As a New Jersey drunk driving defense attorney I have seen the lengths to which local and state law enforcement agencies will go in an effort to catch people driving under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. A recently article quotes the National Motorists Association as saying that Warren County, NJ, is possibly using speed traps to catch unwary drivers. The message here is that a speed trap can catch more than leadfooted motorists, it can also lead to other traffic arrests, such as DWI, as well as drug DUI and possession charges.
According to reports, postings on the National Motorists Association talk about a website that points to Oxford Street in Belvidere, New Jersey, as a hotbed of speed trap activity in Warren County. The website, SpeedTrap.org, claims New Jersey is worst state in the union for “hitting motorists in the pocketbook” for driving too fast.
Naturally, with speed enforcement comes drunk driving and other types of enforcement. The article goes on to explain that the information on the SpeedTrap.org web site, also known as “The Speed Trap Exchange” is provided by visitors to the site, who can post info on what they believe to be speed traps. According to the National Motorists Association, they cannot attest to the validity of these listings.
With regard to the Warren County, the speed traps identified include Oxford Street in Belvidere, Route 517/High Street in Hackettstown, Morris Street in Phillipsburg and Route 57 at the Washington Township/Washington Borough border. According to the website, “Belvidere police like to sit in the school parking lot and catch people as soon as they come into town on County Route 623 which turns into Oxford Street. The speed limit is 45 MPH then drops to 25 MPH as soon as you get to the top of the hill. The police sit at the bottom of the hill where you can’t see them until it’s too late.”
While a number of states in the U.S. have laws specifically limiting the use of so-called speed traps, commonly understood as areas where local authorities have altered a posted speed limit along highways or other roadways that pass through multiple jurisdictions, New Jersey itself does not have any “anti-speed trap” laws. However, as the National Motorists Association explains, the New Jersey State Police “have a policy not to set up within a mile of a speed zone change (typically 65/55 mph highways).”
Regardless, if you or someone you know has been stopped by police and issued a summons for drunk driving, drug DUI or refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test, I highly recommend that you contact a qualified DWI defense lawyer to understand your rights and learn about your options.
Speed traps in Warren County? National Motorists Association web site claims there are, NJ.com, September 24, 2009