Fighting a Junior Operator (JOL) Citation in Massachusetts can be a necessary evil. If you pay the ticket, the junior operator will receive a lengthy suspension, a hefty fee, driver retraining, and will have to retake the license exam. But appealing the ticket is not a guarantee that those penalties will be avoided. It is important for a Junior Operator to put their best foot forward to try to keep the consequences at bay.

How to determine whether you should appeal an out of state traffic ticket.

M.G.L. 90C Section 2 states in relevant part: "A failure to give a copy of the citation to the violator at the time and place of the violation shall constitute a defense in any court proceeding for such violation, except where the violator could not have been stopped..."

In Massachusetts, almost all moving violations are characterized as "surchargeable events." With a moving violation, if it is surchargeable, your insurance company has the right to surcharge your insurance. What that amounts to is an increase of approximately 10% of your premium per year for 3 to 6 years.

A common question that arises with Massachusetts tickets is whether it is too late to fight the ticket.  Here is a breakdown of when you still have an opportunity to do so, and when it is too late.

If you are involved in an accident, call Broadbent & Taylor forassistance with your claim.

A speeding ticket received between Thanksgiving and New Years can be one more thing added to your long list of holiday obligations.

In Massachusetts, a speeding ticket is a civil offense. Unlike criminal offenses, it is not mandatory to appear in court. You have the choice to either accept responsibility and pay the ticket, or appeal the ticket and fight it.

On the Massachusetts Turnpike (Route 90), and other roads deemed “Metropolitan Roadways” by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a special set of regulations exist governing travel on the highways.

In my practice, I run into a lot of tickets written for red light violation. When I speak with the operator, most are adamant that the light was not red when they passed through the intersection.