Enforcing responsibility while minimizing harsh consequences
Young drivers are liable to make mistakes while developing their skills and learning to use sound judgment. New Jersey’s Graduated Driver License (GDL) program is designed to encourage responsible driving by expanding driving privileges over time. Yet, the system remains quite punitive for youths who are charged with moving violations. Convictions result in costly fines, license restrictions and expensive increases in insurance premiums, which many families simply cannot afford. At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg, our attorneys understand that consequences are often necessary to enforce important lessons, but excessive punishments rarely serve any positive purpose. We work aggressively to ensure that young drivers get every advantage under the law and that their rights are protected.

Restrictions on plea bargains for provisional license drivers in New Jersey
Since 2008, county prosecutors in New Jersey have been operating under an attorney general’s order prohibiting plea bargains with probationary drivers that would reduce a penalty point violation to a no-point violation. The rationale was to ensure a proper tally of points so probationary drivers who required additional instruction would be required to enter a driver improvement program. Prosecutors retain the discretion to dismiss charges altogether for lack of evidence.

How a skilled New Jersey traffic offense attorney can help
The Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg helps young drivers by:

Fighting for a dismissal of the ticket — At first glance, it looks like the attorney general’s order creates an all-or-nothing proposition: Either the driver is guilty or the ticket gets dismissed. This is certainly true when a driver is charged with the lowest possible penalty point offense, for example a two-point careless driving charge. In such cases, it’s vitally important to have an experienced traffic violations attorney who can challenge the state’s case and point out flaws in the evidence.
Negotiating a reduction in penalty points and fines — The attorney general’s order does not completely eliminate plea negotiation. For example, an attorney for a young driver accused of speeding at 20 miles above the speed limit could bargain the charge down to speeding at 14 miles above the limit. The fine would be reduced, the penalty points would be two instead of four, and the driver would not have to enter a driver improvement program for this single offense.
At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg, our attorneys fight to minimize the consequences of probationary license violations, saving our clients money and preserving their driving privileges.