Additionalcharges

[Jeff128]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
PA(Gilbertsville; Montgomery County)
My daughter got a speeding ticket. 55 in a 35. The $65 fine turned into159 after they added charges for EMS, medical care and some other things. This was just a simple speeding ticket. Why all the extra charges?

[Some Random Guy]

Its technically not bogus. Its just greedy.

Most states are like this today. They have pet projects that get paid for with ticket surcharges.

[url=http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0027.htm]SPEEDING FINE COMPARISON FOR CONNECTICUT, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, AND VIRGINIA[/url]
Pennsylvania

The fine structure for speeding in Pennsylvania is relatively simple. For exceeding a posted 65 miles per hour speed limit, the base fine is $ 42. 50 plus $ 2 for each mile per hour over the limit in excess of five. For exceeding any other posted speed limit, the base fine is $ 35 plus $ 2 for each mile per hour above the limit over five. Fines for offenses that occur in construction or maintenance zones are doubled. Like Connecticut, fines do not escalate for repeat offenses.

However, several additional fees and surcharges are assessed besides the fine for speeding violations. They are shown below.


● $ 28 fee for administrative processing of the speeding citation

● $ 10 assessment for the Emergency Medical Services Fund which provides funding for ambulance and volunteer firefighting organizations

● $ 1. 50 assessment for upgrading the judicial computer system used by the courts to track cases

● $ 30-$ 50 surcharge for the Catastrophic Loss Trust Fund

The Catastrophic Loss Trust Fund was set up by the legislature in 1984 to provide funds to help people who were seriously hurt in traffic accidents defray their medical costs. The fund's authority was repealed in 1989, but about 750 people who were hurt before the repeal continue to receive benefits from the fund. The speeding ticket surcharge provides funding to help defray these costs. The size of the surcharge depends on the speed by which the violator exceeded the speed limit. The surcharge is $ 30 for those exceeding the posted limit by six to 15 miles per hour, $ 40 for those exceeding the limit by 16 to 25 miles per hour, and $ 50 for those exceeding the limit by 26 miles per hour or more.

[Maestro64]

could not explain it any better then above....

PA tickets are cheap to so say the least, it is just all the extra's they add on over the years, the fine structure has not changed in a long time, unlike other states who have been using tickets to close the gaps in their budgets.

[Jim_bo]

Dude... come to CA. Here a $25 fine magically turns into a $265+ bill.