more revenue through speeding tickets.

If you were issued a NY speeding ticket due to radar devices, contact the experienced attorneys of the Rosenblum Law Firm to discuss your rights. Call 888-434-0406 for a free consultation.