New York Driving Law

After reviewing my Traffic Law cases from 2009, it did not surprise me to see that cases in Stafford Town Court ranked in my top 5 for the year.  Stafford, NY is located between Batavia, NY and Rochester, NY and the majority of cases I see are speeding tickets that are incurred on the NYS Thruway which runs through the town.  New York State Troopers patrol the Thruway which has a posted speed limit of 65 mph.  I rarely see a ticket written for under 80 mph.

Stafford Town Court is one of the rare courts in New York that still have Troopers/Sheriffs prosecute their own cases.  There is no assistant district attorney for traffic violations present. 

As I’ve written before, Stafford Town Court has two Judges - Judge Call and Judge Mancuso.  Both are competent and fair.  Out of all the traffic courts I appear in, Stafford Town Court is one where I know I will get a good, reasonable result on behalf of my clients.

If you have a case in Stafford Town Court, contact me for a free consultation at 585-752-7523.

Sad news out of Morris, New York in Otsego County where 31 year old Trooper Jill Mattice was killed in a collision with a tractor-trailer.  She was a six year veteran assigned to the Oneonta barracks.  My thoughts and prayers to her family and collegues.  Reportedly, she was the first female NY Trooper killed in the line of duty.

According to the preliminary investigation, Mattice was in the eastbound lane when for unknown reasons she crossed the center line at a slight curve in the road. Her car then sideswiped the westbound tractor-trailer, Troop C State Police Maj. Kevin C. Molinari said.  It was also noted that police have not ruled out the possibility she may have been using her cell phone or texting at the time of the crash.

In my Traffic Law practice, I interact with NY Troopers on a regular basis.  This is especially true in courts such as Stafford Town Court where the Troopers still prosecute their own tickets.  To a person, with few exceptions, NY Troopers are professionals who put their lives on the line every day fro the protection of NY residents.  While most of my clients see these men and women in an adversarial position - a ticket or an arrest - I respect the work of the Troopers.

I’ve been handling many speeding tickets in the Stafford Town Court, Stafford, NY.  Most of these arise from speeding on the New York State Thruway, which is just north of Stafford.  The Truway is patrolled by the New York State police and most speeding tickets heard in Stafford are written by the troopers.  Like many rural Town Courts in NY, the troopers actually prosecute the speeding tickets - there is no assistant district attorney.  There are many arguments against this process from a defense perspective, but that is the practice in Stafford Town Court.

Because the posted speed limit on the Thruway is 65 mph, the majority of tickets written fall in the 76 mph and above category.  In Stafford, the Judges look at various factors to determine whether a reduction will be granted: a) was the speed below 86 mph; b) what is your driving history in the last 18 months; c) was there anything out of the ordinary that the trooper wrote in his notes regarding the stop.  In most cases, the reduction offered will be the iconic VTL 1110(A), Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device, a two point non-speed violation.

All in all, I have found that both Judge Call and Judge Mancuso are fair and just in their adjudication of matters before them in Stafford.