School Zone Traffic Ticket NYS VTL § 1180c

Driving carefully in a school zone is especially important because young lives are at risk. This is why the law is tough when it comes to school zone traffic tickets.

The Law

The law allows for slower speed limits around schools. The law that governs school zones is NYS VTL§ 1180c and defines a school speed zone as a distance within 1,325 feet on a highway that passes a school building, entrance or exit of a school bordering the highway.

School speed zone only apply to school days, which the law defines as: times indicated on the school zone speed limit sign that are between 7:00am and 6:00pm. Or, when the beacons on the school zone speed limit sign are flashing. Even so, the beacons can only flash during, and up to 30 minutes before and after, student activities at the school.

Monetary Penalties

School zone speeding tickets can cost a lot of money because fines are doubled. This means a diver will pay a lot of money, even if he or she is a first time offender. But, a general rule of thumb is, the more speeding convictions, the higher the fines.

School zone speeding violation fines in New York State range from $90 to $1,200 and depend on the rate of speed over the posted speed limit a driver is alleged to have gone.

For speeds in excess of:

• 1-10 mph, fine ranges from $90 to $300
• 11-30 mph, fine ranges from $180 to $600
• 31 mph and greater, fine ranges from $360 to $1,200
• Town and village surcharges are $93 and all other court surcharges are $88.

Keep in mind that the above fines are for first time convictions. Fines for second and third convictions range from $60 to $1,575.00. This is serious money, but there are more consequences to a school zone violation conviction.

Point Penalties

Like speeding ticket fines, points associated with speeding tickets vary and depend on how fast a driver is alleged to have driven.

• 1-10 mph: 3 points
• 11-20 mph: 4 points
• 21-30 mph: 6 points
• 31-40 mph: 8 points
• 40 and up: 11 points

Suspensions and Revocation Penalties

Remember it was said that the law is harsh when it comes to school zone traffic tickets? Well, punishment in the form of suspensions is a perfect example. If a person with a commercial driver license is convicted of going 15mph or more over the posted school speed limit, his driving privileges will be suspended for 60 days. Or driving privileges will be suspended for a 120 days for third conviction. Read more about the difference between a suspensions and revocation.

Other Penalties to Keep in Mind

It is also important to keep in mind that a VTL 1180c conviction (speeding ticket) can trigger a driver responsibility assessment fee (DRA). It can also cause major car insurance premium increases over the course of years, which translates into major money. The DRA begins at $300 and increase by a total of $75 for every point greater than 6 points.

Safety Tips

The biggest safety tip a driver can take to ensure safety when driving in school zones is to SLOW DOWN. Children can be located anywhere in the area and in places hard to see. So, remember to drive cautiously and give yourself a good distance to suddenly, but safely stop.

Should the urge to speed in school zones tempt you, remember the fine is doubled for these tickets and a driver license suspension could be looming ahead.

What Happens if I Do not Answer a School zone Speeding Traffic Ticket?

If a driver does not answer a school zone speeding ticket the DMV will suspend the driver’s driving privileges. A person can be charged with a misdemeanor crime for driving with a suspended license. A suspension for not answering a speeding ticket does not mean that a driver is guilty of the violation; it means that a driver did not let the court know that he or she is pleading not guilty to the violation. Then, a driver must take extra steps and pay money to restore his or her driving privileges.

Hire the Best Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Westchester County to Fight Your Ticket

Avoid the negative consequences of a school zone speeding ticket conviction and save mega money in the process. For the best outcome possible, let The Claro Law Firm fight hard for your rights! Call Elisa Claro, Esq. at 917-300-3334 or online at www.lawredress.com for a free traffic consultation. By doing so you will let the best Westchester County traffic ticket attorney work for you. New York traffic Lawyer Elisa Claro, Esq. has handled thousands of traffic tickets throughout New York, including Westchester County – Yonkers, Harrison, White Plains, with fantastic results. Let us set you up for success, call today!