How Does Someone Get Surcharges?
The State of New Jersey, Division of Motor Vehicles (“NJDMV”), is authorized to collect surcharges from individuals who violate certain motor vehicle laws and from those who accumulate six (6) or more points within a three (3) year period. An individual accumulates points on his or her license whenever they are convicted of a moving violation. A designated number of motor vehicle points is assigned to every moving violation and the number of points escalates with the severity of the violation involved.
New Jersey Tickets that Result in Surcharges
In terms of violations triggering an automatic surcharge, a plea of guilty or finding of guilt to any of the following offenses will result in a surcharge:
- Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)
- Refusal to take a breathalyzer
- Driving on the revoked list
- Driving without liability insurance
- Unlicensed Driving
What Happens When I Do Not Pay a Surcharge?
If an individual fails to pay a surcharge, their drivers license is suspended until such time as the outstanding surcharge(s) are paid and/or a payment plan is approved by the NJDMV. The period of suspension for non-payment of surcharges is indefinite, meaning that it lasts as long as it takes for the motorist to repay the surcharges. Once the surcharges are paid in full, the license may be restored provided a restoration fee is paid to the state. Until all of these steps have taken placed, an individual may be arrested and charged with driving while suspended if they are caught operating a motor vehicle.
If you were charged with driving with a license that was suspended for failure to pay insurance surcharges, our defense team can help you. Indeed, our lawyers are successful in a high majority of cases involving this type of case and this is an important fact since a finding of guilty not only triggers additional suspension but also results in imposition of a $3,000 surcharge. An attorney at our firm is available immediately to make sure you are not subjected to these consequences.