You can then choose to fight the ticket in court, negotiate a lesser penalty or pay the speeding ticket and accept the ding to your driving record and the higher insurance premiums likely to. A sympathetic officer may be more likely to issue a warning instead of a ticket. There are also certain traffic offenses that carry their own consequences, such as passing a school bus with red lights flashing (which has an automatic 60-day license suspension). If you plan to testify in your own defense, you might want to practice your testimony until you feel comfortable telling your story. The radar will release a radio wave at one frequency. Hire a Traffic Attorney. Hawaii Super Speeder Fee: Additional charge of $200 if you're caught going at least 85 miles per hour or at least 75 miles per hour on a two-lane roadway. You may notify them: Online (court's website) By phone Check the violation and fines, and make certain that your name, address, vehicle information and license number are all correct. But, in order to properly pace a vehicle, the officer must take certain steps. All Rights Reserved. After pleading not guilty to the traffic violation(s), the court will assign you a date to return for a pretrial conference OR trial before a judge. Now that I got the basics out of the way, I'll get into the tactics to beat your photo radar ticket. The state of Pennsylvania bases the amount of your speeding fine on how fast you were going and what the speed limit was in the area where you were caught speeding. If ANY of the rules below are not followed, a driver will have a solid case against the speeding ticket. Although, in Pennsylvania only the Pennsylvania State Police are permitted to use radar. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. The options that the traffic court gives you are: pay the ticket. 1) Admit guilt and pay the fine, 2) Attend a defensive driving class (at your expense) 3) Request a trial be set by mail. Your day in court resembles most other types of hearings. A speeding ticket in PA will cost $42.50 for going 5 miles per hour or less over the limit in a 65 mph zone, and $35 for going 5 miles per hour or less over the limit in any other . Each traffic offense carries 2-5 points. How to Fight a Speeding Ticket If you get a speeding ticket, you may think your only course of action is to pay the fine, accept the points from PennDOT and watch your insurance rates go up. If you plan to fight the ticket, youll have to go to court, where a prosecutor will have to prove you were speeding. "Pacing" is a method often used by officers to determine whether a driver is speeding. In addition to the financial costs of a traffic ticket, you also need to consider the points assessed. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. Some jurisdictions use similar technology for other traffic violations, such as illegal rail crossings or toll violations. You may think that your only option once you have received a speeding ticket is to pay the fine, watch your insurance rates rise, and accept the addition of points from PennDOT. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. If convicted of vehicular homicide in an active work zone, drivers will be given up to five additional years of jail time. If the judge rules against you, you can appeal the case to a higher court. Pay attention to your shirt color, any small dents or cracks in your car, and any noticeable physical characteristics of the officer. You have the right to remain silent. For instance, NerdWallets 2020 rate study found that: A 40-year-old driver with good credit and full coverage will pay $355 more per year after one speeding ticket, on average. A traffic lawyer costs between $250 and $350 on average nationally, according to Thumbtack, an online marketplace for service professionals. Someone at the DMV should be able to help you print your driving record for a small fee. Going to court to contest a speeding ticket or traffic offense may be worthwhile if: Our Pennsylvania traffic attorneys will stand by your side throughout the process of contesting a speeding ticket or traffic violation. Instantly compare top auto insurance companies. Fighting a Speeding Ticket In Texas And Winning! Afterward, write down everything about the incident, including the time of day, location and anything that might have affected the circumstances, such as obscured or missing speed limit signs. This will involve going to court. If the prosecution fails to prove the case against you, you will be found not guilty. Nobody wants to get a speeding ticket, and for good reason. Merely visiting our websites does not create an attorney-clent relationship with the law offices of Colgan & Associates, LLC. So how do we make money? If you ignore it, you may have to pay additional fines and your driver's license can be suspended. if( jQuery(.ajax-loader).hasClass(is-active) ) { Although this option is said to result in this matter . How to Fight a Speeding Ticket - What to Do in 10 Steps Contents Remain calm and respectful Sign the paper copy of the ticket Check your contact information on your ticket copy Make sure you know how to handle the citation Read the instructions on how to pay your speeding ticket Attend defensive driving school instead of paying the fine Providing evidence, testimony and if appropriate, witnesses, The opportunity to be represented by an attorney, Testimony by the officer who issued the ticket, Cross-examination of the officer by your attorney, Losing the opportunity to plead outright to lower charges, Listens to testimony from the officer citing you as well as your own testimony (Here is where your attorney can be helpful and speak on your behalf). Note as many small details as possible. Box 597 Baltimore, MD 21203-0597 Work Phone: By phone Unfortunately, enrolling in a defensive driving course will not reduce points