Multiple Speeding Tickets

It has happened before. You were running late and failed to check the speedometer. You drove fast and ended up seeing police lights flashing in your mirror. The cop wrote you another ticket for speeding.

You are not alone. Speeding, especially in Pittsburgh, has become the most common traffic violation. Citations for speeding, particularly multiple citations, can result in additional problems, such as points being added to your driving record, suspension of your license, expensive fines, and higher insurance premiums.

The Pittsburgh traffic ticket attorneys at Logue Law Group are here to help you. We will provide you with an expert Criminal Lawyer in Pittsburgh, who will assist you in minimizing or avoiding these problems.

Multiple speeding tickets result in the addition of points to your driver’s license.

• Driving over the speed limit by 6 to 10 MPH: 2 points
• Driving over the speed limit by 11 to 15 MPH: 3 points and, if in a work zone, suspension of your license for 15 days
• Driving over the speed limit by 16 to 25 MPH: 4 points and, if in a work zone, suspension of your license for 15 days
• Driving over the speed limit by 26 to 30 MPH: 5 points and, if in a work zone, suspension of your license for 15 days
• Driving over the speed limit by 31 MPH or more: 5 points, license suspension for 15 days if you were in a work zone, and other penalties, which will be decided upon by a PennDOT hearing examiner

In Pittsburgh, driving over the speed limit is illegal. If an expressway or street does not have a speed limit sign, you are expected to follow the below-mentioned guidelines:

• 55 MPH- Expressways
• 35 MPH- Non-residential streets
• 25 MPH- Residential streets

You must be driving 6 MPH or more over the speed limit to be convicted of speeding.

If a VASCAR device was used to determine your speed, and you were driving in a zone that was 55 MPH our lower, you must have been going at least 10 MPH over the limit to be convicted.

In an active school or work zone, you can be convicted of speeding for going as little as 1 MPH over the limit.

• By following your car and pacing the speed of your vehicle against the cop’s speedometer. He must follow you for at least 3/8 of a mile before he can pull you over.
• By utilizing a manual tool much like a stopwatch for clocking your car over a distance that is pre-determined and pre-measured. Aircraft are often used for detecting the speed of cars on the ground, and a report radioed to the police officer in charge, who will then pull you over. This is often called a Manual Speed Trap.

The stopwatch-type device that is utilized in the manual speed traps, both in the air and on the ground, is often a VASCAR device. The reliability of these devices has been questioned in Pittsburgh, especially when used for distances shorter than 500 feet. You cannot be charged for speeding in a zone with a posted speed of 55 MPH or lower unless you were going 10 MPH or more over the posted limit when your speed was measured by a VASCAR device.

• Radar guns may be used to measure your speed. In Pittsburgh, as in all of Pennsylvania, only the state police are allowed to use radar guns to catch speeders.
• Automatic speed traps are directed by technology, resulting in fewer human errors. Transmitters are set up on both sides of the road. These transmitters calculate the speed automatically as vehicles pass, and send the readings to a PC in the officer’s patrol car.

If you are charged with excessive speeding, the cops believe you went over the posted speed limit by at least 31 MPH. You will be required to attend a PennDOT hearing. This hearing is mandatory, and failure to attend will result in an immediate 60-day license suspension.

The PennDOT examiner will require you to either receive a 15-day license suspension or take a driving road test. The suspension comes with five points on your driving record. If you have our attorney with you at the hearing, you will be able to avoid the harshest punishment.

• Be polite
• Do not argue with the cop or get angry
• Turn off the ignition, but avoid getting out of the vehicle

If you are issued a speeding ticket, consult a Criminal Lawyer at our Pittsburgh firm, who will stand by you, refute any evidence, and work with you in determining your defense. Contact our best Traffic Ticket Lawyer today. For more information about Pennsylvania Traffic Violation Law, including descriptions and definitions of traffic violations like multiple speeding tickets, you will find it in the Pennsylvania Code under Title 75.