The Bronx (also known as Bronx County) is the northernmost borough of New York City. It is a necessary cross-through for drivers heading north from Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island into northern New York, New Jersey or New England (and vice versa). The county also boasts many popular attractions, such as the New York Botanical Gardens, The Bronx Zoo, and Yankee Stadium. As such, the streets and highways are aggressively policed, making the Bronx one of the 10 most-common counties for drivers to get traffic tickets in New York State.
Because the Bronx is part of New York City, all traffic tickets issued there must be contested at the Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB). The TVB is not a regular traffic court; it’s actually a judicial branch of the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles. The TVB is more challenging than regular courts, as it doesn’t allow for plea bargains and the burden of proof to convict is lower. This means the Bronx TVB has one of the highest conviction rates in the state; more than 96% of speeding tickets and 92% of texting while driving tickets end in a conviction. This is a statistical average but the win rate when lawyers are involved is significantly higher.
Here are some reasons a driver should consider hiring an attorney to fight a Bronx traffic ticket:
The exact cost of a Bronx traffic ticket depends on several factors. The most common tickets and their respective fines and points include:
| Violation | Fine | Points |
| Speeding | $45 to $600 | 3 to 11 |
| Cell phone and texting | $50 to $200 | 5 |
| Seat belt violation | up to $100 | 0 or 3 |
| Red light violations | up to $450 | 2 or 3 |
| Tailgating | up to $150 | 4 |
As mentioned above, there are other costs that apply when drivers are convicted. The first is a mandatory state surcharge of $88 applies to anyone who is convicted. In addition, those who are convicted of six or more points worth of tickets in 18 months must pay a Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA) fee. DRAs costs $300 plus $75 for each point over six. Then there’s nearly-inevitable increase of one’s auto insurance premiums, which can cost hundreds of dollars for each year for three or more years.
Bronx County or “the” Bronx?
The Bronx is the name of the northernmost borough of NYC and is the same place as Bronx County. Essentially, the Bronx (using the article “the”) is the term used by the NYC government when referring to the region. Bronx County is the term used by the New York State government for the same area.
| Traffic Tickets in Bronx, NY | |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 189,800 |
| 2010 | 176,259 |
| 2011 | 133,240 |
| 2012 | 120,133 |
| 2013 | 129,718 |
| 2014 | 148,791 |
| 2015 | 146,017 |
| 2016 | 157,573 |
| 2017 | 171,731 |
The number traffic tickets issued in the Bronx has risen steadily for the past few years. In 2017, police wrote 171,732 tickets in the Bronx, a 9% increase over 2016. That figure is 42% greater than the number of tickets written in 2012, when drivers received 120,133. Speeding tickets made up the largest share of tickets last year (28,660), followed by equipment violations (23,431) and disobeying traffic devices (21,149).
TVB Bronx
696 East Fordham Road
Bronx, NY 10458
Let the Rosenblum Law assist you with your traffic ticket matter in the Bronx. We can offer you a free consultation about your case and have our attorney’s fight on your behalf. Email us or call 888-883-5529 today.
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