When To Give Up On Fighting Your NYC Parking Ticket

Once a New York City parking ticket goes into “judgment”, it becomes very diffcult to un-do the judgment and interest starts to accrue. So when does an NYC parking ticket go into judgment?

If you fight a New York City parking ticket and lose, you have 30 days to appeal.  If you fail to answer it and a fine is imposed by default, you have 30 days to pay it.   A judgment is entered against the recipient of the parking ticket shortly after the expiration of either one of these 30-day periods. Absent a reasonable excuse for the default and meritorious defense to the offense, it is at this point that you have only two options: pay the full amount or ignore it.

Note that the “hearing complete” designation on the Department of Finance web site does not include the date the judge makes a finding of guilt. So while the 30 days begins to run from the date of decision, you can’t tell when it was rendered and you should act quickly if you want to try and reduce the fine amount.

For cases in judgment, New York City parking ticket expert, Lawrence Berezin, of http://www.newyorkparkingticket.com has an excellent post on how to try and vacate a default judgment.

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New York To Fix Text Messaging And Driving Law Loophole

Last October, I was the first to report in this blog that New York’s new traffic law prohibiting texting and driving had “a major loophole“.  Specifically, I explained that the law as passed meant that a motorist must commit a second, separate traffic offense in order to be charged and found guilty of illegally texting and driving (or using any other electronic device).

My critique was that the new law allowed motorists to legally text and drive (despite the obvious dangers) as long as they did not otherwise break the traffic laws, and I quipped that “[s]omeone was asleep at the wheel when they approved this statute (pun intended).”

As a New York traffic lawyer whose law firm fights 1,000s of traffic tickets every year, it was easy for me to confirm the ineffectiveness of the original law.  Since the law went into effect on November 1, 2009, we haven’t seen one ticket issued for violating this law.  That includes not only our clients but also prospective clients inquiring about whether they should fight a New York traffic ticket.

Now, four months later, Governor David Paterson is seeking to correct the mis-guided original efforts of Albany’s dysfunctional Legislature by introducing a bill to remove the loophole.   The goal is to make the law effective by allowing police officers to issue traffic tickets for using a portable electronic device without first having to observe another violation of the traffic laws.  Surprisingly, the new bill does not seek to raise the $150 fine for committing such an offense.

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Car Made Of Gold

This car is made of white gold for an Abu Dhabi oil billionaire.  This custom Mercedes Benz features a newly developed V10 quad turbo with 1.600 horsepower and 2800 mm of torque.  Running on bio-fuel, it goes 0 to 100 km/hr in less than 2 seconds and 1/4 of a mile in 6.89 seconds.

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Turning Traffic Control Devices Into Jewelry

Collegiate entrepreneur and artisan Nicholas Kingsbury had a unique idea.  He was out with his friends one night and glanced over at a traffic cone.  It dawned on him that he could make jewelry and accessories out of it.  He felt jewelry from a pylon was unique and a conversation starter.  He cut a swatch off the pylon, and made a primitive wrist band.  He wore it out the following night and all of his friends loved it.  He made more and quickly sold them all.   A few months later Nicholas had a patent and launched an eCommerce web site called Hazardline.com.

Hazardline now sells various wrist bands, belts, key chains, pendants and other accessories, all created from traffic cones.  A traffic control device customarily used to restrict movement transformed into a fashion statement.  I had an opportunity to meet Nicholas recently and he explained his unique business as follows:

“I started Hazard Line to offer a brand of fashion accessories that really brings out the wearer’s identity.  The products are very loud and noticeable, yet attractive.  The wearer of my jewelry is saying ‘I am not afraid to be noticed.  I refuse to blend into the crowd.’  The material of the jewelry is the most important aspect.  Traditionally, the traffic cone is a symbol of restriction.  Any time you see one, it means you are prevented from turning, proceeding further or engage in some other driving maneuver.  Transforming a traffic cone into an accessory and wearing it symbolizes triumph over that symbol of restriction.”

Hazardline is a green conscious business. When traffic cones get destroyed or too worn down over the years, they are not recycled.  Old traffic cones get thrown in a dump.  Not very eco-friendly.  Hazard Line is dedicated to avoid such waste.  A large construction company called Inter-County Paving Association donates old, ready-to-be-discarded traffic cones to Hazardline.

Nick has big plans for his unique line.  Coming soon will be Hazardline jewelry cut from metal traffic signs.   The new line carries the same message as the traffic cone jewelry: we won’t be held back.  And, from what I can tell, Nicholas won’t be held back either.

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Bloody Traffic Ticket Leads To Major Drug Bust

A bloody Pound Ridge traffic ticket led police to a discover a drug warehouse inside a New Canaan, Connecticut home.  The dim-witted motorist sent in his traffic ticket with a not guilty plea but an observant clerk noticed that the traffic ticket had blood on it.  The Pound Ridge police, then, called the New Canaan police.  When  the New Canaan police went to check on the man, they noticed a broken window and blood inside the home. Once inside, they noticed drugs left out in plain view.

Officers seized about two pounds of marijuana, a marijuana plant, scales, packaging material, literature on how to grow marijuana and a 12-gauge shotgun, police said. They also found blood-soaked towels, blood on rugs and walls and in a bathtub.  Now, in addition to the traffic ticket, the motorist faces a number of drug-related charges.

