Speeding Ticket Attorneys Serving
York & Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

If you've recently received a speeding ticket, know that it happens to the best of us. Our advice is simple: don’t settle. Don’t pay the ticket fine until you’ve explored your options for challenging the ticket.  

Paying the fine now may seem like a quick fix, especially if finances aren’t a concern, but paying the ticket is also the same as pleading guilty to the traffic violation. This means the ticket’s points will go on your driving record and pile onto other points you may have already accumulated.  

Once you hit six points (which takes just two or three tickets), Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will start taking corrective action. These actions could involve ordering you to take driving improvement courses, revoking your license, charging hefty fines, and more.  

Don’t put your freedom to drive or your future at risk. If you’re anywhere in South Central Pennsylvania and want to know your options for disputing a ticket or any other traffic violation, contact our attorneys at Coover & Associates. We have over 25 years of combined experience, and we're ready to build your best defense.

Pennsylvania Speeding Laws 

There are two types of speeding laws in Pennsylvania: basic speeding law and absolute limits.  

Basic Speeding Law 

Simply put, Pennsylvania’s basic speeding law requires motorists to drive at safe speeds. To further break it down, the law prohibits driving at speeds that are unreasonable or careless, given the existing conditions of the road you’re traveling on, even if the speed limit is higher. For example, if it's raining or icy out, drivers should drive at a speed that they can safely stop at, no matter what the speed limit says. The law also prohibits drivers from driving at too fast a speed to safely bring their vehicle to a stop within the guaranteed, visible distance ahead of them.

Absolute Limits 

Pennsylvania's absolute (maximum) speed limit law makes it unlawful to drive faster than the posted speed limit. Even if you go 1 mph over the designated limit, you have violated the law. In Pennsylvania, unless otherwise posted, the absolute speed limits are: 

• 15 mph for school zones 

• 25 mph for residential districts or neighborhoods 

• 35 mph for urban districts 

• 65 or 70 mph on freeways 

• 55 mph on all other roadways 

Violating Pennsylvania’s speeding laws opens doors to possible fines and harsh penalties. If you’ve received one or multiple tickets, it’s important to understand your rights and options for clearing up your driving record. Consult a knowledgeable speeding ticket attorney in your area to learn the best path forward for your specific situation.  

Pennsylvania’s Point System 

Pennsylvania is one of many states that utilizes a point system to promote safe driving habits and monitor dangerous drivers. Speeding tickets and other traffic violations can add points to your driving record. The more severe your violation, the more points you will get.  

• 2 points for basic speed law violations and exceeding a speed limit by up to 10 mph 

• 3 points for speeding in a school zone or exceeding a speed limit by 11 to 15 mph 

• 4 points for exceeding a speed limit by 16-25 mph 

• 5 points for exceeding a speed limit by 26+ mph 

PennDOT will start to take corrective actions after you hit 6 points. If this happens to you, you could face penalties like having to take a driver improvement course, license suspension, or (in some cases) jail time. There are ways to get your point total reduced, but it’s always best to do what you can to prevent a high point value in the first place.  

Fines for Speeding 

When you receive a speeding ticket, the amount of your fine will depend on the circumstances of the ticket. Generally, the fine is $35 plus $2 for every mile in excess of five mph over the limit. Here are a couple of exceptions: 

• If the maximum limit is 65 mph or higher, the fine is $42.50 plus $2 for every mile in excess of five mph over the posted limit. 

• If your speed exceeded a school zone limit by more than 11 mph, fines can be as much as $500.  

After receiving a speeding ticket, many people opt to just pay the fine. While this can be a nice short-term solution, paying the ticket fine is essentially the same as pleading guilty to your ticket, which means the points will automatically accumulate on your driving record. This could lead to larger fines and other penalties down the road if you receive more tickets.  

You should dispute your tickets whenever possible so that you don’t put your future self at risk of losing your license or other life-changing consequences. If you're anywhere throughout South Central Pennsylvania and are interested in fighting your speeding ticket, reach out to our skilled attorneys, who will help you build a solid defense.  

Fighting a Speeding Ticket 

The strongest approach to challenging a speeding ticket is to tailor your defense around the unique circumstances of your ticket. As a starting point, your strategy should build off of whether you were issued a speeding ticket for violating a basic speeding law or breaching an absolute limit.  

Say you were ticketed for breaking the basic speeding law because you were driving 75 in a zone that had a posted 65 mph speed limit. The basic speeding law requires you to drive at a speed that is “reasonable and prudent.”

Our job, then, would be to prove that your speed was safe given the conditions of the road at the time. If the other vehicles around you were all going ten or more mph over the speed limit, you could argue that your speed of 75 was reasonable because driving at a speed of 65 or less in those conditions would have actually been unsafe.  

On the other hand, absolute limits center on driving faster than a fixed speed limit, so your best defense will include one or a combination of the following strategies: 

• the officer's reading of your speed wasn't reliable because their radar device wasn't properly calibrated 

• the officer mistook your car for another car 

• the officer was driving at the time they paced you and therefore ended up with an inaccurate speed estimate. 

While you have the right to represent yourself in traffic court, it’s in your best interest to team up with an experienced criminal defense attorney. Our lawyers at Coover & Associates can help you understand the facts of your case and build your best defense.  

Contact our firm today in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, to get set up with a free consultation. We accept clients throughout South Central Pennsylvania, including the communities of Cumberland County and York.