Vehicle & Traffic Law 1127(b) “Drove Wrong Way (traffic island)“

The exact wording of the statute is as follows:

A vehicle passing around a circular intersection shall be driven only to the right of the island unless otherwise indicated by traffic control devices.

In a perfect world, New York state motorists would live their lives without encountering a traffic circle. The brainchild of confusion and chaos, a traffic circle throws a lot of information at a driver in a very short amount of time. The stakes are usually high- taking the wrong exit will lead to a later arrival time, if not being totally lost. In addition, there are other drivers around you faced with the predicament. People are at their worst when scared and the traffic circle feeds off this.

With the unfortunate reality that traffic circles are, motorists need to know that they can be subject to traffic tickets for improperly navigating them. VTL 1127(b) mandates that a vehicle passing around a circular intersection shall be driven only to the right of the island unless otherwise indicated by traffic control devices. This is easier said than done. Some drivers need to merge onto the circle, and then merge to an interior lane to catch a certain exit. Other drivers are not familiar with the circle and don’t understand which lane leads to which exit. Drivers already in the circle might not have the space or goodwill to allow drivers on the outside to merge in. It is a breeding ground for mistakes.

If you have received a citation for VTL 1127(b), you should know that you have options. It is not advisable to plead guilty to any ticket, especially not this one. Motorists make the mistake that pleading guilty immediately will make their problems go away. In fact, it can damage your record and possibly your livelihood down the line.

A conviction of VTL 1127(b) can be costly. It leaves you with 3 points on your license, in addition to fines, surcharges, possible driver assessment fees, and increased insurance premiums. Points on your license can easily stack up and mark your history as problematic. The accumulation of points can easily land motorists in suspension, or in some cases, revocation territory.

The Benjamin Goldman Law Office can help. We are a traffic ticket defense firm that helps motorists throughout New York State. The firm first opened in 2011 in the village of Monticello of Sullivan County. Since then, we expanded state-wide and help motorists from Brooklyn to Amherst. Our attorneys also have experience in most traffic related charges. In this instance our goal would be to get the charges dropped entirely or reduced to a parking ticket. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your ticket. We do not charge a fee for a consultation.