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Greatest Video In Support Of Wearing A Seat Belt

This video is terrific.  Anyone who doesn’t wear a seat belt regularly should watch it.

Thanks to Chris Brogan via Doriano “Paisano” Carta via Zane Aveton for sharing it.

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Khloe Kardashian Answers A Seven-Year Old Speeding Ticket

Khloe Kardashian, best known for being the sister to super hot Kim Kardashian, is in trouble again.   She failed to answer a speeding ticket issued 7 years ago.  A Los Angeles judge was lenient on her, however, recalling a bench warrant issued against her and only imposing a $200 court fee.

Back in 2007, Khloe was convicted of driving while intoxicated and sentenced to 36 months probation plus community service in the form of picking of (appropriately) trash. Khloe had a blood alcohol level of .13 ( the legal limit in California and New York is .08 ).  Khloe pushed her luck too far by violating probation and ended up serving time in the “Big House” for violating her probation.  Even her well known defense lawyer father Robert Kardashian (remember the OJ trial?) couldn’t keep her.  At the time, she was in the midst of appearing on Celebrity Apprentice and, when Donald Trump her about the violation, he promptly fired her from the show.

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Porn And Driving Don’t Mix

Pornography is a $10+ billion industry.  Millions of people watch adult videos, films, etc.  However, some people love their porn too much.

Last month, an Ohio trucker driver was charged with second degree manslaughter arising out an accident involving the death of a 33-year old mother.  The truck driver allegedly was watching porn on his laptop when his rig struck a disabled car on the New York Thruway killing its driver.

This past Summer, a Mississauga, Ontario, man was issued a traffic ticket for speeding on a highway in Southern Ontario, Canada, after another motorist observed him watching a pornographic movie while driving.  Police clocked his speed at around 140kph (i.e., 87 mph) along the 100kph (62 mph) stretch of highway. There was a portable DVD player on the front seat of his vehicle and evidence to suggest the man was also drinking alcohol.

For those of us who drive attentively and safely, it is scary to think about how other distract themselves.

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Are You Truly Committed?

Last month, I started blogging for the New York Enterprise Report.  The NYER is a New York publication devoted to small business owners, and my blog is called Business Learning Junkie and tackles any business topic which might help an entrepreneur.

Recently, I wrote the below post of which I am very proud.  I now share it with you.

With the New Year upon us, many of us have made resolutions to improve our lives and businesses. Most of us will make initial efforts to achieve them. But, as you all know, eventually most of us will continue to eat poorly and fail to sock away reserve cash.

So how do people who make resolutions actually KEEP them? The answer lies in commitment. Are you willing to make your daily run even in freezing, blustery weather? Are you willing to give up a costly dalliance like your morning Frappuccino?

The reason I write about resolutions and commitment is because of Kevin Daum. Kevin performed one of the bravest and most vulnerable acts of commitment that I have ever witnessed, and it provides an amazing business lesson about achieving goals.

You see Kevin is recovering from financial disaster in the wake of the recent real estate collapse. He plans to overcome his misfortune by releasing a sales and marketing book in April called Roar! Get Heard In The Sales And Marketing Jungle, and engaging in consulting and speaking.

But Kevin has a loftier goal. Kevin desires (no correct that) intends for Roar! to become a New York Times best seller.  He lives and breathes this goal. All of his efforts are focused on achieving it. If there was any doubt as to his commitment, Kevin has something to show you. It is on his chest and reminds him every morning of his goal.  Just ask Kevin to open his shirt and you’ll see the words “New York Times Best Seller” tattooed backwards in Old English. Backwards, of course, so he can read it when he looks in the mirror. 

To put this in perspective, less than 400 unknown business authors hit this accomplishment annually. Yet Kevin has permanently inscribed this goal for his book on his chest even before he has made one sale.

The brilliance of this act is that it makes him remarkable. To paraphrase Seth Godin, Kevin is a walking purple cow. Anyone who is hears the story remembers it and, more importantly, repeats it. It is a marketer’s dream which can only serve to help sell his marketing book.

The tattoo also leaves Kevin with no choice but to achieve his goal. He courageously and openly shares his commitment. It is one thing to have a goal. It’s another to post it on your body for all the world to see. Like Hernando Cortes when he burned his boats at Vera Cruz, Kevin is past the point-of-no-return. You think he’s committed? You think he’ll make the list?

I have no doubt that Kevin will achieve his goal and it all lies in his at-all-costs attitude. How many of us can say that we’ve made THAT kind of commitment to our goals? Give this some thought as you make your 2010 plans.

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Speeding Ticket Costs Motorist $290,000

A traffic court in Switzerland has handed down a $290,000 speeding ticket fine.  Judges at the cantonal court in St. Gallen, Switzerland, based the record-breaking fine on the speeder’s estimated wealth of over $20 million.  The wealthy speeder was found guilty of driving up to 35 miles an hour faster than the 50-mile-an-hour limit.  The fine was more than twice the previous Swiss record of about $107,000.

The man was reportedly caught driving a red Ferrari Testarossa through a Swiss village.  The fine was determined based the motorist’s wealth and driving record.  He had a prior speeding ticket on his record.

In contrast, in New York, 85/50 would be an 8-point ticket, carry about a $300 fine plus a $450 driver assessment fee.

Hopefully, the DMV will not hear this story and raise (yet again) fines here in New York.

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