DWI on the Palisades Parkway Is Still N.J.S.A. 39:4-50
Here is the key difference from a parkway traffic ticket: while speeding and careless driving on the parkway are charged as park ordinances, a DWI is not. Driving while intoxicated is a statewide offense under N.J.S.A. 39:4-50, and it applies on the Palisades Interstate Parkway exactly as it does everywhere else in New Jersey. What is different is where the case is heard — the Court of the Palisades Interstate Park in Alpine, prosecuted by the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police who made the stop.
What a Parkway DWI Carries
A first-offense New Jersey DWI can mean fines, mandatory surcharges, an ignition interlock device, an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center program, and — depending on your breath-alcohol reading and record — possible license consequences and jail. Higher readings, a refusal of the breath test (a separate charge under N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a), and prior offenses all raise the stakes. Because so many of these penalties are mandatory, a DWI is not a ticket to simply pay and move past.
The Same Defenses Apply — Wherever You Were Stopped
A parkway DWI is examined the same way any New Jersey DWI is. Was there a lawful basis for the stop? Were the field sobriety tests administered correctly? Was the Alcotest device in proper working order, and did the officer follow the required 20-minute observation and testing procedure? Each of those is a place a case can be challenged. Our goal is to find every weakness in the State’s proofs and push for the best outcome the facts allow.
Handled Remotely — Alpine’s Court Is Virtual
The Court of the Palisades Interstate Park holds its sessions virtually, so you are not making repeated drives up to Bergen County while your case is pending. We represent parkway DWI clients from our office no matter where they live, including the many out-of-state drivers stopped on the parkway near the George Washington Bridge.
Charged With DWI on the Palisades Parkway?
Do not wait — call Goldman Law Firm at 908-692-7745 for a free consultation, 24/7. See the full Palisades Interstate Parkway court guide, or our statewide NJ DUI / DWI defense page. Facing a traffic charge instead? We also handle parkway speeding and careless driving tickets.