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You want to see how much a conviction would affect your insurance premiums and whether the raise would be more or less than it would be if you simply accepted responsibility and paid the fine. Ulysses S. Grant - Wikipedia Radio Detection And Ranging or radar as it is popularly known works by emitting radio waves. Pennsylvania police use a number or different methods to track vehicle speed and issue citations. Traffic Violations 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 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. Handle this PROMPTLY as your court may only accept continuances submitted within a specific time frame. Making it appear that the witness does not remember facts correctly casts doubt in the judge's eyes. Look up your states motor vehicle code, carefully read the speed law you allegedly broke and prepare to argue that you didnt. Traffic Tickets - Getting an Attorney's Help If the Pennsylvania judge decides you're not guilty of the traffic violations, congrats! You can look forward to: Now make sure to pull a copy of your driving record to ensure that it is clear. You have the right to cross-examine anyone who testifies against you, which usually means the officer who wrote the citation. However, the best way to avoid losing money over a speeding ticket is to simply plead "not guilty" and fight the ticket in court. saving any demerit points. Many people don't bother fighting a traffic ticket because it may not seem worth the time and effort. 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. No matter what happens, you must be polite and submissive. You can view a breakdown of Pennsylvania's traffic fines, updated in 2014, on the Traffic Injury Prevention Project website. If there's anyone who can verify you were not speeding, call them in to testify. A traffic lawyer costs between $250 and $350 on average nationally, according to Thumbtack, an online marketplace for service professionals. If you are found guilty, you will also have to pay the penalties and fines. The best tactic is to comply with the officer's requests, responding without embellishment. Consider hiring a traffic ticket lawyer PRIOR to your court appearance (s). The radar will release a radio wave at one frequency. A trial gives you an opportunity to fight the traffic ticket in front of a judge or jury, and most people prefer to hire a traffic ticket . Do not say, "I was going 62 in a 55 zone," for example. Now that I got the basics out of the way, I'll get into the tactics to beat your photo radar ticket. Look out for your traffic ticket issuer's response to discover whether you won! 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. Fighting a speeding ticket is about 3 goals: keeping your driving record clear. 1. If you dont pass that exam, your license will be suspended for 15 days. } In some cases, you may be able to look up your traffic ticket online. , possibly resulting in suspension of your license. 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. Reviewing Your Ticket 1 Check your ticket for accuracy. Thankfully, there are successful ways to fight a speeding ticket. How to Fight and Beat a Speeding Ticket in Canada For more tips from our Legal co-author, like how to prepare for your speeding ticket trial, read on! This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Pennsylvania's speeding ticket fees Excess of legal speed limit Fee imposed for breaking the legal speed limit Every mile over 5 mph $35 + $2 per mile over the limit Every mile over 65 mph $42.50 + $2 per mile over the limit If excess over 11 mph (school zone) Up to $500 How Pennsylvania speeding tickets are calculated Look up the method the officer used to clock your speed, note its weaknesses and prepare to present them. In most cases, this includes the Pennsylvania traffic ticket fine AND any court costs and surcharges. A speeding ticket can result in huge fines and an increase in your insurance premiums. You can also fight it or negotiate in court. Its possible to lessen the impact of a speeding ticket or erase it, though doing so may be difficult. There is another choiceyou can go to court and fight the ticket with the help of the best Pittsburgh Criminal Defense Attorney. In a 65 or 70 mph zone, you'll pay $52.50 for driving 10 mph above the speed limit and $102.50 for driving 35 mph above. Nothing placed upon this website is intended to be relied upon as legal advice. 2. You can pay: Online. You mayget a judge to dismiss a speeding ticketor significantly reduce the charge if you are prepared for court and can justify the unfair ticket. 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. Trial before a judge. To do this, you must send a written request to the court noted on your ticket to request a hearing, and then showing up on the assigned court date. The defendant is you, as you're the person fighting charges. Get you tickets dismissed easy. So how do we make money? Then, those points drop off: 3 points for each 12 months you have a clean driving record. I'm really angered by this and want to know what I can do to plead my case. Although, in Pennsylvania only the Pennsylvania State Police are permitted to use radar. The details you wrote down earlier in terms of the incident you were pulled over will come in handy here. Someone at the DMV should be able to help you print your driving record for a small fee. Make sure you're fully aware of how traffic citations can affect your auto insurance rates BEFORE agreeing to a plea bargain. If the prosecution fails to prove the case against you, you will be found not guilty. The steps to fighting your Pennsylvania traffic ticket can differ from court to court, though generally, the process consists of the following: Consider hiring a traffic ticket lawyer PRIOR to your court appearance(s). Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Write down the make, model, license plate and unit number of the officer's car. Overall, your strategy to beat a photo radar ticket looks like this: Avoid being served, do not respond for four months. 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. Ask questions you think might help your case. What can we do for you? How much trouble depends on your state: You could be arrested or have to pay larger fines, or your license could be suspended. Immediately after the officer gives you the written citation, make sure all the information is correct, including anything identifying you or describing your car. 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( jQuery(.ajax-loader).hasClass(is-active) ) { 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. Maryland Uniform Traffic Citation Payment Kiosk. How a Radar Speeding Ticket Can be Beaten | TrafficViolationLawFirms 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. Evidence could include dashcam video or GPS data from a smartphone app, or photographic evidence that a speed limit sign was obscured. However, this does not influence our evaluations. 20 Speeding ticket defenses - Traffic attorney explains how to beat a If convicted of aggravated assault by vehicle in an active construction zone, drivers can receive up to 2 additional years of jail term. 1) Admit guilt and pay the fine, 2) Attend a defensive driving class (at your expense) 3) Request a trial be set by mail. Besides paying the initial fee, after a ticket, your car insurance rates can rise by hundreds of dollars per year. Paying the ticket is easy, but will likely increase insurance rates. You need to address the ticket and start fighting it right away. These lawyers typically specialize in DUIs and more serious cases, but some take speeding ticket cases. What Happens When You Get a Speeding Ticket. Speeding Ticket Pennsylvania - LAWS.com - Cars 4 points. Your case will be given a trial date and assigned to a hearing officer or a judge depending on how severe the violation is and the possible penalties you could face. Depending on the judge's verdict, there are a variety of consequences to fighting your traffic ticket in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Traffic Tickets & Violations | DMV.ORG How to beat a Photo Speeding Ticket - MyTicketDismissed For every ticket that you pay, a percentage goes to the contracted company and the rest goes to the city. If, for example, you're trying to prove the officer pulled over the wrong car ask if he remembers that there were two other blue Honda Civics on the highway that morning. Whatever you do, dont ignore the ticket. You have the right to a court trial with a judge. MORE: How much can I save by refinancing my car? How a speeding ticket is classified depends on several factors. NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. It is now time to prepare your case. As the officer is exiting his car, roll down the driver's side window. If he asks how fast you were going, you do not have to answer the question. 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).