how to fight a speeding ticket in pa

You can appear before a judge and enter a Not Guilty plea as well as a request for a court date. In Pennsylvania, the fines are based on the exact speed at a price of $2 per mile per hour past five over the limit. As Commanding General, he led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War in 1865 and thereafter briefly served as secretary . Do not say something like, "I wasn't speeding. 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. You need to address the ticket and start fighting it right away. If foot traffic within the school zone is non-existent and there are no physical prompts signaling me to stop, is it really justifiable for an office to charge me with such an outrageous penalty? 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). If convicted, your charges could result in, You (or your attorney) and the PA state prosecutor submit. Show up at court for the hearing date printed on your speeding ticket. How a speeding ticket is classified depends on several factors. Dispute Your Band C Speeding Fine Without a Lawyer and Win. This stretch of road is right around the corner of my house and I drive it every morning to work in another district, so I'm familiar with the protocols when children are crossing the street to the school on the other side. On one side of a sheet of paper, note what was said. Look up the method the officer used to clock your speed, note its weaknesses and prepare to present them. You should also get some information on the patrol car regarding any recent repairs or damages to the car. You can also fight it or negotiate in court. By using our site, you agree to our. A search warrant is required without probable cause. Politely ask the officer if he can move the court appearance to the county seat. If you've lost your ticket, contact the county court for information. But for a civil complaint such as simple speeding - do not pay! http://traffic.findlaw.com/traffic-tickets/fight-a-speeding-ticket-is-speeding-always-speeding.html. e.preventDefault(); Here are the 16 top reasons cited for getting out of a speeding ticket, and their rates of success as determined by CarInsurance.com: I'm bringing home hot food and didn't want it to get cold (11% . Our opinions are our own. Refer to your printed ticket for information about the presiding court handling your case. Answering that you were speeding can be taken as an admission of guilt and sabotage your chances of successfully fighting the ticket. I'm really angered by this and want to know what I can do to plead my case. In some areas, you must request mitigation in writing. Otherwise, to fight your ticket you'll need to plead "Not guilty" and challenge the officer's measurement of your speed or their identification of your vehicle. How much trouble depends on your state: You could be arrested or have to pay larger fines, or your license could be suspended. saving any demerit points. delaying or reducing the impact on insurance. There are three ways to set your court date. All this said, can I counter argue this citation, especially given my status as a teacher? Fighting speeding tickets in Pennsylvania can be easier than you think if you enlist the help of DoNotPay. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. Want to make smarter insurance decisions for the year ahead? Persons who choose to dispute the ticket may need to make an appearance in court to enter this plea. So, in response to the first letter, I mailed them back the following letter (copied and pasted): I received a letter claiming I committed a violation of a speeding law in the District of Columbia on 04/21/2012. Sit back and relax while we do the work. That's it! % of people told us that this article helped them. Based on your jurisdiction, your speeding offense may be considered an infraction, misdemeanor or felony. Technicalities can also help you get your ticket dismissed. Make sure you choose a firm who has experience fighting traffic tickets in Pennsylvania. Penalties for Speeding Tickets in Ontario: 0 - 6 demerit points; Fine payable according to table victim fine surcharge to be added; A conviction for speeding will stay on your driving record for 3 years; Possible increase of car insurance premiums with 0 to 3 points with a duration of up to 3 years; Definitely increased insurance premiums . What can we do for you? You can fight your traffic ticket by scheduling a court hearing. Paying the ticket is easy, but will likely increase insurance rates. The prosecution will strive to prove you're guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. We know the law. ; some companies will raise your rates more than others. 3 Visit the Department of Motor Vehicles. If you decide to fight the ticket in court. Contact the Pennsylvania traffic court in the county where you received your citation for more specific information on how to enter your plea of not guilty. Although you have the right to represent yourself in court, you will likely feel much more comfortable with the help of a traffic attorney. If the judge rules against you, you can appeal the case to a higher court. When the officer asks you, "Do you know why I stopped you? As a writer, her work was featured in The Associated Press, The Motley Fool and U.S. News & World Report. Check the PAePay website to see if the traffic court your ticket was assigned to accepts online payments, as it varies by county. On the other side, note your possible comments and questions to raise during cross-examination. Cost more money long term: After a ticket, your car insurance rates can rise by hundreds of dollars per year. However, this can increase your insurance rates and put your license at risk, especially if you make money as a commercial driver. A lack of prosecution witness is an easy way to get a ticket dismissed. Remember, you're not making any arguments during cross-examination. Someone at the DMV should be able to help you print your driving record for a small fee. Wed appreciate if youd take a few minutes to explain where we went wrong. Passing this class removes 2 points from your record. A speeding ticket can result in huge fines and an increase in your insurance premiums. Make sure you're fully aware of how traffic citations can affect your auto insurance rates BEFORE agreeing to a plea bargain. Evidence could include dashcam video or GPS data from a smartphone app, or photographic evidence that a speed limit sign was obscured. Call a Traffic Ticket Attorney It makes sense to call someone who does this for a livingwhose job is to fight traffic violations for people like you. You should get a record on the police officer to look for any previous cases he's won or lost in traffic court. How to Get a Judge to Dismiss a Speeding Ticket from Your Phone, Can You Dispute Chicago Speeding Tickets? Traffic attorney explains 20 ways to defend yourself if you have a speeding ticket. Luckily, disputing speeding tickets in Pennsylvania is simple with DoNotPay. Before you try to fight a speeding ticket, check with your insurance to see how much your premiums will increase if you fight the ticket and lose since they might go up more than if you were to just plead guilty. Write down the make, model, license plate and unit number of the officer's car. You're only asking questions. If all this sounds like more than youd want to handle on your own, you can enlist a traffic lawyer to help you. Look out for your traffic ticket issuer's response to discover whether you won! You should sketch a diagram of the scene that includes all roads, making the width of lanes, traffic controls like lights and signs, the location of your vehicle and the officer's vehicle when you were pulled over, any buildings, power lines, foliage, fences, or other notable features of the area. return false; The far greater consideration is that your insurance costs will rise. However, that isnt the only cost youll be assessed. Check with your insurance provider for more information. 