Traffic ticket? We represent clients for traffic matters in Mecklenburg County and the surrounding counties. If you need representation for a speeding ticket, DWI, or other traffic related matter, contact Adkins Law.
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You are driving through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and you receive a speeding ticket from a Federal Park Ranger - what do you do? While this is not a common occurrence, it does occasionally happen. Citations issued by federal officers can impact your license just as citations issued by state and local police. The Central Violations Bureau (CVB) is the national center responsible for processing tickets issued and payments received for petty offenses (i.e. speeding ticket) charged on a federal violation notice. Violations that occur on federal property such as federal buildings, national parks, military installations, post offices, Veteran Affairs medical centers, national wildlife refuges, and national forests. The Central Violations Bureau processes violation notices for violations of federal law that occur outside federal property as well. (www.cvb.uscourts.gov.) How do I pay for the ticket? All payments must be received on or before the scheduled court date and once you pay your ticket then you do not have to appear in court. You can pay for your ticket online at https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/4624405/. You may also make a payment by calling the Central Violations Bureau during normal business hours at (800) 827-2982 or mail a check or money order to: Central Violations Bureau P.O. Box 71363 Philadelphia, PA 19176-1363 How will I be notified of my court date (if you want to contest the ticket)? The Central Violations Bureau will notify you by mail of your scheduled court date. Your Notice to Appear will usually arrive in the mail within 4-8 weeks from the issuance of the ticket. Note that you will be required to appear in federal court not state if you chose to contest the ticket. How do I check the status of my federal ticket or whether the payment went through? Call the Central Violations Bureau by call 1-800-827-2982, use option 4 to hear an automated recording with the status of your ticket. Before you pay off your federal ticket, you may want to contact a traffic lawyer to discuss your options and how this may effect your driving privileges. If you would like to speak with a traffic attorney, contact Adkins Law for a free traffic consultation. Adkins Law has locations in Huntersville and Ballantyne for your convenience. Contact Adkins Law to speak with an experienced Huntersville DWI attorney about your DWI charge. One of our Huntersville DUI lawyers will arrange a DWI consultation with you to discuss your strategies and options moving forward. Contact Adkins Law to speak with an experienced Huntersville DWI attorney about your DWI charge. One of our Huntersville DUI lawyers will arrange a DWI consultation with you to discuss your strategies and options moving forward. The NHTSA SFST battery is the standard for driving while impaired field sobriety testing. The SFST battery consists of three tests: (1) the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test, (2) the walk and turn (WAT) test, and (3) the one leg stand (OLS) test. The WAT and OLS require you to be able to walk, stand, and balance as a normal person would. If you are mobility impaired, you may not be able to complete the WAT and OLS portions of the NHTSA SFST battery. Historically, DWI police officers have relied exclusively on their observations and the HGN when making a DWI arrest of a mobility impaired person. Recently, however, police officers have been using NASBLA training to conduct a seated field sobriety test for mobility impaired subjects. The NASBLA field sobriety battery is patently different than the NHTSA SFST battery. The NASBLA field sobriety battery includes the following tests: (1) HGN, (2) finger to nose test, (3) palm pat test, and (4) hand coordination test. The battery is designed to detect boating while impaired (BWI) / boating under the influence (BUI) suspects and all tests are conducted from a seated position. Since the tests are conducted from a seated position, the NASBLA tests are supposedly applicable to detect DWI / DUI suspects. The problem with applying NASBLA tests to DWIs is that there is no study to prove their validity. In 2008, a study was conducted by NASBLA and the U.S. Coast Guard entitled “Validation of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests For Use in the Marine Environment.” The purpose of the study was to validate SFSTs for BWI / BUI enforcement in the marine environment. Due to balance, stability, and equilibrium issues that boaters may face, law enforcement realized that roadside SFSTs were not adequate to test for BWI. The NASBLA study shows that the NASBLA waterborne SFSTs are more accurate in testing for BWIs than traditional NHTSA roadside SFSTs. Since the study only focused on BWI enforcement, it was only validated for the marine environment. When a police officer attempts to use a NASBLA test to detect a roadside DWI suspect, that officer is using an unproven testing system. To reiterate, NASBLA tests have only been validated for use in the marine environment and are not proven to be effective to detect DWI suspects. Thus, NASBLA field sobriety tests should hold very little weight when used to prove that a mobility impaired suspect as DWI. If you were charged with DWI and would like to speak to a Huntersville DWI attorney, please contact Adkins Law. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville NC and primarily serves Mecklenburg County and the Lake Norman area. |
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