I received a speeding ticket (95 in a 65) in Pennsylvania.  I am
wondering the PA has reciprocity with District of Columbia... because
I want to know if I pay the ticket in PA on time, will the points show
up on my DC driving record.

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Clarification of Question by ronin24-ga on 09 Jul 2005 09:09 PDT

I heard a rumor that if you pay your PA traffic ticket on time that
they don't report the violation out of state, unless the state is West
Virginia or Ohio.  Since my license is from DC, I'm hoping that if I
just pay the ticket I won't have my DC license affected...

Dear ronin24-ga

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question.

A lot of times, when the states? memberships differ in these compacts,
the outcome of the reciprocity agreement (Compact) is affected
primarily (but not exclusively) by the state in which the violation
was cited. So, for example, if you were cited in Washington DC and
went home to Pennsylvania, the affect that a reciprocity agreement
might potentially have on your license is determined by what action DC
takes in response to your answer (or failure to answer) the traffic
summons.

Having aid that, Washington DC and Pennsylvania are BOTH member states
of the DRIVER LICENSE COMPACT (DLC) and NON-RESIDENT VIOLATOR COMPACT
(NRVC) agreements.


Now, let me say this, DC will most assuredly report the violation to
Pennsylvania (because of its membership in both DLC and NVRC). The
question now is, what will Pennsylvania REALLY do with that
information? Under the agreement the state can be expected to treat
the violation as if it happened in Pennsylvania. However, as you said
you heard in the rumor mill, Pennsylvania may indeed choose to
consider the paid fine on the DC summons a ?forfeit? and, for all
intents and purposes treat the incident like it never happened, but in
my opinion, being a compact member this is highly unlikely. There is,
of course, no way to know what the state of Pennsylvania will
ultimately do with regard to how it historically records this
violation where ?points? are concerned, but suffice it to say (and if
I were a betting man) that it probably will be put on your driving
record whether you are assessed points or not, AND the most likely
scenario is that you will be assessed points.

Even though I am a career member of law enforcement myself (in another
state) and a certified NCIC terminal operator (the national database
where all these records are stored) your best source of information
will be your local insurance agent. Give them a call (even anonymously
if you like, or call one that you are not affiliated with) and ask
them how your state addresses point assessment for out of state
tickets. I?m confident that they will confirm that, contrary to the
popular saying, what happens in Vegas doesn?t always STAY in Vegas.

In summary, the rule is that Pennsylvania will deal with your
violation as if it occured in Pennsyvlania, but if there is a rumor
that the state doesn't always adhere to the compact there may,
unofficially, be something to it - if thet happens to you, great, but
keep in mind that that isn't the general rule and should not be
expected.
 
I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher


OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES

DRIVER LICENSE COMPACT
http://www.criminaldefensedenver.com/interstatecompact.htm

4 CAR INSURANCE QUOTES: RECIPROCITY
http://www.4carinsurancequotes.com/reciprocity.htm




SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINES USED:

Google ://www.google.com




SEARCH TERMS USED:


DLC

NVRC

COMPACT

DC

PENNSYLVANIA

POINTS

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Request for Answer Clarification by ronin24-ga on 09 Jul 2005 09:48 PDT

Thank you, this is helpful, but as I said my license is in DC and my
violation was in Pennsylvania.  Please confirm that your response
applies in this way... it appears that you answered the reverse
question: i.e. if I get a ticket in DC, and I have  PA license... in
fact, I have a DC license and got my ticket in PA.  THanks, -tk

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Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 09 Jul 2005 10:27 PDT

Indeed. The states are both members of the two types of compacts and
the same applies in both states as it would in the other. There is no
difference.

Fear not, my friend - there may still be alternatives...

You might be unaware that in many states you can request to attend a
defensive driving course in order to have the impact of such a
violation lessened or even erased frm your record. You might want to
call your court clerk, ,driver control office, DMV or the DA's office
and ask about this alternative as well. These classes are sometimes
only 8 hours long and the benefits can be substantial in terms of
having points removed or forgiven from your record.

http://www.godmv.com/dc-district-of-columbia/defensive-driving.htm

"By taking a defensive driving course, you can potentially remove
points from your driving record. Ultimately, it is up to the
discretion of the state DMV of just how many points are to be removed
upon completion. It is recommended that drivers contact their DMV
office to determine the number of points that will be removed by
completing a state approved defensive driving course. "


Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

Thanks, this answer did not solve all my problems, but frankly it's as
good as I would expect anyone to be able for the money I offered.  It
was thorough, polite, and professional.  Thanks.

I was involved in the same predicament; however, I am  PA licensed
driver who received a ticket in Delaware (74 in 65 - go figure). After
contacting the DE courts, the DE DMV, and the PA DMV, I was informed
that MINOR traffic violations (speeding, red light, stop sign) are NOT
posted to a PA driver's driving record and points are NOT assessed if
received in another state.  In compliance with the DLC, they do
acknowledge and post major violations to the driver's record
(vehicular manslaughter, etc.).  However, do not rejoice yet as
Delaware posts and assigns points to a driver's for ALL moving
violations (speeding included).  So, in my case, it seems that I am
lucky and won't have to deal with points, a poor driver's record,
insurance premium spikes, etc. - which is great considering I'm
leaving for college in a month.  Your best bet would bet to contact
your state or districts DMV (in your case, the District of Columbia)
and find out how they comply with the DLC and what types of violations
received, albiet out-of-state, will be posted to your record and
assigned points.

Hope this is helpful.

Pennsylvania will not post minor out of state speeding tickets to your
PA record. However PA will report the ticket to DC and it will show
and be treated just as if you received the ticket in DC since you have
a DC license.

Thirty over is a very serious speed and it is certain to raise your
insurance rates. I would show for court and try to get it reduced if
at all possible. If you cannot show then think seriously about
retaining an attorney. He may be able to get it reduced to a 3111
which is a simple disobeying of a traffic signal. I do not think that
these tickets are even reported to the PA DMV so it would not go not
back to DC. The attorney will know for sure.

lwpat
http://www.speedingticketcentral.com