Our Greenwich and Stamford boys in blue are at it again. After a welcome hiatus from the surge of cell phone tickets that Stamford and Greenwich police have been handing out all year like lottery tickets, a new anti-distracted driving campaign rolls in Monday, just in time to ruin your morning commute or summer vacation. The brilliant can-i-buy-a-vowel “U DRIVE. U TEXT. U PAY.” anti-distracted driving campaign in Stamford, Greenwich and Darien Connecticut will once again penalize cell phone violators with stiff fines and DMV points.
But let’s at least call a spade a spade. If you live in Stamford and read the local papers, you’re probably tired of reading about how some of our spineless politicians are hiding under rocks and behind their lawyers’ briefcases, as Stamford, for example, continues to spend money on frivolous litigations and lawsuit settlements. As a result, the City of Stamford needs money, so why not generate revenue by ticketing and harassing the hard-working taxpayers of Stamford and Greenwich Connecticut who are just trying to commute to and from work, or shuttle their kids around this summer?
So if you get pulled over for a cell phone ticket in Stamford, Greenwich and New Canaan Connecticut, don’t just “mail it in” in every sense of the cliché. Here’s how to fight your ticket and get it dismissed…
Under Connecticut’s cell phone law C.G.S. 14-296aa, you can be ticketed in Connecticut if you are operating a handheld device while your car is not only in motion, but even if your engine is running. Even just reading email on your cell phone, or briefly looking at Google maps on your iPhone can get you a cell phone ticket in Stamford or Greenwich Connecticut. The fines are 1 point for each guilty ticket you mail in, and the fines escalate depending on how many offenses you have in a 3-year period: $150 for a first offense, $300 for a second offense, and $500 for each subsequent offense. Remember that, regardless of DMV points, 4 of these violations (or 4 moving violation of any kind) over a two (2) year period will trigger a suspension of your Connecticut driver’s license. This is especially troubling because on the back of your Stamford, Greenwich or Connecticut cell phone ticket, the DMV misleads you into believing that if you just plead guilty by mail to your Connecticut cell phone ticket, there will be no DMV point consequences. (Yet the DMV conveniently fails to mention that there will in fact be Connecticut DMV driver’s license suspension consequences).
The bottom line here is that Stamford and Greenwich drivers never have a chance. Most people think that they don’t have the time or money to fight these tickets in court—plus, most of the time, they know they are actually guilty of briefly using these cell phones in transit. Thankfully, there are still ways to cheaply and successfully fight these tickets in court. Even if you are guilty, state prosecutors and judges show mercy and appreciate that there is some punishment in the legal process and are not looking to stick it to hard-working drivers who get handed Stamford, Greenwich and Darien Connecticut cell phone tickets. With the help of a top Stamford, Greenwich or Darien Connecticut cell phone ticket / speeding ticket lawyer attorney, you may just be able to convince a state prosecutor to give you a break, especially if there are any legal defects in your police report.
Look, we all know the message here is well-intentioned. Staggering statistics in Connecticut and all around the country reveal that distracted driving causes hundreds, if not thousands, of fatalities each year. One distracted driving death is too many. And law enforcement believes that hurting you in your wallet is the only way to curtail the problem. Top Stamford and Greenwich Connecticut cell phone lawyers would disagree. Why not dedicate law enforcement efforts into rewarding the compliant drivers? You don’t have to look further than New Canaan Connecticut’s “Operation Do the Right Thing” launched last year, where New Canaan Police rewarded law-abiding drivers with Starbucks and Target gift cards. It does not take a Ph.D. in Psychology to know that you will get better results by rewarding good behavior rather than punishing bad behavior.
Yes you can. The best Stamford and Greenwich Connecticut cell phone ticket lawyers and attorneys get calls all the time from frustrated Connecticut drivers who follow police advice, mail the ticket in, and then get their license suspended. “Don’t worry. No points, no suspension” is the party line drivers get from cops who issue these tickets. They regurgitate the same rhetoric when they hand out Connecticut marijuana tickets. But top Stamford and Greenwich speeding ticket lawyers and top Stamford and Greenwich Connecticut cell phone ticket lawyers and attorneys know better.
Thankfully, you can reverse your guilty plea to a Connecticut cell phone or marijuana ticket under certain circumstances. I write about this legal maneuver often—follow this link to learn more about reversing your guilty plea to a cell phone or marijuana possession ticket in Greenwich, Stamford or anywhere in Connecticut.
The Greenwich and Stamford Connecticut cell phone ticket and speeding ticket lawyers at Mark Sherman Law have been helping hundreds of disgruntled drivers fight their tickets since 2002. Our goal is to get these tickets ripped up as quickly and cost-effectively as possible for you. Read our reviews today and call us at (203) 358-4700 to learn how to get your Stamford, Greenwich or Darien Connecticut cell phone ticket dismissed.
