Vehicle & Traffic Law § 1146-A “Approaching Horses”

Not to be confused with VTL 1146(a), “Failed to use due Care for Bike/Pedestrian or Animal”

VTL § 1146-a is a statute regarding vehicles approaching horses that are riding on a highway or street. The statute requires that motorists exercise due care around the horse, slow down to a speed that will ensure the horse is not frightened, and it is prohibited to honk at a horse.

If you plead guilty to this violation or are found guilty after trial, you will get two points on your New York State driving record. The fine is determined by the assigned justice with the maximum being $150 + $93 mandatory state surcharge. The bigger cost from this ticket is the increased insurance premiums. With this violation appearing on your driving record, you can expect to see higher insurance rates for the subsequent several years.

Text of Statute

VTL § 1146-A provides:

1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any horse being ridden or led along a public highway.

2. Every driver of a vehicle shall approach a horse being ridden or led along a public highway at a reasonable and prudent speed so as to avoid frightening such horse and shall pass the horse at a reasonable distance.

3. No driver of a vehicle shall sound the horn when approaching or passing a horse on a public highway.

Fighting VTL 1146-a Charges

In New York State, you can retain a law firm to handle your traffic ticket in its entirety. Your attorney can file the Not Guilty plea and all other paperwork in court for you and make court appearances in your place. It is possible to get your charges dismissed or reduced without leaving your home or taking time off from work. For more detailed information, you can contact the team at the Benjamin Goldman Law Office.

Motorists that receive traffic tickets can dispute the charges regardless of guilt or innocence. Pleading Not Guilty to charges that are true is not unethical, immoral, or illegal. This is because pleading Not Guilty does not mean you are claiming that the charges are untrue. Rather, a Not Guilty means you are notifying the court that you choose to avail yourself of your Constitutional rights to require the office to prove the case.

Benjamin Goldman Law Office

The Benjamin Goldman Law Office practices Vehicle & Traffic Law in New York State. For any traffic-related charges in New York, our firm should be able to help. Our team has handled cases in most of the courts in New York. We help clients in all New York State regions including the Catskills, the Finger Lakes, the Hudson Valley, the Mohawk Valley, the Southern Tier, New York City, Central New York, North Country, and Western New York. For more information on how we can help you just have to reach out to us with a copy of the ticket. The team at the Benjamin Goldman Law Office is available via phone call, text message, email, or website submission during regular business hours. We provide all motorists with a complimentary 15-minute consultation.

Fight a VTL § 1146-A Ticket