One of the first things Central New York drivers learn is that they are supposed to pull over to the right to make way for an emergency vehicle with its siren and lights turned on. In New York, drivers must pull over to the right when they see police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks with their lights on. Drivers who can yield to an emergency vehicle but do not do so can receive a ticket under New York’s traffic laws.
Contact a Central New York Traffic Ticket Attorney For Failure to Yield to Emergency Vehicle
If you or someone you love has received a traffic ticket for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, you need an experienced traffic attorney on your side. A traffic attorney can advocate for you to avoid paying the fines associated with the traffic ticket and increased insurance premiums. We will appear in the courthouse on your behalf, saving you time and stress. Contact the New York Traffic Ticket Lawyers today to schedule your free initial consultation.
Central New York’s “Move Over” For Emergency Vehicle Law
New York’s failure to yield the right-of-way to emergency vehicle law is found in VTL 1144 (a). Under this law, any driver in New York state who hears an emergency vehicle’s siren is required to pull off to the right and stop until the emergency vehicle passes him or her. Even if the driver cannot yet see the emergency vehicle approaching and doesn’t know the location or direction of the emergency vehicle, the driver is required to pull over to the right.
Failing to move from a lane traffic ticket carries a three-point penalty in New York. If you accrue 11 points in any 18 months, your driver’s license will be suspended. You will also be assessed a fine of up to $275 and a $93 surcharge. If you receive any additional convictions for failure to move over in the next 18 months, the fine will increase. For a second conviction, your fine will be $300, and your third conviction will be $450. A third offense in an 18 month period can cost up to $750.
If convicted, drivers will be required to pay for a Driver Responsibility Assessment fee when the conviction puts the driver’s license points at six or higher. The fee for this test costs $300 plus $65 for each point over six per year. Drivers will also face increased insurance premiums.
Defenses
If you’ve been ticketed with failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, you may think your only option is to pay the ticket and move on. However, there are many different legal defenses that an experienced traffic attorney can raise. For example, your attorney may be able to prove that the emergency vehicle in question didn’t have its lights on or didn’t have its siren activated at the time you got a ticket. If neither is activated, a driver is not required to pull over and yield to the right. In other cases, it may not be possible to move over.
Gridlocked traffic is typical in New York, and if you are stuck in gridlock, you may not be able to move over to get close to the curb at all. Trying to move over may be extremely dangerous. In this case, as long as you made some effort to get as close as you could to the right side of the road, you can avoid paying a traffic ticket.
Getting a Traffic Ticket Dismissed in New York
If the facts of your case don’t allow for a dismissal of the charges against you, your next best option is a plea deal. Your attorney can negotiate to reduce your charge to a lower-fine, lower-point ticket. For example, your attorney may be able to negotiate a reduction in charges to disobeying a traffic control device. This charge will put fewer points on your driver’s license and allow you to pay a lower fine. It’s also much less likely to raise your insurance premiums significantly.
The Benefits of Hiring a Central New York Traffic Attorney to Beat Your Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle Charges
Many New York drivers think that hiring an attorney will be more expensive than paying the ticket for failure to yield to an emergency. On the contrary, hiring a traffic attorney can save drivers significant money, especially when failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. If you’ve been ticketed for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, you will face a fine, surcharge, and a possible DRA fee that can add up to nearly $670 in total in some cases.
Additionally, insurance premiums can increase your rates after a ticket appears on your driving abstract. In New York, a ticket can cause an increased insurance premium for three years. Depending on your insurance and the facts in your case, you could pay thousands of dollars in additional insurance premiums over three years.
An attorney will be able to save you a trip to the courthouse. In many traffic ticket cases, your attorney will be able to appear in court on your behalf. You will not have to sit in court all day to speak to the judge. Instead, your attorney will handle it all. Finally, a traffic attorney is more likely to get a positive result in your case. Our experienced traffic ticket attorneys understand New York traffic laws and effectively navigate the court system.
Discuss Your Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle Case With a Central New York Attorney
Hiring a traffic attorney to fight your ticket can help you avoid the fines you’ll otherwise pay and the high insurance premiums. Working with an attorney can also help you avoid additional points on your driver’s license. When you hire the New York Traffic Ticket Lawyers, we will take care of every aspect of fighting your ticket, including appearing in traffic court for you. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about our legal services.
The New York Traffic Ticket Lawyers handle Emergency Vehicle Tickets throughout Central New York including Albany County, Broome County, Cortland County, Cayuga County, Erie County, Jefferson County, Madison County, Oneida County, Onondaga County, Orange County, Oswego County, Saratoga County, and Warren County.