Drivers who receive a traffic ticket in Pennsylvania for violating the state motor vehicle laws can avoid further fines and penalties by resolving the issue by the date displayed on their PA traffic citations. Note that tickets can also have detrimental effects on your driving record and your car insurance rates.

The processes of paying fines and fighting tickets may vary based on factors such as the practices of the presiding court and the type violation that was committed. Learn how to fight tickets and how to pay a ticket online in Pennsylvania in the sections below.

Fighting a Pennsylvania Ticket

Fighting traffic tickets in Pennsylvania is a procedure that can be initiated by submitting a “not guilty” plea to the court that is processing your citation. Depending on the practices of the presiding court, you may be able to submit your plea and schedule a trial date via various methods. For instance, certain courts may allow initiating the process to dispute traffic tickets in PA via their official websites.

Moreover, drivers who choose to challenge speeding tickets or other types of citations through the state court system are generally required to remit their fine amount as collateral. A traffic lawyer may be able to help you with your case.

On the day of your trial, you will be given the opportunity to present your PA traffic ticket defense. If you fail to appear at the court on the scheduled date, the judge will still hold the trial in your absence, and you are at risk of receiving a guilty verdict. The presiding judicial officer will rule on your citation case after hearing your case and the case of the state prosecutor.

If you are found guilty, the court will keep the paid collateral and the conviction will be reported on your driver’s record, which may lead to increased car liability insurance rates. Courts dismiss traffic tickets in PA only if the driver is able to prove his or her innocence.

Paying a Pennsylvania Ticket

Motorists who decide to settle a ticket issue by providing their traffic tickets payments are effectively declaring their guilt. Paying traffic tickets online in PA is the most convenient method of providing due payments.

However, not all courts accept online payments. Drivers can still pay tickets in such circumstances via more conventional methods such as in person or by mail.

Note: Certain state courts may even allow you to pay the fine with a monthly payment plan.

Lost Tickets in Pennsylvania

Drivers who lose their Pennsylvania traffic citations may encounter certain difficulties when paying or contesting a traffic ticket within the state, as the ticket contains details which help you to respond to your citation on time. Certain courts provide online ticket search options. If you are unable to retrieve your citation information via the internet, you can still do so by contacting the court that is processing your case.

Pennsylvania Fines and Penalties

Drivers who cannot successfully challenge speeding tickets in Pennsylvania or other types of citations will be required to pay their PA traffic violation fine in order to settle the issue. The fine amount generally varies based on the nature of the offense. Review several offenses that lead to traffic tickets in PA and the resulting fine penalties in the following list:

• Failure to secure your child in an adequate restraint system: $75
• Speeding 35 mph over the posted limit: $95
• First offense of driving with a BAC level of .08 to .10 percent: $300

In addition to the base fine associated with your ticket, you will also be required to pay additional court-set costs and surcharges. For instance, depending on the severity of the committed infraction, drivers will also be required to pay an additional surcharge that ranges from $30 to $300, which is deposited into the state General Fund. Keep in mind that DUI violations will incur greater penalties, and these are more difficult to dispute in court.

Points in Pennsylvania

Motorists who are unable to beat a traffic ticket in Pennsylvania generally incur a certain amount of demerit points on their driving transcripts when the court reports the conviction to the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The severity of the PA traffic violation determines the resulting number of accumulated points. Review several offenses punishable by traffic citations in PA and their corresponding point penalties in the following list:

• Failure to yield to a pedestrian on a crosswalk: 2 points
• Failure to stop before a red light: 3 points
• Leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in property damages: 4 points
• Failure to stop for a parked school bus: 5 points

Note: While the state DOT does not currently offer the option of reducing your total point count by completing an approved defensive driving course, you can still do so in order to receive a discount on your vehicle insurance rates.

How Tickets Affect a Pennsylvania Drivers License

Since convictions of traffic violations in Pennsylvania lead to the accumulation of penalty points, drivers who receive multiple traffic tickets may be at risk of a license suspension. Drivers who accrue six points on their records for the first time, for instance, will be given the option to take a special written exam in lieu of a driving license suspension.

Habitual offenders who receive PA traffic citations that lead to the accumulation of six points for the second time, on the other hand, will be required to attend a departmental hearing. In such cases, the hearing officer may either allow you to avoid a suspension by passing an exam or he or she will suspend your driving privileges.

Note that certain more serious traffic violations, such as reckless driving, fleeing from a police officer or driving under the influence of intoxicants, lead to immediate license revocations or suspensions.

Pennsylvania Car Insurance Fines and Violations

Police officers may also issue Pennsylvania traffic tickets to drivers who operate their vehicle without the proper car liability insurance coverage. Motorists who have received traffic fines in PA for no-insurance infractions are subject to immediate driving license suspensions. In such cases, you can restore your credential by presenting the necessary proof of insurance and fee payments after completing your suspension penalty.

Note: Pennsylvania automobile insurance providers may also increase the insurance premiums of drivers who commit multiple violations within the state.

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