Elements of Traffic Citation Fines and Costs

Fines are either set by law or set by the district justice depending on the violation.Some fines increase as the violation does, such as speeding and overweight. The higher the speed or weight, the higher the fine. Most violations have a $25.00 fine. Fines can range from $1.00, upward into the thousands of dollars.

• EMS – Emergency Medical Services Act ($10.00)
• CAT – Catastrophic Loss Benefits Continuation Fund ($30.00 to $150.00) Costs – Administrative costs of processing citation (varies by year)
• JCP – Judicial Computer Project ($1.50)

Most moving violations carry Department of Transportation administrative sanctions commonly known as WPointsX assessed against a violatorVs license. Below is a partial list of the points that PENDOT assigns to a driver for convictions of various violations 

DUI

PennsylvaniaVs DUI laws are covered under section 3731 of the Vehicle Code.  Blood alcohol concentration cannot exceed 0.08% for persons 21 and over and 0.02% for persons under 21 years old.  You have agreed to take a blood, breath or urine test (officer's choice) by having a driver's license.  Refusal to take the test will result in a 8-month suspension in addition to any potential penalties for a DUI arrest.  If convicted of DUI, you will serve at least 48 hours in jail for the first offense and longer durations for subsequent offenses. 

Speed Enforcement

North Coventry Police Department uses several types of speed timing devices for speed enforcement.  Besides having the patrol cars speedometers certified for pacing a speeding vehicle, we have several devices which operate on the principle of distance divided by time equals average speed.  These measurements are made with Acutrak stopwatches, VASCAR, Tracker and ENRADD.  The VASCAR and Tracker also provide the officers with the ability to measure another vehicle's speed while the patrol car is moving. 

Occupant Protection

Seat belts are required for all drivers and front seat passengers.  Children under the age of four years are required to be in a child safety seat of some type.  The style and orientation depend on the child.  Children under the age of one year and below 20 pounds must face rearward.  Children over one year and above 20 pounds may face forward.  Children over four years must use a booster seat to assist with adapting the seat belts to a child's smaller body up until the age of eight. Township residents can contact Detective Prouty for an appointment to review their safety seat installation. 

North Coventry Police Department also enforces the helmet laws for motorcycle riders.  All helmets must comply with specific regulations set by PENDOT for items such as configuration, construction and labeling.  The small helmets commonly known as Skull Caps that only cover the very top of the head and have very little interior padding are not legal.  Most full-face helmets do comply.  Violators are subject to being cited and having the helmet seized.  If you are not sure if your helmet complies, contact Officer Malason at 610-323-8360.