Do not sell or share my personal information. have a meeting with the prosecutor. For more tips from our Legal co-author, like how to prepare for your speeding ticket trial, read on! like I stated 20-25 is usually my average speed when traversing this short road (unless there are actually crossing guards telling me to stop, and kids are actually present, in which case I will slow and/or stop.) Even if you think the ticket is unjustified, speeding violations are hard to beat. 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. $50 for speeding by 5-9 and $75 for speeding by 10-19). However, this can only be used once. If you are considering fighting your speeding ticket, we have listed some strategies that might come handy: Show Up & Get Lucky As weird as it might seem, if you show up in the court as decided and the issuing officer doesn't, you'll automatically win without having to do anything at all. You should only plead "guilty with explanation" if you were speeding due to an emergency. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. How much trouble depends on your state: You could be arrested or have to pay larger fines, or your license could be suspended. Doctor of Law, University of Wisconsin-Madison. 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. If you commit serious traffic violations pa, you will face fines that are heavier penalties. Remember, you're not making any arguments during cross-examination. You do not want to pull over in an intersection or anywhere else you might obstruct traffic. However, that isnt the only cost youll be assessed. if( jQuery(.ajax-loader).hasClass(is-active) ) { Nobody wants to get a speeding ticket, and for good reason. Take note of any weather conditions, such as rainfall or clouds, that could obscure the officer's judgment. Ask questions you think might help your case. An Ohio appeals court issued an interesting decision the other day on the issue of pacing. MORE: Comparing auto insurance rates after speeding tickets. 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. In some areas, you must request mitigation in writing. You can submit a discovery subpoena to the court to get certain documents that may help your case. 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. Speeding tickets have more penalties than just a fine. However, a traffic ticket can end up costing you a lot more money in insurance premiums, and winning your case may be easier than you think. If you recently received a traffic ticket in Pennsylvania, and have the means to prove it was issued. You can try representing yourself or retain an attorney to negotiate on your behalf or fight the ticket. If you decide to contest the ticket, it is a good idea to bring a speeding ticket defense lawyer with you to that hearing. If you have received a Speeding Ticket in Pennsylvania, read more about the actions you can take to eliminate your speeding ticket. The defendant is you, as you're the person fighting charges. Also, pay attention to the traffic conditions and look especially for extenuating circumstances that could have caused inadvertent speeding. Based on your jurisdiction, your speeding offense may be considered an infraction, misdemeanor or felony. If he asks how fast you were going, you do not have to answer the question. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. On the other side, note your possible comments and questions to raise during cross-examination. Evidence could include dashcam video or GPS data from a smartphone app, or photographic evidence that a speed limit sign was obscured. Alabama; Alaska; . Besides paying the initial fee, after a ticket, your car insurance rates can rise by hundreds of dollars per year. Find an attorney who has a lot of experience, especially if you have any special circumstances regarding the situation. If he refuses, ask him to note the request. YesNo. Here are five key ways: 1. Yes, Here's How. Gather evidence. An appellate court will only look to see if any legal errors were made and whether these errors affected the final decision in the case. It is merely an acknowledgment that you received the citation and understand you're receiving a speeding ticket. In other cases, fighting the ticket may be the best option. Making it appear that the witness does not remember facts correctly casts doubt in the judge's eyes. The police officer, if he shows up, will be the main witness of the prosecution. Radar: ONLY State Troopers are permitted to use radar guns to clock a driver's speed. After you pass, or serve your suspension, two points will be taken off your record. CALL NOW: 800-874-8583; Choose Your State. Disclaimer: NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. Required fields are marked *. Several hundred dollars are now being demanded from you because the camera captured your car and license plate. You could receive a deferral, in which case typically youll pay a fine and your ticket will be dismissed after a period of time if there are no further offenses. When your driving privileges are on the line, it isnt just a speeding ticket. As per the instructions, I am writing to plead 'not guilty' to this charge. You can call in witnesses, including any passengers in the car when the ticket was issued. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Select whether or not you want the letter mailed to the traffic ticket issuer on your behalf! e.preventDefault(); If there were many other cars similar to yours on the road that day, the officer may have pulled you over by mistake. Depending on the practices of the presiding court, you may be able to submit your plea and schedule a trial date via various methods. 1) Admit guilt and pay the fine, 2) Attend a defensive driving class (at your expense) 3) Request a trial be set by mail. ; some companies will raise your rates more than others. traffic school or defensive driving course. If convicted of vehicular homicide in an active work zone, drivers will be given up to five additional years of jail time. If the officer does not show, which happens sometimes, you will be found not guilty. By using our site, you agree to our. Experienced Legal Advice When The Future Is At Stake. And while our site doesnt feature every company or financial product available on the market, were proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward and free. 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. 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). OK92033) Property & Casualty Licenses, NerdWallet | 55 Hawthorne St. - 11th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. You can look forward to: Now make sure to pull a copy of your driving record to ensure that it is clear. In fact, roughly half of the drivers who do take a speeding ticket to traffic court end up winning the fight. Be polite, dont argue, and try to be unremarkable. If the Pennsylvania judge decides you're not guilty of the traffic violations, congrats! In addition to the speeding fine, drivers also must pay a surcharge based on the mph over the Maximum Speed Limits outlined in the table below. 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). Passing this class removes 2 points from your record. 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. plead guilty with an explanation. Once again, it's not an admission of guilt and refusing to sign it will not make you look favorable in the officer's eyes. Immediately put on your hazard lights to show you are respectful of the safety of other drivers on the road. So how do we make money? When evaluating offers, please review the financial institutions Terms and Conditions. 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. This will not work on every police officer, so the driver will need to read them to see what might be effective. He will have a court clerk, who is his assistant. Prepare to achieve this goal. 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. For example, you could prove you were driving the proper speed or the radar reading was inaccurate. How Long Does a Speeding Ticket Stay on Your Record? 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. From raising your insurance ratesto staying on your driving recordfor an extended amount of time, getting a PA speeding ticket can cause you more of a headache than just a one-time fine and getting points added to your PA driving record. Besides helping you win against speeding tickets in PA, DoNotPay can help you solve all your traffic ticket needs and other issues. What can we do for you? Thank you for your time. How to pay a speeding ticket in Maryland.