Speeding tickets are probably the most common kind of traffic ticket issued, not only in Pennsylvania but across the country. We have all seen police running radar on the side of the highway, and we have all heard about the police campaigns to catch speeding drivers. It is even likely that we have gotten a speeding ticket at least once in our lives. Unfortunately, speeding tickets result in harsh penalties if you are caught by a police officer.

Speeding offenses are easy to commit for a number of reasons. We often go faster than the posted speed limit because the traffic around us is going faster, or because we just want to get to our destination as quickly as possible. Sometimes, we do not know the speed limit in an area and cannot see a sign until it is too late. Maybe the sign was obscured or changed suddenly when you couldn’t slow down fast enough, like at the bottom of a hill. But the reason why you were speeding, even if it was an accident, do not matter to the police officer who catches you. They will likely write you a ticket, both as a way to punish your speeding and in many cases as a way to generate income for the local government.

Speeding tickets come with fines attached to them that you are expected to pay if you plead guilty to the ticket. These fines vary in amount depending on how fast you were going and what the speed limit was in the zone in which you were speeding. The lowest fine on a Pennsylvania speeding ticket is $45, which usually results in driving ten miles above the speed limit in zones with low speed limits, like in residential areas. On highways, when the speed limit goes up to 55 or 65 miles per hour, the fines increase if you are speeding excessively. Going twenty miles over the speed limit in these areas will typically result in fines between $65 and $75. Fines can go up to around $100 if you are going forty miles an hour above the speed limit on a highway or in an area with a higher speed limit.

Speeding tickets also come with point values assigned to them, and the points will be added to your driving record even if you pay the fine on the ticket. The more points on your record, the more consequences you will have to face, including having your license suspended or having to take a driving test. As with speeding ticket fines, the points increase depending on how fast you are going. Speeding 6 to 10 miles above the posted limit adds 2 points; 11 to 15 miles above results in 3 points; 16 to 25 miles above results in 4 points; 26 to 30 miles per hour above the limit results in 5 points; and going 31 miles per hour or more above the limit adds 5 points to your record, and you will also have to attend a PennDOT Departmental Hearing. At that hearing, you could risk having your license suspended for 15 days and/or having to take an on-road driver’s exam.

Sometimes, your car insurance company may decide that you are a riskier driver if you receive a speeding ticket. Many car insurance companies reserve the right to increase your monthly payments in this case, and this could be a huge financial burden on top of the fine you already have to pay.

If you do not want to risk the financial cost of a speeding ticket or the points on your record, you should choose to plead not guilty to your speeding ticket and go to traffic court to have your case heard by a judge. With the assistance of your York and Harrisburg speeding ticket lawyer, you can persuade the judge to reduce the steep penalties from your speeding ticket, or even to have the ticket dismissed. It is important that you work with your lawyer to develop the strongest argument possible, because the police officer who wrote your ticket will also be there and will try to convince the judge that he or she was acting correctly in writing your ticket.

If you have gotten a speeding ticket in York, Harrisburg, or another area in Central Pennsylvania, give our attorneys a call as soon as possible. Your lawyer will start right away helping you build a strong argument and will make sure you feel prepared and confident before your assigned court date. Give our experienced attorneys a call today to get your case started.