Click here to fight your Pennsylvania traffic ticket
Ah, Pennsylvania. Famous for American steel, mushrooms, and stop signs galore! What do these three things have in common, you might ask? The answer is, they’re a major source of revenue for the state. Just like steel mills and mushroom farms turn out huge sums of money to the state government every year in taxes, stop sign tickets do the same through fines.
Stop Sign Laws in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s stop sign laws are nice and straightforward: When you reach a stop sign, you stop completely. The phrase “full and complete stop” is a common one in courts all around the country. It means that you need to bring your vehicle to a standstill. The speedometer should read zero and you should not feel your vehicle moving whatsoever.
At stop signs, many people slow their vehicles down to near zero, check for traffic or other hazards, and then proceed. That’s called a “rolling stop.” Although that practice might be legal in some instances when dealing with yield signs, it is an illegal and ticketable violation when dealing with stop signs.
Things get a little more complicated when you start to consider a few of the less immediately obvious questions. Let’s go over a few that you might find yourself thinking about.
- What does the law require you to do when you don’t have the right of way?
When you do have the right of way, you can simply stop, check for hazards, and then go. When you don’t have the right of way, you’ll need to stop and wait until you do. You should never proceed into an intersection without first confirming that you have the right of way.
- Do you have to stop at stop signs when riding a bicycle?
According to the Supreme Court of the United States, bicycles (including electric bicycles) are not considered motor vehicles. However, they are nonetheless still subject to traffic laws in many jurisdictions. That is the case with stop signs. Unless otherwise marked nearby, cyclists must follow all standard stop sign laws as though they were driving a motor vehicle.
- What if somebody gets to an intersection at the same time as you?
If another driver gets to the intersection at the same time as you, one of a few things must happen. If they’re in oncoming traffic directly across the intersection, they have right of way only when they are turning across your lane (and vice versa). If they are in the lane 90 degrees to your right or left, the person to the right will have the right of way.
How Long Do You Have To Stop at a Stop Sign?
Pennsylvania’s traffic laws impose no mandated stop timer for stop signs. The rule is that you can go as soon as you’ve met the following requirements:
- Your vehicle has been brought to a full and complete stop.
- You have the right of way.
- You have checked for hazards and determined it is safe to proceed.
Given the above requirements, the amount of time that you find yourself stopped at a stop sign can vary greatly from one situation to another. For example, if you are stopped at an intersection waiting for a parade to pass, you could be there for minutes or even hours. On the other hand, if you’re out near Milford where very few drivers tend to crowd the roads, you might be able to proceed after only a second or two.
Where Is One Required To Stop?
The law determining where to stop at a stop sign varies slightly depending on the circumstances surrounding that stop sign. To add some clarity to what might otherwise be considered a legal gray area, let’s take a look at intersections, crosswalks, and limit lines.
To start with, intersections are the most common place where you’ll find stop signs in Pennsylvania. At intersections marked with stop signs, the law is simple: stop before passing the stop sign and before entering the intersection. If you pass the stop sign without stopping but stop before entering the intersection, you might still get a ticket. Just to be safe, stop one or two car lengths away from the stop sign or intersection, whichever comes first.
Crosswalks are commonly found at intersections but can also be found on straightaways with no intersecting road. Crosswalks can also either be marked or unmarked, depending on the features of the nearby walkways. In any of those locations, when the crosswalk is accompanied by a stop sign, you must stop before passing the stop sign and before crossing any part of the crosswalk. Consider stopping one or two car lengths away from either.
Limit lines are white lines that extend from the base of the stop sign and cross the lane. Oftentimes, you’ll also see big, white letters that say, “STOP,” written under the line. Pennsylvania state law requires that you stop before crossing the limit line and before passing the stop sign. As with the other stopping positions, consider stopping one or two car lengths in front of the limit line and stop sign (whichever comes first).
What Is a Flashing Red Light?
In Pennsylvania, flashing red stop lights follow the same rules and traffic regulations as stop signs. This is one of those “universal laws” that tends to apply across the country no matter where you go. To better understand what flashing red lights mean and how they relate to stop signs and solid lights, let’s look at all three options together:
- Solid red light: A solid red stop light means to stop and wait for the light to turn green.
- Flashing red light: A flashing red stop light means to stop and wait until you have the right of way.
- Stop sign: A stop sign means to stop and wait until you have the right of way.
As you can tell from the brief descriptions above, stop signs and flashing red lights impose the same requirements on drivers. The reason you might find flashing red lights at an intersection rather than a stop sign is because traffic lights give greater control and functionality to the city planners. They can more easily be swapped out with solid lights than stop signs can, which adds a bit more utility to areas with frequently changing traffic control needs.
Fines for Stop Sign Violations in Pennsylvania
Stop sign fines in Pennsylvania are some of the most lenient in the nation—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still awful. For starters, the direct fine for one of these tickets is only around $25. That’s less than most people spend on gas each week. However, the real financial burden comes from the subsequent increase to your car insurance premiums.
According to The Zebra, a car insurance research group, insurance premiums tend to increase by 22.7% for similar violations. If you’re paying $1,390 in annual premiums (the average for 2019), then you could end up paying an additional $315.53. This cost increase can last years.
Stop sign tickets in Pennsylvania are non-criminal infractions. That means they cannot send you to jail if the court finds you guilty. However, reckless driving is a criminal violation and can result in jail time and a permanent criminal record. If you’re caught committing multiple violations at once (e.g., speeding, unsafe lane changes, tailgating, and running stop signs), then you might be charged with reckless driving.
How Long Do You Have To Pay a Stop Sign Ticket?
In Pennsylvania, you have a total of 30 days from the issue date of the ticket to pay it. After that 30-day period has passed, you run the risk of the state charging you late fees, sending your balance to debt collection agencies, and potentially charging you with a crime: Failure to Pay.
Failure to Pay can be either a civil or criminal penalty, depending on the circumstances surrounding why you failed to pay. If the government rules that your failure to pay was the result of criminal intent, it will likely charge you with the crime.
Hire an Attorney To Fight Your Ticket or Pay Through appwinit.com
If you’ve received a non-criminal traffic ticket in Pennsylvania, you have the right to an attorney. WinIt can help you find one. Whether your goal is to pay the ticket and accept the consequences or to contest the ticket and hopefully get the case against you dismissed, WinIt can help you find an attorney capable of meeting your needs.
No case is a guaranteed win, but having an expert traffic ticket attorney on your side is proven to increase your chances of obtaining a more favorable outcome for your case.
Download the WinIt app or head over to www.appwinit.com today to get started talking with experienced attorneys about your next steps.
