Pennsylvania Traffic Violations Legal Questions

They can cite you for any conduct they witness you committing.  This means if your conduct violated 4 sections of the vehicle code the officer can write four tickets.  You generally can enter into an agreement with the officer (depending on your conduct at the stop and prior history) for lesser citations.  You, however, have only 10 days to enter into a plea.  If a plea of guilt has been entered you only have 30 days to appeal it to the Common Pleas Court.  Your best course of action at this point, given the severity of the charges and punishment, is to sit down with a local traffic attorney who can walk you through how the courts and police departments in your jurisdiction handle these types of cases.  ... Read More

In general this is a cost benefit analysis that only you can make.  A stop sign violation carries with it points.  Those can affect your insurance rates and create various other issues.  While it is a minimal violation, there are violations that can be negotiated as outcomes that do not carry points.  The fines often change though.  Remember you only have 10 days from the receipt of the violation to enter your plea.  Many people take the time to talk with a local attorney who can tell you what options are available in the court that you are charged.  ... Read More

As with most legal questions, the answer is, it depends.  If they had reason to believe you were operating it on a public roadway then yes.  Additionally, while trailer parks are private property they can be considered public for some purposes.  That does not, however, mean you will be found guilty.  Talk to a traffic attorney, there are plenty of ways to work a ticket out.  If it needs to be challenged you will need help with the caselaw on public vs. private roadways.  There have been a lot of cases on this in the DUI realm.  ... Read More

I guess I am confused because you don't really ask a question here.  Are you looking for validation of your defense?  It is her word vs. yours.  That may be good it may not be, it depends on what other facts exist.  There may be damage to the cars that is indicative of who really is at fault.  Your best bet is to sit down with a local traffic attorney.  They will know how the judge and the officers handle these types of cases.  Importantly, you only have ten days to plead not guilty if you were issued a citation.  If you don't plead a warrant can issue and/or you can be found guilty in absentia.  If this is a citation your best bet is to plead not guilty, request a hearing, and work with an attorney on your case.  If you were issued a summons for a misdemeanor leaving the scene then you should have counsel before your Preliminary Hearing.  Good luck!... Read More

In most (I believe all) counties in Pennsylvania the judge is not allowed to substitute a class for the fine.  That being said, before you plead guilty you should consult with a local traffic attorney.  Fines in Pennsylvania are computed by a chart which assigns amounts for MPH over the speed limit.  20 mph over the speed limit is a serious ticket leading to 4 points on your license.  You are only allowed six before you have to retake your drivers test.  You should consider pleading not guilty and trying to negotiate a lower MPH or even challenging the ticket (with the help of counsel).  In many cases a downward deviation is possible.  That would bring you less points, and importantly less fines.  ... Read More

Asking this type of question to the internet at large is not going to get you the results you want or need.  First, if the officer withdrew the tickets and refiled that is perfectly legal.  The issue could be timeliness.  They only have 30 days to file a citation from the time of the incident.  Second, The warrant issue is more serious, why did you not receive notice of the refile?  As you can see there is some investigation that needs to be done on a matter such as this.  Did you change address and not tell the court?  It may not be dispositve if your case but its background you need before you attempt to defend the matter.  Call a local defense attorney and they can walk you through the specifics of how your particular police department and judge handle such matters.  ... Read More

Should you fight a ticket is impossible to answer as it depends on your circumstances and what ticket was issued.  Failure to challenge a ticket for a stop sign can often lead to points on your llicense.  These points can often impact your insurance rates.  The best bet is to talk to a local defense attorney and see what can be done about your ticket.  In many circumstances the up front cost of an attorney can save you a lot of money down the road.  ... Read More

You are going to need to consult with a traffic attorney to rectify this.  If you don't sign the acknowledgement of the suspension it doesnt begin.  So, it sounds like from your facts, you never acknowledged the suspension so PennDOT didnt start the suspension until you did.  A traffic attorney may be able to request a PennDOT hearing and resolve it quicker than that but it will take a hearing at the very least.  ... Read More

you only have 30 days to appeal a conviction/plea after the District Justice enters it.  If you would like to appeal a matter outside the 30 days time limit you file a "Nunc Pro Tunc" appeal which requests of the Court permission to appeal late.  You should consult/hire an attorney to handle these types of matters.  Keith Bidlingmaier... Read More

I recommend that you go to the magistrate's office in person and plead not guilty. If you appear in person and don't have the funds, you don't have to post a bond. When the hearing comes, talk to the police officer about your financial situation. Even if you're found guilty, you can ask the judge to put you on a payment plan. Traffic violations don't usually cost less than what you have been fined.... Read More