Plead guilty or not guilty in an auto accident in NJ?
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Plead guilty or not guilty in an auto accident in NJ?
I was involved in a car accident in NJ a couple of weeks back. I was driving at
around 50 mph in the right lane when another car entering the ramp
increased his speed and suddenly merged in front of me. Consequently, I had
to switch lanes to avoid hitting that car. The lane I had to shift in to was an
exit lane and was at a stand still due to traffic. I hit the brakes hard but could
not manage to stop in that short duration and rear ended the car in front of
me. The officer wrote me up for Careless Driving with personal injury check
marked. This is my first citation and I have never been to the court. What is
the path I should follow plead guilty or not guilty?
Asked on November 1, 2016 under Accident Law, New Jersey
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
Speak to the prosecutor when you get to the court. If you value saving 2 points on your license more than paying a slightly higher (around $200 - $250 more) fine, you can probably get him to offer you a plea to "unsafe driving," N.J.S.A. 39:4-97.2 (that's the statute number), which has no points for the first two times you plead to it.
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