Serious Pennsylvania Traffic Offenses

Motor Vehicle Violations/Offenses, Traffic Citations and Tickets

If you have received a Pennsylvania traffic ticket or citation, you may need legal help. Many traffic violations or offenses under Pennsylvania law can result in suspension of your driver's license, often for substantial periods of time. Out of state motorists who receive citations in Pennsylvania and ignore them, or even if they pay them, can often times find their home state licenses suspended as a result of the Pennsylvania suspension provisions. If you have received a traffic ticket or violation in Western Pennsylvania, call the Pennsylvania traffic ticket and driver's license attorneys at Joyce & Bittner.

Be aware that under the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code, violations such as the following can result in serious consequences including the loss of driving privilege for extended periods of time:

• Any violation for driving under suspension
• Violations for serious traffic offenses such as citations for reckless driving, school bus violations, or citations and tickets for driving without financial responsibility (driving without insurance)
• Any drug code violation, whether or not a vehicle was involved
• Any felony in which the use of a motor vehicle was involved
• Underage drinking
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Driving under the influence (DUI)
• Etc. 

Commercial driver's license operators (CDL holders) such as commercial truck drivers need to be aware that no citation should be paid or responded to with a guilty plea without consulting legal counsel. Truck drivers and others holding a commercial driver's license (CDL) must be especially wary of any citations or violations received in light of the substantial changes resulting from the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act (MCSIA) of September 30, 2005. Now, major or serious traffic offenses - even if committed in a personal vehicle and not a commercial vehicle - can result in suspension of a commercial driver's license (CDL) or at least be recorded in the commercial driving record. For example, a simple violation of illegal lane changing (failure to signal) under Pennsylvania law is a $25.00 fine. However, for the commercial truck driver, such a violation can have drastic consequences. Joyce & Bittner regularly represents tractor trailer drivers, truck drivers and other CDL drivers in various matters including overweight truck citations for violating weight restrictions on bridges and highways, reckless driving, careless driving, overturned vehicles and criminal charges arising from accidents involving commercial vehicles.

Be alert. Check with our legal counsel before paying a citation or pleading guilty to any traffic offense. Be aware of the critical time limits applicable to Pennsylvania traffic citation convictions and driver's license suspension notices. A traffic citation conviction before a Pennsylvania Magisterial District Justice can be appealed for a new trial in the Court of Common Pleas, but the appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of conviction. Even guilty pleas before the Magisterial Judge can be appealed within this time period. In some cases, the court will permit an appeal to be filed after 30 days.

For More Driver's License Suspension Information, Please Visit Our  Driver's License Suspension Page .

If you have a traffic ticket or violation, contact the attorneys at Joyce & Bittner for a free consultation.