on your Pennsylvania driving record. You may also be required to pass an on-road drivers exam. Do what the officer asks of you without arguing or getting defensive. Legal Help for Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets - Speeding Tickets: 1/2 mile from my house I was clocked (Robic stopwatch) doing 49.1 MPH in a 35 zone (3.37 sec over Speeding Ticket Information (Stopwatch) - Pennsylvania You can call in witnesses, including any passengers in the car when the ticket was issued. You can verify the status of your driving record at the DMV. First, look over your citation. If you plead "not guilty," focus your defense on either challenging the officer's means of measuring your speed or his identification of your automobile. Doing this, the officer can immediately see that you're not an immediate threat, and his stress level is reduced. Also, pay attention to the traffic conditions and look especially for extenuating circumstances that could have caused inadvertent speeding. If your traffic violation still appears erroneously, you could be on the hook for major fines and even license suspension. Research speed equipment. If you choose this option, be sure to return the plea and payment by the time stated on the ticket to prevent a bench warrant from being issued for your arrest. You have the right to remain silent. 2. Ensure you understand all the penalties & implications for a speeding ticket before deciding to pay the ticket. How to Fight a Speeding Ticket in PA When you receive a speeding ticket or traffic citation, you always have the option to pay the fine and accept the points. When your driving privileges are on the line, it isnt just a speeding ticket. Speeding ticket fines are the same throughout Pennsylvania, and are set based on fast you were going, and what the posted speed limit was: If you were in a work zone at the time you were clocked speeding, your fines will be doubled. Want to make smarter insurance decisions for the year ahead? Motorists can be cited for exceeding the speed limit by only one mph. Looking for Fight Traffic Ticket in another state? You take a driving course instead of paying the speeding ticket. If you ask for a hearing, plan to make your case and be questioned before a judge. As soon as you've entered your plea, begin preparing for trial. Our office accepts e-mails from parties that visit this website, but the sending of such e-mails does not create an attorney-client relationship and therefore these communications cannot be treated as privileged or confidential. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Young people already pay the highest insurance rates, so a ticket or two can really jack up the monthly amount taken out of your bank account. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. A bailiff will help conduct the ceremony of a trial. How Many Points Is a 10 MPH Over Speeding Ticket? plead guilty with an explanation. You have the right to cross-examine anyone who testifies against you, which usually means the officer who wrote the citation. If you have received a Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania, read more about the actions you can take to eliminate your speeding ticket. Paying a traffic ticket in PA may be done online, by mail, or in person, depending on where you received your citation. A plea bargain will require that you change your plea to guilty in exchange for reduced penalties. MORE: Comparing auto insurance rates after speeding tickets. If you don't feel comfortable representing yourself or want legal advice to see the best way to fight the ticket, enlist the help of a traffic attorney. Generally, you must inform the court in person if you plead not guilty. How to fight a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania To get a violation dismissed and avoid the negative repercussions, drivers can fight the ticket by taking their case to court. Subscribe to stay in the loop & on the road! Be prepared to use this as your defense if the officer is not present on your court date. We know the law. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific products site. Look up your states motor vehicle code, carefully read the speed law you allegedly broke and prepare to argue that you didnt. The simplest way to deal with a speeding ticket is to go ahead and pay the fine. On this morning there were no kids along the sidewalks, none crossing the street (the patrol wasn't even in the road telling traffic to stop), and no buses had their red stop lights flashing. If the officer that issued the ticket doesn't show up, it's almost automatically a win for you. A lack of prosecution witness is an easy way to get a ticket dismissed. Since it can be difficult to prove you were not guilty when representing yourself in court, you may consider hiring an attorney to fight on your behalf. About the author: Lacie Glover is an insurance editor and writer and a NerdWallet authority on insurance. You do not want to pull over in an intersection or anywhere else you might obstruct traffic. 4 points. Go back to the scene of the citation. That's it! This is different from most states, which use tiered penalties (e.g. The police officer will aim the radar at the target vehicle. Heres what to know about your options. However, this can only be used once. If you have any passenger's, take note of their names and make sure they stay silent during the exchange. You will need to attend a mandatory departmental hearing. 3 points. Say as little as possible. Here is a list of our partners. If all this sounds like more than youd want to handle on your own, you can enlist a traffic lawyer to help you. Having the appearance moved closer will make fighting the ticket easier for you. Pull over as soon as you see the officer's lights and there is a safe spot to do so. