New Jersey has operated a moving violation points system for traffic offences for several decades now. Under this system you can have a total of 12 points on your license before its suspended. This system was implemented to encourage drivers not to break traffic laws, for the safety of all other drivers and pedestrians. The points levied against your license are assessed by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, and a judge will then decide if you are innocent or guilty of these traffic offenses. The points awarded against your license could also increase the amount of motor insurance you pay each year – the more points you have the higher risk you are considered. Your points balance can also decrease over time, being reduced by 3 points per year, but only if there were no additional points awarded against your license in the previous 12 months.
More recently New Jersey introduced the Surcharge Violation System, which is an additional set of financial penalties for drivers who have accrued more than 6 points on their license within 3 years of their last driving violation. These surcharges not only apply to New Jersey drivers who break traffic laws, but also to drives from out of state, something that can lead to legal issues later on. Never simply assume that the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission won\’t come after you for the money you owe them.
How Surcharges Work
For the surcharge process to begin you\’ll need to accumulate at least 6 points on your license within 3 years of your last traffic violation. Once that happens the NJMVC will review your license, adding a surcharge of $150, plus you\’ll pay a surcharge of an additional $25 for each extra point levied against your license. So let\’s use an example where you have 6 points on your license, and you\’re then given another 2 points for a new driving violation, such as failing to keep right at an intersection. The amount of the surcharge here would be $250, made up of the base surcharge of $150, plus the additional $100 for the 2 extra \”penalty\” points you picked up.
There are also specific surcharges which will result in them being due for three consecutive years. An example of this is a first or second DUI. Each of these will cost you $1,000 per incident, for a total of $3,000. Multiple moving violations can results in several thousand dollars of surcharges being due in a very short span of time.
Unpaid Surcharges
You will be notified that you have outstanding surcharges to be paid, and if you ignore that notification the next communication you receive from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission will be that your driver\’s license has been suspended. With proper legal counsel you can appeal the suspension of your license, with the goal of delaying, or even eliminating, the suspension – the information for this process is included with your notice of suspension.
Challenging Surcharges
The process is simple: If you fail to pay your surcharges then your license will be suspended. There\’s a chance you might be able to have the court delay or minimize the impact of your license suspension, but doing that requires expert legal assistance. Fighting a license suspension is a fight you can win, but not without help.