Traffic Violations

Pennsylvania assigns two to five points per moving violation. At six points, PennDOT orders corrective action — an exam or driver school first, then hearings with possible short suspensions. At eleven points, suspension is automatic: five days per point at first, escalating to a year by a fourth suspension. Three points are removed for every twelve violation-free months.

Yes. Paying the fine is a guilty plea, and the conviction is reported to PennDOT, which assigns points and imposes any collateral suspension automatically. Some offenses — reckless driving, fleeing, racing, hit-and-run — carry mandatory suspensions independent of points, so the true cost of simply paying can far exceed the fine on the citation.

Any citation carrying four or five points, any offense with its own mandatory suspension, any high-speed charge of 26 mph or more over the limit, and any ticket that pushes a record toward six or eleven points. Commercial drivers and drivers under 18 have far lower tolerances. Summary trials are heard by a Magisterial District Judge, and convictions can be appealed for a new trial within 30 days.

Pennsylvania reports convictions to the driver's home state, which applies its own point and suspension rules. Pennsylvania can also suspend a non-resident's privilege to drive in the Commonwealth. Ignoring a citation is the worst option: failure to respond leads to an indefinite hold that most home states enforce by suspending the driver's license until the Pennsylvania case is resolved.