New Jersey Stop Sign & Yield Sign Traffic Tickets
In New Jersey, a traffic ticket can have a serious impact on your financial livelihood. Failing to observe a stop sign or yield sign can result in fines, a hike on your insurance premium, loss of driving privileges, or even jail time. If you received a traffic violation for a failure to observe a stop or yield sign, you need to immediately hire an experienced New Jersey traffic ticket attorney to help protect your wallet and avoid the loss of your driving privileges.
Failure to Observe a Stop or Yield Sign
Under N.J.S.A §39:4-144, if you approach an intersection marked with a stop sign, you must come to a full stop within 5 feet of the nearest crosswalk or stop line. Almost stopping or slowing down is not sufficient. If you fail to come to a complete stop, you will be in violation of the law and can get a traffic ticket.
Similarly, if you come to an intersection marked with a yield sign, you must slow to a reasonable speed and stop if necessary in order to yield the right of way to all traffic that may be of immediate hazard. At yield intersections, you are allowed to slow down or almost come to a stop without being in violation.
New Jersey Law Penalties for Failure to Stop or Yield
Under New Jersey law, a failure to stop or yield can result in a fine of $200 and 15 days in jail. Additionally, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Services will assess 2 points to your driving record. To avoid these harsh penalties, it is imperative that you take all steps to avoid the conviction by hiring an aggressive New Jersey ticket attorney to fight the ticket.
5 Ways to Fight an NJ Stop Sign or Yield Traffic Ticket
Below are 5 common defenses you or your New Jersey traffic ticket attorney can utilize to defend a failure to stop or yield traffic violation:
- Challenge the officer’s observations – if you can cast doubt on the officer’s testimony by providing eyewitness accounts from a passenger or pedestrian, it may be a good defense.
- Challenge the officer’s subjective conclusion – depending on the officer’s point of view, it may look like you rolled through the stop sign instead of coming to a full stop.
- Prove your conduct was justified – if you can prove you passed the stop or yield sign to avoid further harm (such as avoiding a car out of control), it can be a defense.
- Claim mistake of fact – your violation must be knowing; so if the sign was covered up by shrubbery or trees, you can claim you did not know the sign was there.
- Argue the stop or yield sign was newly installed – the judge may sympathize with you if you travel the road commonly and this was an unexpected change.
Call a New Jersey Ticket Attorney
If you or someone you know has been issued any type of traffic violation in New Jersey, including careless and reckless driving, an experienced attorney can help. Call Beninato & Matrafajlo Attorneys at Law, LLC at 908-248-4404 to schedule a free, complimentary consultation with our legal team today.
https://www.jonbramnick.com/articles/traffic-offenses-involving-stop-signs-and-yield-signs/
Dan T. Matrafajlo, Esq. is the Managing Member and Lead Partner at Beninato & Matrafajlo, Attorneys at Law, LLC, a New Jersey-based personal injury law firm with offices in Elizabeth and East Brunswick. With over two decades of experience representing clients in complex matters—including motor vehicle accidents, workers’ compensation, and wrongful death cases—he has recovered over $100 million on behalf of his clients and is known for securing significant results. He has also helped shape New Jersey personal injury law through notable Appellate Division decisions such as Hardison v. King and Frenklakh v. Lojek, with his litigation work featured in the New Jersey Law Journal, underscoring his authority in the field.
Mr. Matrafajlo was recognized as a Super Lawyers® Rising Stars honoree from 2012 to 2017 and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum—an honor reserved for attorneys who have achieved multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements. Combining deep legal expertise with a client-focused approach, he provides strategic, results-driven representation while guiding clients through every stage of the legal process. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York.