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. 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. (null!=i&&i!=o.tag||null!=t&&t!=o.priority)}),gform.hooks[o][n]=r)}}); document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); View Our Disclaimer | Privacy Policy Law Firm Website Design by The Modern Firm. Check the violation and fines, and make certain that your name, address, vehicle information and license number are all correct. To avoid paying an exorbitant amount upfront and over time for a speeding ticket in PA, you can always fight the ticket in court. This is an important right to be aware of. 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. Each traffic offense carries 2-5 points. 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 Thank you for your time. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. It may be linked to an automated ticketing system. Speeding in a school zone or exceeding a speed limit by 11 to 15 miles per hour. Find an attorney who has a lot of experience, especially if you have any special circumstances regarding the situation. Typically in mitigation, you admit to the offense and present information that would lead a judge to grant you leniency. Keep you hands visible as the officer approaches your car, placing both hands on the steering wheel. You can get certain records at the DMV that can help you with your case. 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. If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion directly. Overall, your strategy to beat a photo radar ticket looks like this: Avoid being served, do not respond for four months. Prepare to achieve this goal. You can receive points for more than one offense at the same traffic stop. Here is a list of our partners. Number two: If you get charged with a criminal offense such as reckless or negligent driving, DUI, vehicular homicide or hit-and-run, hire an attorney. Speeding tickets have more penalties than just a fine. Melanie Horowitz has skilled attorney that can help you in handling your traffic citations related issues in . Consider hiring a traffic ticket lawyer PRIOR to your court appearance (s). How to beat a speeding ticket. If there were many other cars similar to yours on the road that day, the officer may have pulled you over by mistake. Your best chances to win the argument will be if you have physical proof you werent speeding. Make witness arrangements. In order to fight the traffic ticket, the driver must appear before a judge. Call your DMV or licensing agency to see if your state has a similar program. If the officer was in the wrong jurisdiction or enforcing the wrong code for the area, for example, the judge would likely rule in your favor. 4 ways to beat a speeding ticket. Winning the case will result in a refund of the collateral you have paid and protect your driving record. To do so, the prosecutor will usually call up the officer who issued your citation and ask him a series of questions in an attempt to establish his reliability. If this is your first time ever receiving a speeding ticket, some states like New York are willing to dismiss your ticket if you complete a defensive driving course, usually offered in driving schools. Her work has been featured by USA Today, U.S. News and World Report and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. If you end up going to trial before a judge, you can expect the process to follow this general outline: If you'd like to pursue your case after a guilty verdict and sentencing, you can file an appeal with the PA Court of Common Pleas with the county court where you received your citation. Each time you reach 6 points on your record, there are consequences: You will need to take a written exam about safe driving practices and the penalties for violating them. You may be able to request a negotiation before or at your hearing, but its the courts decision, so check on the courts website or call to be sure. Merely visiting our websites does not create an attorney-clent relationship with the law offices of Colgan & Associates, LLC. But, in order to properly pace a vehicle, the officer must take certain steps. If you're searching for an easy way to get out of a speeding ticketin Pennsylvania or any other state, DoNotPay can help. Call 855-868-1675. Exceeding a speed limit by at least 26 miles per hour. If you are facing an aircraft speeding ticket in the Columbus area, talk to one of our Columbus speeding ticket attorneys about your potential defenses and options. You normally must appear in person to inform the court, although some are now allowing other options. This will, however, result in the same consequences as pleading guilty. Some get lucky when driving over the speed limit, while others get caught and are hit with hefty fines. Before hiring a lawyer, ask if it will cost you more money to hire a lawyer than if you were to just pay the ticket. NerdWallet writer Philip Reed contributed to this report. Hawaii NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. You can submit a discovery subpoena to the court to get certain documents that may help your case. You have 10 days to respond to the citation. 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 . When the officer asks for your license and registration, politely explain where these documents are and ask permission to reach for them. Looking for a lawyer to handle your traffic speeding ticket? Pay attention to your shirt color, any small dents or cracks in your car, and any noticeable physical characteristics of the officer. MORE: Comparing auto insurance rates after speeding tickets. If the officer does not show, which happens sometimes, you will be found not guilty. Even if you think the ticket is unjustified, speeding violations are hard to beat. Arguably, both are required to accurately testify to speed and identity of the correct vehicle. MORE: How much can I save by refinancing my car? 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