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. It is now time to prepare your case. For example, depending on where you live: Your state may waive your first moving violation if you take a driving course. If you decide to contest the ticket, it is a good idea to bring a speeding ticket defense lawyer with you to that hearing. Write down the make, model, license plate and unit number of the officer's car. Speeding ticket fines in PAcan range from around $45-over $100. A speeding ticket costs anywhere from $50 up to $2,500 in some states in the severest cases. When paying online, enter all required information and use your credit or debit card to pay the fine and additional charges, such as transaction fees. Based on your jurisdiction, your speeding offense may be considered an infraction, misdemeanor or felony. Find out how to fight a speeding ticket or other traffic offense, and when you should hire our speeding ticket lawyers to help you. You can then choose to fight the ticket in court, negotiate a lesser penalty or pay the speeding ticket and accept the ding to your driving record and the higher insurance premiums likely to result. Speeding tickets have more penalties than just a fine. Other factors that can affect the total cost of your PA speeding ticket include: Besides fines being doubled in active construction and maintenance areas when workers are present, there are other consequences if drivers speed in work zones. Anything you say can be used against you if you go to court. If a plea bargain can't be agreed upon, the PA traffic court will assign you a date to return for trial before a judge. The prosecution will strive to prove you're guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Posting bail means you've already paid your fine, so if you lose your case there will be no additional fees. We are good at it. Anytime you are considering contesting a speeding ticket or traffic offense, you should talk to an experienced traffic attorney soon after you get the ticket. If you plead guilty, over the next six years you may end up paying close to $2500 extra, you'll be getting that much closer to . This will help you look like a credible witness in court. When the officer asks for your license and registration, politely explain where these documents are and ask permission to reach for them. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 106,613 times. For example, you could prove you were driving the proper speed or the radar reading was inaccurate. The details you wrote down earlier in terms of the incident you were pulled over will come in handy here. Worse, being rude or uncooperative can be counterproductive. Pennsylvania's speeding ticket point system, however, works similarly to most other states. Go to the Traffic Division's website at courts.phila.gov/traffic. All financial products, shopping products and services are presented without warranty. As a writer, her work was featured in The Associated Press, The Motley Fool and U.S. News & World Report. You're only asking questions. How to Get a Judge to Dismiss a Speeding Ticket from Your Phone, Can You Dispute Chicago Speeding Tickets? YesNo. There are other possible ways your speeding ticket can shake out. We can negotiate on your behalf, reducing or even eliminating the fines and points you will be assessed. You could go to the County Clerk's office and request a trial date. Its possible to lessen the impact of a speeding ticket or erase it, though doing so may be difficult. Your email address will not be published. OK92033) Property & Casualty Licenses, NerdWallet | 55 Hawthorne St. - 11th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, / h a r m ju l s i z / HY-rm yoo-LISS-eez; April 27, 1822 - July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. In other words, you do not have to testify against yourself. Most speeding. This will give you more time to build your case. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Refer to your printed ticket for information about the presiding court handling your case. No matter what happens, you must be polite and submissive. I checked my speedometer." If you commit serious traffic violations pa, you will face fines that are heavier penalties. Evidence could include dashcam video or GPS data from a smartphone app, or photographic evidence that a speed limit sign was obscured. If you do not have previous traffic violations and have a clean driving record, bringing this kind of evidence to court can help your case. For more tips from our Legal co-author, like how to prepare for your speeding ticket trial, read on! If you are facing a speeding ticket or traffic offense that could threaten your license, you may choose to contest the ticket and force the police and Pennsylvania prosecutors office to prove that you committed the traffic offense you were charged with beyond a reasonable doubt. Other ways an officer can clock your speed are using a timing device such as a stopwatch or VASCAR, or following behind you clocking your speed using their speedometer. Evidence could include dashcam video or GPS data from a smartphone app, or photographic evidence that a speed limit sign was obscured. Law Firm Website Design by The Modern Firm, Emergency medical service (EMS) surcharge: $10, Judicial computer program / access to justice account surcharge: $10, General fund surcharges: $30-300 depending on the traffic offense and your driving history, Court Costs: $37 or $45 if you request a hearing, Fourth or higher suspension = 1 year, no matter how many points, You are facing a potential suspension because of points, Your ticket is based off a VASCAR device reading (these devices must be properly calibrated and are often inaccurate), Police committed errors in tracking your vehicle, issuing the citation to the right vehicle, or performing the stop, You believe your officer may not show up to the hearing.