Most New Jersey drivers are no strangers to traffic violations and tickets. In a state where most major roads get backed up the second a couple of raindrops fall, it’s not surprising that many people are regularly tempted to speed or drive recklessly in an attempt to compensate for lost time. And given the difficulty involved in doing something as simple as making a left, it’s no wonder that plenty of drivers find themselves getting slapped with fines for making illegal turns.
When it comes to issuing tickets, there are plenty of instances in which police are certainly in the right. However, there’s no question that at certain times, there is a notably higher police presence on the main roads and highways. In New Jersey, these circumstances tend to come together to fuel a rumor that has been floating around for as long as most current drivers can remember — that officers are obligated to fulfill certain traffic ticket quotas within a certain period of time. The rumor, as most New Jersey residents know it, goes on to warn that drivers are more likely to receive tickets towards the end of any given month in order to enable officers to fulfill their monthly quotas. Given the number of traffic tickets issued each year, some of which are undeniably less valid than others, the question does remain: Is there really such a thing as a traffic ticket quota?
As an attorney who has spent the last decade defending New Jersey residents against a variety of traffic offenses and violations, Elliot Wiesner comes across this question from time to time, and he always has the same answer. Mr. Wiesner has never seen or heard of an official traffic ticket quota, not in New Jersey, and not in any other state. To take things one step further, from a legal standpoint, there is no such thing as a quota. In other words, it’s just a rumor, and one that the public is likely to continue to uphold rather than face the fact that traffic laws exist for a reason and are, believe it or not, meant to be followed. Of course, this isn’t to say that every traffic ticket that gets issued is justified, nor should it imply than even the more “nitpicky” tickets aren’t warranted. It simply means that there is no official or legal validity to the idea of officers issuing tickets solely for the purpose of meeting their quotas.
The funny thing about the quota rumor is that many drivers like to use it as an excuse for violating their laws of choice. The reality is that even if there was a public admission of quotas, it wouldn’t make traffic infringements any less illegal. While driver frustration within the state of New Jersey is certainly understandable, it does not give people the right to simply break or even bend the rules. So the next time you find yourself getting pulled over for going 10 mph above the posted speed limit, you might want to think twice before blaming traffic or chalking it up to the so-called quota. Instead, apologize to the officer and promise not to do it again. After all, there is such a thing as officers letting drivers off the hook, though oddly enough, there is no such rumor about their obligations to do so.
